Alabama vs. Florida State? Why The Committe--and my Mom-- Got It Right
Early Sunday morning I tried to explain to my 90-year-old mother why the SEC might get shut out of the College Football Playoffs.
I expained to her that the selection committee had never left an undefeated Power Five conference champion out of the playoffs. And in order for Alabama (12-1) to get in, the committee would have to do exactly that to Florida State (13-0), the ACC champ.
I explained the whole concept of "most deserving teams" vs. "the four best teams."
I explaind that Florida State might get the spot despite losing its quarterback, Jordan Travis, with a horrific leg injury."
Mom's response?
"You're supposed to take the four best teams, right? Then that (picking Florida State) doesn't make any sense. I know that Alabama is a better team."
So once again Mom--and the selection committe--got it right."
The past 48 hours had been stressful for the SEC, which has been a fixture in the College Football Playoffs since its inception in 2014. As we drew closer to the SEC championship game between Alabama and Georgia in Atlanta, the narrative began to build that because there were so many undefeated teams, if No. 1 Georgia lost to No. 8 Alabama then the SEC could get shut out entirely.
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey went on the offensive, using a Sesame Street analogy to explain how the SEC has dominated the sport of college football and, therefore, it would be illogical to exclude them..
"That's not the real world of college football," Sankey said on ESPN's College Game Day when asked if the SEC could fail to make the CFB for the first time. "Let's go back to like 'Sesame Street' so we're really basic -- one of these things is not like the other, and that's the Southeastern Conference."
"The reality is there has been no one that's experienced the success in the postseason in the College Football Playoff that we have," Sankey said. "So when you put us up actually against the teams, rather than in the committee rooms, we stand alone. And we stand alone this year, regardless of today's outcome."
The SEC has won four straight national championships and 13 of the past 17. After the SEC championship game Alabama Coach Nick Saban was not at all bashful about lobbying for his team to be included in the CFP.
"The message I would send (to the committee) is 'We won the SEC. We beat the No. 1 team in th country". This team is one of the four best teams in the countrry."
On Sunday the word came that Saban would get a chance to pursue his eighth national championship. He has won six championships since his arrival at Alabama in 2007. He also won a national championship at LSU in 2003.
"It's unfortunate that one team (Florida State) is left out but I really believe our team deserves to be here," Saban told Reece Davis of ESPN.
With the 27-24 loss to Alabama, Georgia saw its 29-game winning streak snapped and also lost a chance to win its third straight national championship, which was last done by Minnesota in the early 40s.
Georgia Coach Kirby Smart did his own lobbying, pointing out that Georgia (12-1) had been No. 1 most of the season.
"So you’re going to tell me somebody sitting in that committee room doesn’t think that Georgia's team is one of the best four teams? (Then) I don’t know if they’re in the right profession," Smart said in his post-game press conference. "It’s a really good football team."
But instead of chasing another national championship, Georgia will be headed to the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30 to play Florida State, the team that was left out of the playoffs when Alabama was put in. I expect that the Seminoles will be in a foul mood with something left to prove.
Stay tuned.