Boo Corrigan explains Jordan Travis injury 'was really a big factor' in Florida State CFP exclusion

An undefeated Florida State team, sans quarterback Jordan Travis, was left out of the 2023 College Football Playoffs on Sunday when the CFP selection committee revealed that the Seminoles finished ranked No. 5.

It left many wondering how a 13-0 Power Five conference champion could be left out in favor of two one-loss Power Five champions in Texas and Alabama.

“We had eight really good teams this year, right?” CFP selection committee chair Boo Corrrigan explained. “Somewhat of a unique year in the last year of the four (team playoff) as we go through this. But looking at the player availability was really important to what’s going on, and I think someone said it there, you can lose a running back, you can lose a wide receiver, but a quarterback as dynamic as Jordan Travis, it changes their offense in its entirety. That was really a big factor with the committee as we went through everything.”

Jordan Travis was a star for the Seminoles prior to suffering a season-ending injury in the final month of the season.

He tallied 2,755 passing yards and 20 touchdowns, while throwing just two interceptions. He also ran for 176 yards and seven touchdowns.

When he went out, despite the fact that Florida State still has some elite skill players in the likes of running back Trey Benson and receiver Johnny Wilson and Keon Coleman, the offense really struggled.

Backup quarterback Tate Rodemaker led the team to a win over rival Florida, going 12-of-25 passing for 134 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. But he was knocked out of the contest with a hard hit late, and he was not available for the ACC Championship Game this weekend against Louisville.

Instead third-string quarterback Brock Glenn stepped in, and he went 8-of-21 passing for 55 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.

That lack of offense almost certainly contributed to the College Football Playoff selection committee’s decision to leave Florida State out of the playoff.

The committee is charged with evaluating the best four teams, taking into account injuries. Unfortunately for Florida State, because the Jordan Travis injury happened so late in the season, there wasn’t necessarily much of a window for Florida State to really prove it could still thrive without Travis.

Corrigan also noted that one factor that weighed heavily in the decision was leaning on the opinions of the former coaches on the selection committee and who teams would rather face at this stage of the season; Florida State would likely have been a preferred opponent, rather than a feared one.

So a regular season that went almost as well as it possibly could for Florida State ends in disappointment.