Going into Sunday’s College Football Playoff selection, the committee knew their decision was going to be controversial no matter what. After all, this season had three undefeated Power 5 champions and several deserving one-loss teams. It wasn’t a clear-cut top 4.
That being said, the committee’s justification for leaving undefeated Florida State out of the playoff was silly … as was Dan Orlovsky’s defense of that decision on ESPN.
The selection committee penalized Florida State for losing its starting quarterback Jordan Travis to injury. It didn’t matter that Florida State remained undefeated after Travis went down and held Louisville to just six points in the ACC title game. The committee felt that Travis’ injury made Florida State are worse team (or at least worse than Alabama). But on Monday’s edition of Get Up, Orlovsky went on to claim that the FSU team that went undefeated was not the same team that got left out of the CFP.
This is a real segment on ESPN. pic.twitter.com/G5D80ExV1Z
— Zach Blostein (@ZBlostein247) December 4, 2023
He said:
“But we have to stop saying that this Florida State team went undefeated as a Power 5 conference champion. This team did not. The team two weeks ago with Jordan Travis did. This is a different football team.”
Who did Florida State lose to then, Dan? That’s the problem with the argument. Florida State is an undefeated Power 5 conference champion. It’s the same team. They didn’t lose with Travis, and they didn’t lose without Travis. That would be like saying the Philadelphia Eagles didn’t deserve to make the postseason in 2018 because Carson Wentz (when he was good) got injured. And we all know what happened there.
College football fans weren’t kind to that faulty argument either.
This was how Twitter reacted
Hi @danorlovsky7. FSU went 2-0 without Jordan Travis.
It would probably be beneficial to be accurate in what you share with your national platform moving forward. Maybe even a retraction or clarification would be the right thing to do professionally? https://t.co/R2mEfmJOuI
— Brendan Sonnone (@BSonnone) December 4, 2023
These guys got to get out and get some fresh air and clear their heads. Throw the football around. Get out of suit and tie.
Stuck in ESPN bubble, in this insulated echo chamber, has turn some of these individuals into blathering _____. https://t.co/tJS4iP9OMB
— Greg Flugaur (@flugempire) December 4, 2023
Did they or did they not win the final 2 games without Travis to FINISH undefeated?? @danorlovsky7 https://t.co/PqVy5qszDU pic.twitter.com/d1awzd1Uph
— Alex Clouden (@aclouden84) December 4, 2023
Thing is, FSU *was* undefeated (2-0) and a Power 5 conference champion *without* Jordan Travis, @danorlovsky7. Sure, they weren’t 13-0 w/o Travis. But they were undefeated & won their conference, beating a top 15 team to do it. https://t.co/JRJQiSTuQb
— Jason Staples (@DocStaples) December 4, 2023
Just so damn stupid. https://t.co/oqkcbdpbdE
— Shane Dale (@ShaneDaleAZ) December 4, 2023
Jordan Travis credited ALWAYS the TEAM, not just himself, for his success as a quarterback.
The TEAM won 13 games.
The TEAM won a conference championship.
The TEAM. https://t.co/BAfNuu1WuV— Taylor Jennings (@TayVictoria8) December 4, 2023
“I didn’t actually watch this team all year” https://t.co/J8Ba97jCxh
— JK (@jfk11_) December 4, 2023
Weird how it seems he’s reading off a script. A professional in the sport and as a talking head doesn’t know his stance ? https://t.co/tMv6s3RWQd
— Variant Vance (@V__Bin) December 4, 2023
I learned something today. I learned that 13-0 does not mean you are undefeated. Good to know. What would we do without ESPN talking heads to let us know what is reality and what is made up? https://t.co/MZWttCaS3w
— Immaculate (@ImmaculateView) December 4, 2023
