Florida State QB Jordan Travis Focuses on God’s Plan Despite Injury and Playoff Snub
For Jordan Travis and the Florida State Seminoles, the 2023 college football season isn’t ending as they had hoped. Quarterback Travis, a Heisman Trophy contender for much of the season, suffered a season-ending leg injury Nov. 18. As a result, the undefeated Seminoles—who won the ACC championship on Dec. 2—were controversially snubbed from the College Football Playoffs.
In an interview prior to his team’s omission, Travis spoke with College GameDay about his love for his teammates and his trust in God’s plan. The QB began by describing how he was “blessed” because “the good Lord woke me up this morning, so I have a smile on my face.”
Jordan Travis: ‘God Has a Different Plan for Me’
When asked about his backup players, Jordan Travis said, “I have all the faith in the world in them. A bunch of guys that have been waiting for their opportunity, man. I’ve been waiting to watch them succeed.” The QB admitted, “I wish I could be out there with the guys,” but added, “God has a different plan for me. I’m ready to see whoever goes out there today, just go out there and ball, because I know who they are.”
On Dec. 3, the CFP committee announced that Florida State wasn’t among the four selected playoff teams, despite its 13-0 record. Chairman Boo Corrigan admitted that a key factor was the injury to the Seminoles’ QB.
After that news broke, Travis posted that he was “devastated,” “heartbroken,” and “in so much disbelief.” The injured athlete wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “I wish my leg broke earlier in the season so y’all could see this team is much more than the quarterback. I thought results matter. 13-0 and this roster matches up across any team in those top 4 rankings. I am so sorry. Go Noles!”
Hours later, Travis took to social media again, thanking fans for a “great season” and reminding everyone to “control what we can control.” He added, “Let’s not let the opinions of others affect how we feel about being champions of this conference.” Florida State is scheduled to play Georgia in the Orange Bowl Dec. 30.
A Debate About Teams vs. Individuals
The sports world erupted after the committee revealed its decision. Michael Alford, Florida State’s athletic director, called his school’s omission “unforgiveable.” He said, “To eliminate them from a chance to compete for a national championship is an unwarranted injustice that shows complete disregard and disrespect for their performance and accomplishments.”
Winning games at the end of the season, without Travis available, should have worked in FSU’s favor, Alford argued. Instead, he said, the committee “failed college football.”
FSU head coach Mike Norvell wrote that he’s “hurting for our players who have displayed a tremendous amount of resilience and response this season.” His team “was cheated” by the CFP committee, he said, despite overcoming “tremendous adversity” to keep winning.
Some commentators accused the CFP of pandering to TV ratings. The committee acknowledged it faced a tough decision but has been defending it. “At the end of the day, everybody had the same goal in mind: Do we have the four best teams?” said one member. “And we all felt pretty good that we do.”
Broadcaster and former FSU quarterback Danny Kanell disagreed. “If you use [the argument] ‘they’re not the same without their starting QB,’” he wrote, “you have completely diminished the value of team sports.”