Florida State might not pass eye test, but 13-0 can't be ignored

CHARLOTTE — When college football's power brokers decided to go to a four-team playoff, they also decided that the process would be subjective.

Out went the computers, and in came the people. A selection committee is now tasked with deciding the four best teams in college football based on a host of criteria, with one ambiguous — but critical — piece being the "eye test."

Reigning national champion Florida State doesn't look like it's one of the nation's four best teams; it doesn't pass the eye test the way TCU or Ohio State does. It's struggled to put away mediocre foes, needing near-miraculous comebacks to stay unbeaten.

But unbeaten is the key. Unbeaten is what the Seminoles are. Their 13-0 record — the nation's only unblemished record — can't be ignored.

"A team that's in one of the power conferences, 13-0 and undefeated — yes, I do think they're in," ACC Commissioner John Swofford told Paste BN Sports on the field after Florida State beat Georgia Tech 37-35 to win the ACC championship and run its winning streak to 29.

Were it not for that pesky eye test, and all that comes along with it — concepts of game control, style points and the like — the Seminoles would be a lock for the Playoff. In the old BCS system, they'd be assured a spot in the national championship game.

But instead, this is a Florida State team that has won less than impressively, and a team that has dropped twice now in the weekly rankings behind one-loss teams. Last week the Seminoles fell to No. 4 after a narrow win against Florida in a game in which quarterback Jameis Winston threw four interceptions.

Now, they're coming off their best win of the season, but one that was only a two-point victory on a day full of statement games from other Playoff hopefuls.

The Seminoles claim they don't care what they're seeded in Sunday's final rankings, and they say that they know they'll be in the four-team field when it's announced Sunday afternoon.

"No nerves for me," wide receiver Rashad Greene said.

To be left out completely? "That'd be crazy, man," linebacker Reggie Northrup said.

Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher attempted to separate the idea of being in the Playoff from being seeded high. He claimed that the Seminoles will be in the Playoff, and that's a fact. He said the seeding is someone else's opinion, something he can't control. When asked if he knew what the committee's criteria for selecting and seeding teams were, he said, "I don't know what the criteria is."

Perhaps it makes sense that Florida State seems so confident in Sunday's outcome. The idea that a selection committee would leave out an undefeated team is a bit preposterous, only slightly more than dropping an undefeated team behind a one-loss team (or three). But it's not out of the realm of possibilities.

Humans make up a committee that emphasizes the eye test. There are former coaches in the group, and lots of film-watching. A subjective process can somehow justify excluding a team with more wins, or one fewer loss. That's why it exists in this format.

Florida State doesn't look like one of the best teams in the nation. Critics would say it's looked sloppy and gotten lucky, or both. Statistics support the idea that it doesn't have one of the nation's best offenses nor one of the nation's best defenses.

But then there's that sparkling 13-0 record, and it will be nearly impossible to keep the Seminoles out.

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