Our picks for a mythical Florida high school football CFP

In the aftermath of the controversy which has followed the recent College Football Playoff selections, we dive into which four teams would be selected for a mythical Florida high school football version of the playoff

When the College Football Playoff announced this past Sunday afternoon which four teams made the cut, we can safely say there was some mixed reactions. 

Obviously no playoff system can ever be perfect, but the controversial selection of the four teams (Michigan, Washington, Texas, Alabama) has been picked apart by media personalities, especially with the exclusion of Florida State, an undefeated Power 5 program, and Georgia, a one loss squad that is the two-time reigning national champions. 

Details on Florida's potential elite 32-team open division football championship

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Details on Florida's potential elite 32-team open division football championship

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Now we are not here to give an opinion on CFP controversy, but to provide a fun look at what might happen if the Sunshine State had such a selection process for the ultimate high school state championship. Who would the four teams be and which teams would be left out in the cold? Or heat for that matter since it is Florida. 

Don’t get out your pitch forks and torches just yet. 

Let’s use the final SBLive Sports national rankings and FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association) power rankings to configure the teams, in addition to some of the factors the College Football Playoff uses. 

Remember, this is all in good fun and the real state championships are this week in Tallahassee at Bragg Memorial Stadium. Here we go! 

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Four teams that made it into the Florida High School Football Playoff:  

1. Chaminade-Madonna (13-0) 

This might be the easiest pick of them all when it comes to strength of star power, schedule and coaching. The Lions have the whole nine yards. When it comes to victories on the schedule, it’s a no-brainer to have this Lions team at the top. Wins over St. Frances Academy (MD), Plantation American Heritage, Miami Central, St. Bergen (NJ) solidify the schedule. 

This Chaminade-Madonna group features arguably the best offense in the land with North Carolina State commitment Cedrick Bailey at quarterback and Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State commit) and Joshisa Trader (Miami commit) out wide. If there’s a team that’s deserving without much conversation, it’s the Lions.

2. IMG Academy (10-0) 

Now IMG Academy isn’t figured into the FHSAA power rankings because they play as an independent program. That doesn’t mean the Ascenders can be left out of our exercise. They’ve played their 10 games, running the table. IMG started off the season with wins over national powers Lipscomb Academy (TN) and St. Joseph’s Prep (PA). 

The Ascenders showed relative ease in victories over teams like Ben Davis (IN), Glenville (OH), Bartram Trail, Pine Forest and Gray Collegiate Academy (SC). Talent isn’t an issue with the roster the Ascenders have, with Liberty commitment Jayden Bradford guiding the offense at quarterback, with Texas commit Jerrick Gibson at tailback, Florida commit Jerrae Hawkins at wideout and 5-star offensive tackle Jordan Seaton blocking his blindside. 

Defensively, Georgia commit Ellis Robinson IV and Oklahoma commit Jayden Jackson on the defensive line. To leave out IMG would be a mistake and at No. 2, the Ascenders are safely in. 

3. Miami Norland (14-0) 

Taking into account the 14 games played this season and the level of difficulty they contained for the Miami Norland Vikings, they make it in at No. 3 and would have a hypothetical matchup against the IMG Academy Ascenders. 

There’s plenty to like about this Norland team and the proof is in the proverbial pudding, with the level of difficulty proving to be up there with any of the four squads we've chosen. The Vikings started the season off with an impressive 48-34 win over Lakeland. A gritty 20-19 win over Miami Booker T. Washington was followed up by a season-defining victory over Miami Central 29-26. 

Norland defeated Columbus for the GMAC championship and notched another win over Miami Central and Bolles. The heart and soul of the team is junior quarterback Ennio Yapoor, who has thrown for 3,960 yards, 28 touchdowns and rushed for over 700, scoring 11 times on the ground. A potent offense and a defense filled with Power 5 level talent makes an undefeated Vikings program hard to ignore. 

4. Cocoa (13-1)

The last and final spot was painfully difficult for the hypothetical committee and when it came down to Cocoa and St. Thomas Aquinas. The committee had to go back and revisit the September 8th match-up between the two programs. 

Controversy swirled around the final minutes of the Cocoa-Aquinas game, with officials improperly stopping the clock and costing the Tigers the game. Though the Raiders played a tough schedule at the very beginning, the Tigers went out of their way to put together one of the most difficult slates around. The Tigers started off the season with a 22-20 win over Jones and a 31-21 victory over Venice. Other impressive wins have come against Eau Gallie, Treasure Coast, Sanford Seminole and Titusville. 

Many say there’s an asterisk next to the Cocoa-Aquinas finish, which came at no fault of the players and coaches of the Raiders, and the Tigers even received an official apology from Broward County officials over what they call "egregious clock management errors" by the officiating crew. When figuring which team was deserving of the final spot and will face Chaminade-Madonna in a hypothetical No. 1 vs No. 4 match-up, Cocoa was our choice. 

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Teams on the outside looking in: 

5. St. Thomas Aquinas (13-1) 

It wasn’t an easy decision to have St. Thomas Aquinas on the outside looking in, but when comparing level of schedule difficulty to No. 4 Cocoa, the decision becomes much clearer. 

The Raiders started off the season with a 20-7 loss to St. John Bosco (CA) and then their most impressive wins outside of the controversial one over Cocoa are against Western, Treasure Coast, Miramar, Monarch and Coconut Creek. Taking a look at the schedule makes you think what if St. Thomas Aquinas played Cocoa’s slate, would they have finished 13-1? 

The talent on St. Thomas Aquinas’ sideline is undeniable with guys like wide receivers Chance Robinson, James Madison II, running back Jordan Lyle and a host of others. What became the ultimate issues was the strength of schedule and the controversial win over Cocoa. 

6. Buchholz (13-1) 

It’s been a banner season for the Buchholz Bobcats and if not for a heart-breaking 21-20 loss to the Lakeland Dreadnaughts, they might’ve had a stronger argument to be in the final four. 

This Bobcats squad took care of business for the first 13 games of the season and did it in quite dominating fashion along the way. Looking at the schedule, you see some solid victories dotted all over the 2023 slate. Wins over Bartram Trail, Columbia, Sarasota Riverview, Creekside, Trinity Catholic and Vanguard have proven to be better than solid. 

What was always the question mark is would they be able to do it against one of the state’s elite programs. The loss against Lakeland in the state semifinal was a difficult one to swallow at the friendly confines of Citizens Field. It’s been one of the better coaching jobs by first-year lead man Chuck Bell, but Buchholz falls on the outside looking in when it comes to this hypothetical Florida High School Football Playoff. 

-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivefl