From coach to U.S. senator, FSU supporters condemn CFP selection panel

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. —  The Seminoles and their backers are not going quietly after Florida State became the first undefeated Power 5 team in the 10-year history of the College Football Playoff to be excluded from a chance to play for a national championship.

All the way to the U.S. Senate.

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Florida) on Monday sent a letter to CFP Selection Committee Chairman Boo Corrigan demanding full transparency from the committee regarding how the decision was reached to choose Alabama, Michigan, Washington and Texas for the playoff this postseason and the factors at play in reaching that outcome.

“Beyond the fury and heartbreak caused by the Committee’s decision, there are also financial implications that must be discussed,” Scott said in his letter to Corrigan. “The ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) and FSU have been denied $2 million of revenue distribution from the CFP due to the Committee’s decision to remove the Seminoles from playoff contention. While this is a significant amount of money, it is just a fraction of the total economic impact that playoff contention would have created for FSU. Beyond the benefit to the university and its athletic program, the Committee’s decision will also likely have profound impacts on the future earnings and opportunities for the players.”

Scott, a former Florida governor who lived in Tallahassee both of his terms, requested that the committee respond by sending to his office “the ‘listing step’ and ‘ranking step’ votes of each member of the Selection Committee for the CFP rankings released on Sunday, December 3, 2023; any notes, recordings or reports detailing the deliberations of the CFP Selection Committee in deciding the CFP rankings released on Sunday, December 3, 2023 and any emails, text messages or other written communication exchanged between the members of the Selection Committee regarding the CFP rankings released on Sunday, December 3, 2023” and other documentation. He also requested a copy of the CFP ethical and conflict of interest standards.

Current Florida govenor Ron DeSantis, who is running for U.S. president, spoke out on Twitter.

Former President Donald J. Trump, who is running for president again in 2024, took a jab at DeSantis, too, on his Truth Social media site. “Florida State was treated very badly by the ‘Committee’. They become the first Power Five team to be left out of the College Football Playoffs. Really bad lobbying effort…Let’s blame DeSanctimonious.”

The Seminoles aren’t the first Power Five team to be left out of the College Football Playoff, just the first undefeated one.

FSU went 12-0 in the regular season and defeated Louisville in the ACC Championship Game on Saturday. The Seminoles overcame a season-ending left leg injury to starting quarterback Jordan Travis on Nov. 18 in a 58-13 victory against North Alabama, and they had to go to third-string quarterback Brock Glenn in the ACC title game after backup quarterback Tate Rodemaker sustained a concussion in their regular-season finale against Florida, a 24-15 victory. 

In contrast, Texas lost to Big 12 rival Oklahoma 34-30 on Oct. 7, and Alabama lost to future Southeastern Conference rival Texas 34-24 on Sept. 9, but both made the CFP with one loss. Alabama defeated then-No. 1 Georgia 27-24 in the SEC Championship Game, and Texas won the Big 12 Championship Game by defeating Oklahoma State 49-21.

The Atlantic Coast Conference and officials at FSU had plenty to say, too.

In a statement released after the CFP Selection Committee made its decision, ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips said, “It’s unfathomable that Florida State, an undefeated Power Five conference champion, was left out of the College Football Playoff. Their exclusion calls into question the selection process and whether the Committee’s own guidelines were followed, including the significant importance of being an undefeated Power Five conference champion. My heart breaks for the talented FSU student-athletes and coaches and their passionate and loyal fans. Florida State deserved better. College football deserved better.”

Seminoles coach Mike Norvell expressed his outrage, too.

“I am disgusted and infuriated with the committee’s decision today to have what was earned on the field taken away because a small group of people decided they knew better than the results of the games,” Norvell said. “What is the point of playing games? Do you tell players it is OK to quit if someone goes down? Do you not play a senior on Senior Day for fear of injury?”

Corrigan defended the committee’s decision to elevate Alabama to the No. 4 spot rather than selecting FSU.

“Florida State is a different team than it was the first 11 weeks,” Corrigan told ESPN. “As you look at who they are as a team right now, without Jordan Travis, without the offensive dynamic he brings, they are a different team, and the committee voted Alabama four and Florida State five.”

Travis, who has continued to be around the Seminoles after his injury to show his support, took to Twitter — going so far as to say he wished he had been injured earlier in the season, so the CFP could see that the Seminoles were a strong contender, even without him.

The Seminoles’ defense ranked No. 14 in the nation through the championship games, ahead of every CFP team except No. 1 Michigan — including No. 8 against the pass. FSU held its opponents to 21 points combined after Travis’ injury.

In addition, Rodemaker, who led FSU past Florida in the regular-season finale, is expected to be out of concussion protocol by the time the bowl games are played.

The two teams knocked out of the CFP, FSU and two-time defending champion Georgia, will meet in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30.

Although the players are very disappointed and angry, the Seminoles still have the opportunity to play for the third perfect season in school history. FSU went 14-0 in 2013 and 12-0 in 1999, both of those seasons ending with national titles.

Content from The Associated Press and ESPN contributed to this report.