Florida Senator Rick Scott demands answers after FSU snubbed from College Football Playoff
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 2: Jeremiah Byers #63 of the Florida State Seminoles walks the field with the team before taking on the Louisville Cardinals during the ACC Championship at Bank of America Stadium on December 2, 2023 in Charlotte,
TAMPA, Fla. - In the wake of a surprise decision by the College Football Playoff to snub an undefeated Florida State team, Senator Rick Scott wrote a letter to the committee's chairman demanding answers.
On Sunday, the committee tasked with deciding the four college football teams to play in the playoffs excluded the undefeated ACC Champions, instead selecting the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Sen. Scott penned a letter on Monday to Boo Corrigan, the chairman of the selection committee, demanding answers and transparency from the committee following its ‘unprecedented’ and ‘shocking’ decision to exclude the Seminoles.
"The Committee's decision to remove FSU from playoff contention is also difficult to understand given the Committee's actions in prior years when ranking other undefeated, Power Five conference champions among the top four teams in the nation," Scott wrote.
Scott referenced the potential for the school to receive $2 million in revenue distribution from the CFP which has now been denied to them.
"While I doubt the Committee's decision will be reversed to rightly reward FSU for its hard-fought, undefeated season as the Committee has done for other undefeated Power Five conference champions in recent years, I do believe that total transparency regarding how the decision was reached would do tremendous good for the Committee, the CFP as a whole, and the college football community."
Scott requested any emails, text messages or other written communication exchanged by committee members regarding the CFP rankings on Sunday, December 3, as well as those communications involving individuals affiliated with ESPN and individuals affiliated with the Southeastern Conference.
The senator also requested the ‘listing step’ and ‘ranking step’ votes of each committee member for the rankings.
The Seminoles were ultimately ranked No. 5 and will face the Georgia Bulldogs in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30 after their defeat to the Tide in the SEC Championship.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former president Donald Trump also commented on the decision viewed as a shock by many college football analysts and fans alike.
"What we learned today is that you can go undefeated and win your conference championship game, but the College Football Playoff committee will ignore those results," DeSantis wrote on X. "Congratulations to @FSUFootball on an outstanding season and winning the ACC Championship."
The committee suggested that star QB Jordan Travis' injury dealt a major blow to the team, leaving them outside the nation's top four teams.
Donald Trump commented on the decision on Truth Social.
"Florida State was treated very badly by the ‘Committee,’ he wrote. 'They become the first Power Five team to be left out of the College Football Playoffs. Really bad lobbying effort…Lets blame DeSancticmonious!!!"