Earlier this week, the 2023 College Football Playoff committee had a tough decision to make. There were about six teams in the country with valid arguments to make the final bracket, but only four teams can be selected. Today, coach Brian Kelly spoke on the final decision, including his thoughts on Florida State.
Coach Brian Kelly is no stranger to the College Football Playoff
In the history of the College Football Playoff, only 15 teams have officially made the final bracket. In turn, not many coaches have had the experience of bringing their team to compete for a national championship over the last 10 years or so.
However, luckily for Tiger fans, coach Brian Kelly just so happens to be one of the few. In his time with Notre Dame, he brought his teams to the playoff twice, making an appearance in 2019 and 2021.
Unfortunately for his squads, those two appearances turned into two losses. They fell in 2019 to the eventual national champion Clemson Tigers 30-3. Oddly enough, they fell again to the national champion in 2021, losing to Alabama 31-14.
The committee was left with a tough decision in 2023
Because of his experience with the College Football Playoff, it would take a lot to surprise coach Brian Kelly when it comes to the decisions of the committee.
In 2023, there were plenty of teams more than capable of earning a spot, but unfortunately, that doesn’t change the fact that there are only four spots. Ultimately, the final selections were No. 1 Michigan, No. 2 Washington, No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Alabama. Falling just short were No. 5 Florida State and No. 6 Georgia.
When asked about the committee’s final decision, coach Kelly didn’t seem too phased, understanding the challenge they’re tasked with.
“It was probably the most difficult one that they were confronted with,” the Tiger head coach said on Tuesday morning. “Look, we knew that there were five conferences from the very beginning, and there’s only four spots. So if you did the math, you just needed to look at the five conference champions, and say there’s four slots.”
The CFP has been a four-team bracket since it was first introduced in 2015. However, it’s important to note that this is the final year of this structure, as it will expand to 12 teams in 2024.
“We played Florida State, and we played Alabama,” coach Kelly continued. “Two outstanding football teams. But the two football teams were different at the end of the season than they were at the start of the season.
“So, I think that from my perspective, unfortunately, Florida State was not the same team earlier in the year than they were later in the year because of the injury to the quarterback. You can take that for whatever you want, but if only four of the conference championship teams can go and there’s five, you’re splitting hairs. They’re all great teams, but only four can go.”
Kelly understands why Florida State was left out
Through the 2023 season, Coach Kelly and the Tigers had the rare opportunity of getting an up close look at two of the top-five teams in the country, Florida State and Alabama.
At the time of facing each team, they were fortunately at full health, but now, heading into bowl season, that isn’t necessarily the case.
On November 18 vs. North Alabama, Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis went down with an injury, ending his season early. When making their final decision, this ended up playing a major role in the committee’s conversations, and the Seminoles were inevitably left out.
While many were shocked by the decision, coach Brian Kelly went in with a bit more of a level head, understanding how much a quarterback can change the quality of a team.
“I think the committee had to figure out if you’re gonna sit one of them out, maybe it’s gotta be the one that lost their quarterback,” coach Kelly wondered. “Again, I don’t know, I certainly didn’t sit in there, but I can see where they came from with the decision that they made.”
While LSU football missed out on the 2023 College Football Playoff, the Tigers still have plenty to play for. On New Year’s Day, the team will head over to Tampa to face off against Wisconsin in the ReliaQuest Bowl at 11:00 a.m. CST.
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