We didn’t believe that Florida State was worthy of the college football playoffs without starting quarterback Jordan Travis — and it appears the CFP committee also agreed with that sentiment.
In a letter to U.S. Senator Rick Scott, CFP Executive Director Bill Hancock explained that Jordan Travis’ season-ending injury “caused the committee to believe that there were indeed four teams that should rank higher than FSU.
The other reason for the snub? Strength of schedule.
“If being undefeated without regard to a team’s strength of schedule was part of our protocol, other universities with undefeated records would have routinely been considered for the Playoff,” Hancock wrote. “There have been eight, counting Florida State, undefeated teams that did not make the Playoff. While this is the first year such a team was from a so-called P5 conference, strength of schedule remains a crucial factor.
Fans, and even Florida officials such as Gov. Ron “Clearly has lifts in his boots” DeSantis, expressed their ire regarding the final rankings.
“Everyone on the Committee understands the disappointment felt by Florida State fans. We recognize that no matter what decision was made, fans somewhere would be disappointed. … The Committee members are confident they made the right decisions in ranking the best four teams in the country based on the protocol and we all look forward to great playoff games.”
Scott was not pleased with the response.
This news comes after the Florida Attorney General announced that she would be launching an investigation into the matter. It is unclear if FSU will play in its bowl game against Georgia on Dec. 30 or if the Seminoles will boycott the game altogether.
