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The Florida State Seminoles will not be playing for a national title this year despite going 13-0 and winning the ACC championship. The Seminoles were jumped by one-loss Texas and Alabama when the College Football Playoff committee made its final field selections.
FSU AD Michael Alford sent a statement to the decision makers shortly after that news broke. The university leader called Florida State’s absence “unforgivable.”
#FSU AD Michael Alford sends a scorched-earth statement to the CFP Committee after the Seminoles’ exclusion. Imagine we’ll hear similarly from Mike Norvell shortly. pic.twitter.com/kOazn4TE9O
— Curt Weiler (@CurtMWeiler) December 3, 2023
“The consequences of giving in to a narrative of the moment are destructive, far reaching, and permanent,” Alford wrote. “Not just for Florida State, but for 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… To eliminate [FSU] 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.”
Alford argued that losing starting QB Jordan Travis should’ve STRENGTHENED the ‘Noles’ case as they were still able to win with their second- and third-string options – proving how talented the roster is as a whole.
Instead, the CFP dinged the Seminoles for something that couldn’t be controlled, saying FSU isn’t the same team without Travis in the lineup.
Whether true or not, 13-0 is 13-0.
Instead of competing for a national title, Florida State landed an Orange Bowl bid.
Fans want FSU to decline Orange Bowl invite after CFP snub
The committee set a precedent by not allowing FSU to play for a title.
FSU should return the favor and boycott the Orange Bowl. I mean they don’t have their QB so why play at all???— Danny Kanell (@dannykanell) December 3, 2023
It’s been announced that Florida State and Georgia, the first two teams left out of the College Football Playoff field, will face off in the postseason.
While an Orange Bowl invited is typically an honor, it feels more like a slap in the face for these two programs, which combined to go 25-1 this year.
Many, particularly on the FSU side, want the team to decline its invite.
“BOYCOTT THE ORANGE BOWL!”
“Decline the Orange Bowl invite…”
“Absolute utter, total BS. Boycott the Orange Bowl.”
The Orange Bowl is scheduled to be played December 30th. We’ll see if both teams show up.