By Scott Salomon
The Orange Bowl, on paper, looks like a battle of two heavyweights. The matchup that would rival any other in the country. It features two teams that should be playing for a national championship.
In one corner, you have the undefeated Atlantic Coast Conference champion Florida State Seminoles. In the opposite corner, you have the once-defeated Georgia Bulldogs, the runners-up in the Southeastern Conference.
There are a lot of “but fors” and “what ifs” in this game – one that could have easily been a CFP matchup.
But for Jordan Travis going down with a compound fracture in his leg against North Alabama, the Seminoles would be playing for a national title. The Committee did not think that Florida State was sexy enough with a third-string quarterback to get an invitation to the four-team dance despite having a ferocious defense and plenty of skill players on offense to carry the load. Florida State went 3-0 without Travis and would have been tough in the tournament.
But for Jalen Milroe and Isaiah Bond of Alabama connecting on a 4th and 31 in the final minutes of the Iron Bowl against Auburn, Alabama would not be in the College Football Playoff, and Florida State would be the number-four seed and facing Michigan in the Rose Bowl.
But for a Roydell Williams one-yard touchdown in the SEC title game, late in the fourth quarter, which capped an Alabama comeback, the Bulldogs would have become the undefeated SEC champions and would be in a position to win their third consecutive national title.
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But for ESPN investing more money in the SEC than in the ACC, it would have been to their pecuniary benefit to have a once-defeated Alabama team over an undefeated Florida State team sans Travis.
But for Texas defeating Alabama in Tuscaloosa and winning the Big XII title with one loss, the Seminoles would have made the CFP, as conference runner-up Oklahoma State would have had no shot at the playoff had they won the Big XII. The Seminoles should have moved into the number-three seed as an undefeated Power 5 Conference Champion.
But for Florida State having over 20 injuries and opt-outs, this Orange Bowl game would have a national championship taste as two deserving teams would be battling it out for the right to say that they belonged in the subjective invitational tournament.
Despite opt-outs and residual feelings about a Playoff snub, #FSU believes it has plenty of motivation heading into Saturday's @OrangeBowl matchup vs. Georgia. https://t.co/36xqjWsGsm pic.twitter.com/1f0Lt4vLdO
— Matt Murschel (@osmattmurschel) December 28, 2023
Florida State fans are wondering “what if” right now. They are wondering, what if Travis did not break his leg? Would they have made the Playoff? The answer to that is yes, according to Boo Corrigan, the Chairman of the College Football Playoff Committee.
What if Florida State was at full strength and Georgia played the roster that they currently have? Would the game be one for the ages and reminiscent of a national title tilt?
What if Travis did not get injured and Keon Coleman, Johnny Wilson, Trey Benson, and Company did not opt out of the game? Would the Committee have taken Florida State over Alabama or Texas, both one-loss conference champions? See above.
What if ESPN’s contract with the ACC was just as rich as that of their contract with the SEC? Would Florida State’s value be equal to that of Alabama?
What if Kirk Herbstreit did not screw over the Seminoles?
What if the Florida State fans and players actually cared about the Orange Bowl? By virtue of the number of opt-outs, the players are showing the world that they could care less.
See what a seemingly easy decision to exclude @FSUFootball has done to the Orange Bowl game. Nice work @KirkHerbstreit @ESPNCFB @CFBPlayoff @BooCorrigan @BHancockCFP I hope the TV ratings are the worst of all time AND FSU pulls off the historic win!#FSUTwitter #fsugotscrewed pic.twitter.com/rGJ22OiuhC
— Michael Sundquist (@sunny_fsu) December 26, 2023
The end result of all the “but for’s” and the “what ifs” is that Georgia and Florida State should be playing for a shot at a mythical national title. Instead, Georgia is a 20-point favorite in Miami Gardens as they have most of their starters returning to play in this game, minus Brock Bowers, who is injured.
Florida State, meanwhile, has one scholarship quarterback remaining after one was badly injured (Travis) and two entered the transfer portal (Tate Rodemaker and AJ Duffy).
Georgia will win the game running away, but one could only wonder what it would be like if both teams were complete and more than one team actually showed up.
