Florida State athletic director Michael Alford unleashed an angry tirade in the wake of the College Football Playoff selection committee knocking his team out of the semifinals.
Alford says the committee “failed college football” by leaving his undefeated team at home – all apparently because quarterback Jordan Travis suffered a season-ending injury.
'The consequences of giving in to a narrative of the moment are destructive, far-reaching and permanent. Not just for the state of Florida, but for college football as a whole,” Alford raged.
'The argument about whether a team is the 'most deserving OR the best' is a false equivalency.
“It makes the season irrelevant until yesterday and significantly damages the legitimacy of the College Football Playoff.
Florida State athletic director Michael Alford went scorched earth on the CFP committee
“The 2023 Florida State Seminoles are the epitome of a total TEAM. Excluding them from the opportunity to compete for a national championship is an unwarranted injustice that shows complete disregard and disrespect for their achievements and achievements. It's unforgivable.'
“The fact that this team has continued to rack up wins in dominant fashion in our current quarterback situation should have IMPROVED our cause to DESERVE a playoff berth on the field.
Instead, the committee decided to elevate itself and “make history” today by deviating from what makes this sport great by fielding an undefeated Power 5 for the first time since the advent of the BCS/CFP era that began 25 years ago conference champion.
“This ridiculous decision deviates from the competitive expectations that have stood the test of time in college football. Wins are important. Losses matter. Those who compete in the arena know this. Those on the committee who also participated in the sport and should have known this have forgotten.
“Today they have changed the way success is judged in college football, from a tangible metric – winning on the field – to an intangible, subjective metric. Apparently predicting the future is more important.'
“For many of us, today's committee decision has forever damaged the credibility of the institution called 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 forecasters. They have abdicated their responsibility by putting aside their goal of evaluating 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.”
Alford said leaving undefeated FSU at home meant the CFP meant “failed college football.”
ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips also released a statement saying, “It is unfathomable that Florida State, an undefeated champion of the Power Five conference, 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 paramount 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.”
Florida Governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis tweeted: “What we learned today is that you can go undefeated and win your conference championship game, but the College Football Playoff Committee will ignore these results. Congratulations to @FSUFootball on an outstanding season and winning the ACC Championship.”
The College Football Playoff Selection Committee made the decision that an injury to one player – Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis – was enough to completely disqualify the team from the playoffs.
“Florida State is a different team than they were the first 11 weeks,” Boo Corrigan, chairman of the CFP selection committee, said after the rankings were revealed.
'It was an incredible season. But if you look at who they are now as a team without Jordan Travis and without the offensive momentum he brings, they're a different team, and the committee picked Alabama No. 4 and Florida State No. 5.”
CFP Selection Committee Chairman Boo Corrigan said injuries have made Florida State a new team
FSU quarterback Jordan Travis tweeted that he wished he got injured sooner
That prompted Travis to release a statement of his own, saying he wished he got hurt earlier in the season.
Travis tweeted: “Devastated. heartbroken. With so much disbelief I wish my leg broke earlier this season so you all could see that this team is much more than a quarterback.
'I thought results matter. 13-0 and this roster matches every team in the top 4 rankings. I'm so sorry. Go Noles!'
An irate Florida State head coach Mike Norvell also released a statement directly questioning the importance of the regular season.
“I am disgusted and outraged by the committee's decision today to take away what was earned on the field because a small group of people decided they knew better than the results of the games.
'What's the point of playing games? Do you tell players it's okay to quit if someone goes down? Do you not play seniors on Senior Day for fear of injury? Where is the motivation to schedule challenging non-conference games?
Florida State coach Mike Norvell: 'What's the point of playing games?… It's a sad day'
“Not only are we an undefeated P5 conference champion, but we have also played two P5 non-conference games away from home and won both. I don't understand how we are supposed to think this is an acceptable way to evaluate a team.
“I feel bad for our players who have shown an enormous 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 am proud of the work we have done and of the players I have the privilege of coaching. We have one more chance to define this 2023 team in the Orange Bowl, and I believe in how our team will respond.”