(05-05-2021 09:02 AM)usffan Wrote:  

(05-05-2021 07:57 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  Well, FSU and TCU didn't play in a playoff game. FSU did play Oregon, and Oregon crushed them.

As I said, 2014 was kind of unique: FSU was the only undefeated team and yet were obviously weak. The computers had them outside the top four playoff teams. They played a very soft schedule and won game after game with last-minute miracles. But they were the only undefeated team, they were the defending champs, and unlike TCU they did outright win their conference. Nobody had beaten them on the field, so the playoffs simply would not have been legit without them. They *had* to be in. No two ways about that.

Creating one of the greatest gifs of that year (and foreshadowing the disaster that was his career in Tampa Bay)...

USFFan

Yes, that was a hilarious fumblerooski, LOL. IIRC, all the tremendous good fortune that FSU had in 2014, starting with their very lucky escape over Auburn in the last BCS title game, all came home to roost in that Oregon game. And as someone who dislikes FSU, I loved it.

But nevertheless, even though I usually swear by the computers, IMO there was no way to keep FSU out of that year's playoffs. You couldn't have the only unbeaten P5 team, and a major power who was defending national champs to boot, a team on a 29 game winning streak, left out. If they had been left out and won their bowl game, the CFP would have been off to a dreadful start with a truly split championship.