After going undefeated in the regular season, and winning its conference championship with its third-string quarterback, Florida State University has been shut out of the opportunity to play for a national title. Instead, the Seminoles will face Georgia in the Orange Bowl.
The team slipped to No. 5 in the College Football Playoff rankings. A committee of current and former athletic directors and former coaches and players determine the rankings. The process also takes into consideration whether teams won their conference championship, the strength of their schedule, and the outcomes of common opponents, among others.
The decision has been met with anger and derision. In a statement, FSU Head Football Coach Mike Norvell said he was quote: “disgusted and infuriated with the committee’s decision” while athletics director Michael Alford said the move “has forever damaged the credibility of the institution that is the College Football Playoff.”
Speaking to ESPN, CFP selection committee chairman Boo Corrigan explained the decision.
"Florida State is a different team than they were the first 11 weeks," he said. "If you look at who they are as a team right now, without Jordan Travis, without the offensive dynamic that he brings to it, they are a different team. And the committee voted Alabama four and Florida State five."
This is the first time in 25 years under the playoff system that a Power 5 undefeated team has been excluded from a title bid.
Alabama’s Crimson Tide is now in the No. slot with one loss against Texas early in the season.
Full statement from FSU Head Football Coach Mike Norvell:
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. What is the point of playing games? Do you tell players it is okay to quit if someone goes down? Do you not play a senior on Senior Day for fear of injury? Where is the motivation to schedule challenging non-conference games? We are not only an undefeated P5 conference champion, but we also played two P5 non-conference games away from home and won both of them. I don’t understand how we are supposed to think this is an acceptable way to evaluate a team.
I’m hurting for our players who have displayed a tremendous amount of resilience and response this season. What happened today goes against everything that is true and right in college football. A team that overcame tremendous adversity and found a way to win doing whatever it took on the field was cheated today. It’s a sad day for college football.
I’m proud of the work we have put in and the players I have the privilege to coach. We have one more opportunity to define this 2023 team in the Orange Bowl, and I believe in how our team will respond.
Full statement from FSU Athletics Director Michael Alford:
The consequences of giving in to a narrative of the moment are destructive, far-reaching, and permanent. Not just for Florida State, but college football as a whole.
The argument of whether a team is the 'most deserving OR best' is a false equivalence. It renders the season up to yesterday irrelevant and significantly damages the legitimacy of the College Football Playoff. The 2023 Florida State Seminoles are the epitome of a total TEAM. To eliminate them from a chance to compete for a national championship is an unwarranted injustice that shows complete disregard and disrespect for their performance and accomplishments. It is unforgivable.
The fact that this team has continued to close out victories in dominant fashion facing our current quarterback situation should have ENHANCED our case to get a playoff berth EARNED on the field. Instead, the committee decided to elevate themselves and ‘make history’ today by departing from what makes this sport great by excluding an undefeated Power 5 conference champion for the first time since the advent of the BCS/CFP era that began 25 years ago. This ridiculous decision is a departure from the competitive expectations that have stood the test of time in college football.
Wins matter. Losses matter. Those that compete in the arena know this. Those on the committee who also competed in the sport and should have known this have forgotten it. Today, they changed the way success is assessed in college football, from a tangible metric - winning on the field - to an intangible, subjective one. Evidently, predicting the future matters more.
For many of us, today’s decision by the committee has forever damaged the credibility of the institution that is the College Football Playoff. And, saddest of all, it was self-inflicted. They chose predictive competitiveness over proven performance; subjectivity over fact. They have become a committee of prognosticators. They have abandoned their responsibility by discarding their purpose – to evaluate performance on the field.
Our players, coaches, and fans - as well as all those who love this sport - deserve better. The committee failed college football today.
