Las Vegas oddsmakers would not have Florida State in playoff

If Las Vegas oddsmakers were in charge of selecting the four teams for the College Football Playoff, Florida State would have no chance of competing for a national championship this season. In fact, it wouldn’t even be all that close.

According to RJ Bell of Pregame.com, Vegas currently ranks Florida State at No. 7 in its overall rankings. Vegas has Florida State behind the obvious teams like Alabama, Oregon and TCU, but oddsmakers also view Baylor, Mississippi State and Michigan State as better teams than the Seminoles.

Vegas also would consider Ohio State a “clear favorite” over Florida State if JT Barrett did not suffer a season-ending injury. Bell notes that the Buckeyes have been downgraded by six spread points because of Barrett’s injury.

Those who have watched a few Florida State games this season probably agree with the oddsmakers. The Seminoles come out flat almost every week and have squeaked by Miami, Boston College and Florida — all teams a national championship contender should handle with ease — the past three weeks.

If Jameis Winston threw multiple interceptions in the first half against a team like Alabama or Oregon, the Seminoles would find themselves in a 24-0 hole before they realized what was going on.

The problem is Florida State is the defending national champion and has not lost a game with Jameis Winston as its starting quarterback. I’m sure the College Football Playoff Committee is praying the Seminoles lose to Georgia Tech this weekend to make their lives easier.