Florida State head coach, AD shred committee
Florida State head coach Mike Norvell and athletic director Michael Alford shredded the College Football Playoff Committee for its decision to leave the undefeated Seminoles out of the playoff.
“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,” Norvell said in a statement.
“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,” Alford said in the statement. “The argument of whether a team is the ‘most deserving OR best’ is a false equivalence. It renders the season 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.”
FSU, No. 1 Michigan and No. 2 Washington are the only undefeated teams.
“What is the point of playing games?” Norvell said in his statement. “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.”
Said College Football Playoff committee chair Boo Corrigan: “Florida State is a different team than they were through the first 11 weeks.”
The College Football Playoff committee Top 25:
1. Michigan (13-0); 2. Washington (13-0); 3. Texas (12-1); 4. Alabama (12-1); 5. Florida State (13-0); 6. Georgia (12-1); 7. Ohio State (11-1); 8. Oregon (11-2); 9. Missouri (10-2); 10. Penn State (10-2); 11. Ole Miss (10-2); 12. Oklahoma (10-2); 13. LSU (9-3); 14. Arizona (9-3); 15. Louisville (10-3); 16. Notre Dame (9-3); 17. Iowa (10-3); 18. North Carolina State (9-3); 19. Oregon State (8-4); 20. Oklahoma State (9-4); 21. Tennessee (8-4); 22. Clemson (8-4); 23. Liberty (13-0); 24. SMU (11-2); 25. Kansas State (8-4).