Jordan Travis confirmed Monday that he will miss the remainder of the season due to a leg injury suffered on Saturday, and oddsmakers confirmed that Florida State’s national title hopes have faded along with it.
The Seminoles fell a spot to No. 5 in the AP Top 25 poll released Sunday, and they could suffer a similar slip when the new College Football Playoff poll is released Tuesday night. However, FSU still has a clear path to the CFP with its annual rivalry game against Florida on Saturday followed by an ACC Championship Game clash against Louisville on Dec. 2.
Win those two, and the Seminoles will have an extremely strong case to make the CFP. Much of that will hinge on redshirt junior quarterback Tate Rodemaker, who will take over under center for Travis.
Travis, who was on the fringe of the Heisman Trophy picture just last week, is now off the board due to the injury.
Oddsmakers also shifted Florida State’s title futures. That includes at DraftKings, where the Seminoles went from +950 last week to +3000 on Monday. At BetMGM, their odds lengthened from +900 to +3300.
However, those odds will likely shorten significantly if Rodemaker can steer FSU through the next two weeks and to a 13-0 record.
With Michigan and Ohio State playing this weekend and Washington and Oregon on a collision course for the Pac-12 championship game, multiple teams ahead of the Seminoles could suffer a loss in the coming weeks. What remains to be seen is how close those games are and whether it’s enough to drop teams below FSU and/or vault a one-loss team ahead. Another key clash will be Alabama against Georgia in the SEC Championship game.
Rodemaker had seen only mop-up duty in five appearances this season before replacing Travis against North Alabama. He guided the Seminoles to a 58-13 win in a game FSU trailed 13-0, throwing for 217 yards with a pair of touchdowns.
The Valdosta, Ga. native has thrown only 93 passes during his four years in Tallahassee, completing 60.2 percent of them for 767 yards with seven touchdowns and five interceptions.
He will make his first start against Florida, which will be without its own injured starting quarterback in Graham Mertz (collarbone). The 5-6 Gators need a victory on Saturday to become bowl eligible.
Following that is the ACC title showdown against 10-1 Louisville, which plays Kentucky on Saturday.
On Monday, Travis posted on X that his season — and Seminoles career — has ended, without providing details as to the exact nature or severity of his leg injury.
“I have been overwhelmed by the support from my teammates, coaches, the Florida State community and those all around the world,” Travis wrote. “Although the injury I sustained (Saturday) marks the end of my Seminole playing career, the great memories created here at FSU will never fade.
“… I am excited to be by my brothers’ sides every day as we continue our attack. We’re all we got, we’re all we need. Job’s not finished.”
?? @jordantrav13 #NoleFamily | #FinishFor13 pic.twitter.com/FLp8nOPaPF
— FSU Football (@FSUFootball) November 20, 2023
–Field Level Media
