An argument can be made that no undefeated team has ever been as scrutinized as the 2014 Florida State Seminoles. The reigning national champions opened the year as the top-ranked team in college football and, despite not dropping a game, fell to third ranking behind one-loss teams.

With their narrow 37-35 victory over Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship, Florida State extended their winning streak to 29 straight games. However, their margin of victory over the Yellow Jackets still left debate as to whether the Seminoles would have a spot in the first-ever College Football Playoff.

Florida State’s year was made up of narrow victories and controversies from 2013 Heisman winner quarterback Jameis Winston.

The Seminoles unbeaten run, dating back to 2012 seemed destined to end in their third game of the season, when the school suspended Winston one game for yelling an offensive comment on campus. Sophomore Sean Maguire was asked to make his first career start to keep Florida State unbeaten against a worthy competitor in Clemson.

Maguire struggled at times – going 21-of-39 passes with one touchdown and two interceptions – but threw a 74-yard touchdown pass to Rashad Greene to tie the game at 17-17 with six minutes remaining. The Florida State defence later bailed out Maguire after an interception with a fumble recovery to send to overtime. Following a fourth-down stop by Florida State, running back Karlos Williams punched in a 12-yard touchdown to win the game.

Florida State had Winston in the lineup for their next matchup against a top-25 team, facing undefeated, fifth-ranked Notre Dame. Winston threw a go-ahead touchdown for Florida State with seven minutes remaining, but Notre Dame appeared to respond with a game-winning touchdown with 13 seconds left. However, the Fighting Irish were called for offensive pass interference on the play and failed to convert on fourth and goal from the 18-yard line, sending the Seminoles to 7-0 on the year.

After double-digit victories over No. 25 Louisville and Virginia, the Seminoles appeared poised to enter the College Football Playoff with momentum as three unranked teams left on the schedule. However, Florida State put together three unimpressive wins, beating Miami (FL), Boston College and Florida by a combined 12 points. In those win, Winston threw for just four touchdowns to six interceptions.

However, in the ACC Championship, Winston played his best game of the season throwing for 309 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. The Seminoles never trailed by more than seven points and all but secured their victory with a field goal to go up 37-28 with four minutes remaining. Georgia Tech closed the gap inside the final two minutes, but fell short of a comeback.

The debate can be made that ‘a win is a win,’ but the College Football Playoff committee sees it differently. Florida State is the only unbeaten team, yet they will not be facing fourth-ranked Ohio State as the top seed on New Year’s Day. Instead, the Seminoles enter as nine-point underdogs against 2014 Heisman winner Marcus Mariota and second-ranked Oregon.