In its last year of having to break the hearts of one or two bubble teams (with an expanded playoff bracket, we can now count on 6-7 teams with broken hearts!), the College Football Playoff selection committee went for gold.

In their defense, it was an impossible proposition. You have probably six or seven teams who could reasonably make a good case for it, but a 4-team playoff means someone was always going to be upset. On one hand, it was clear that Michigan and Washington were going to make it. Their seasons, records, and conference championships guaranteed it. But after those two spots, it was insanely difficult.

Florida State thought their unbeaten record and conference championship made them shoe-ins. A lot of people thought the same. Alabama won the SEC championship through an amazing performance and with a level of confidence and skill they hadn't displayed at the beginning of the year.

Meanwhile, you have Texas, which also won a conference championship and, as a bonus, had beaten Alabama earlier this year. There was also a pretty good case for Georgia - if the committee was going to let Alabama in, they could theoretically let Georgia in, as Alabama was their only loss and their season had been a dominant one.

A lot of people would like to think that the process of selecting the four playoff teams should be purely mathematical. Strength of schedule, team stats, records, and a few other things should be all that is considered. But, if you look at records and strength of schedule, one would assume that Florida State makes it in. Likewise, Georgia strength of schedule was not as intensive as some of the other choices, which (combined with losing their conference championship game) fairly eliminated them.

But there was another factor that seemed to weigh on the committee's mind - the strength of the current roster. Florida State was on its third-string quarterback and the team's lineup was riddled with key injuries. It is possible - perhaps probable - that whoever faced them would blow them out on that fact alone.

Is it fair, though? Probably not. As a squad, FSU earned that spot, even as the No. 4 team behind whoever the other choice would have been - seemingly Texas or Alabama - and, having found themselves out of the CFP, they are rightfully angry.

"The consequences of giving in to a narrative of the moment are destructive, far reaching, and permanent. Not just for Florida State, but college football as a whole," he said in a statement. "It is unforgivable."

FSU athletic director Michael Alford: “The consequences of giving in to a narrative of the moment are destructive, far reaching, and permanent. Not just for Florida State, but college football as a whole. … It is unforgivable.” pic.twitter.com/JtCdy7rCHJ

— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) December 3, 2023

I feel genuinely terrible for the Seminoles, and I think the committee has done them a disservice. Even if the strength of roster is low, that doesn't excuse the hard work the entire team - not just those with injuries - but in this year. They deserved a shot, and now they don't have it. It sucks, pure and simple.

But how would the committee choose between Alabama and Texas for the final spot? Either you go by the head-to-head scenario, in which case Texas gets in because they had beaten Alabama already this year, or you go by the current level of the team, in which case Alabama has the advantage because that victory over Georgia wasn't a fluke - they shut down Georgia offensively and defensively.

Like I said, it's an impossible situation for the committee.

The CFP committee clearly split the baby when it came to Texas and Alabama, selecting both at the expense of Florida State. It sucks for the Seminoles, who (rightfully) feel their hard work didn't mean a damn thing at the end of the day. It is a terrible way to end such a great run. No matter how impossible the situation for the committee, the fact is that they chose wrong. It doesn't matter that this is the last year where a problem of this magnitude can surface. The problem is that this is the last year you could have gotten it right, and you didn't.