Boo Corrigan: Florida State, Alabama strength of schedule was 'a factor' final CFP rankings

The College Football Playoff selection committee had quite the decision to make before Sunday’s final rankings reveal. Florida State and Alabama both won their respective conference championships, making the race for the No. 4 ranking especially interesting.

Ultimately, the committee decided to put the one-loss Crimson Tide in the CFP over the undefeated Seminoles. One of the big reasons for that, according to selection committee chairman Boo Corrigan, was strength of schedule.

Alabama had the No. 5 strength of schedule this year, according to ESPN’s metrics, while Florida State’s came in at No. 55. Corrigan said that was one of the biggest pieces of the conversation.

“It’s a factor, and it’s part of our protocol as we look at it,” Corrigan said on a post-reveal teleconference. “And again, Alabama’s strength of schedule was significantly higher than Florida State’s, but again, it’s two really good teams. You can only play the teams in front of you, etc.

“But at the end of it, just a difference in their offense and defense is wonderful, their special teams, the job that Coach Norvell’s done this year, it’s very admirable. Everyone’s got great respect for the job that he’s done, but we ended up at Alabama at four and Florida State at 5.”

The committee’s decision to rank Florida State over Alabama was a surprising one, to say the least. It marked the first time in the CFP’s 10-year history an undefeated Power Five conference champion was ranked outside the top four.

In addition to the strength of schedule difference, Corrigan remained steadfast that Jordan Travis’ injury was a big part of the reason Florida State fell in the rankings. Because he was such a key piece of the Seminoles’ game plan, the committee felt FSU was a different team without him, and that’s why they fell.

“We had eight really good teams this year, right?” Corrigan said on the ESPN reveal show. “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.”

Now, Florida State is bound for the Orange Bowl and a matchup with No. 6 Georgia.