Florida State director of athletics Michael Alford waited just two minutes to release a statement slamming the College Football Committee to leave undefeated FSU out of the College Football Playoffs.
The rankings came out just before 12:30 p.m. EST Sunday. Alford released a statement that was emailed to the local media at 12:32 p.m.
"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 an emailed statement.
The Seminoles defeated Louisville 16-6 in the ACC Championship Game in Charlotte on Sunday.
One-loss Texas was No. 3 and one-loss Alabama came in at No. 4. FSU is ranked No. 5 and likely to play No. 6 Georgia in the Orange Bowl.
According to the Tallahassee Democrat, The Seminoles are now the first team in the last 25 seasons — dating back to the beginning of the BCS in 1998 — denied an opportunity to play for a national championship in favor of a team with a loss.
“The argument of whether a team is the 'most deserving OR best' is a false equivalence," Alford said. "It renders the season up to yesterday 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.
"The fact that this team has continued to close out victories in dominant fashion facing our current quarterback situation should have ENHANCED our case to get a playoff berth EARNED on the field. Instead, the committee decided to elevate themselves and ‘make history’ today by departing from what makes this sport great by excluding an undefeated Power 5 conference champion for the first time since the advent of the BCS/CFP era that began 25 years ago. This ridiculous decision is a departure from the competitive expectations that have stood the test of time in college football.
"Wins matter. Losses matter. Those that compete in the arena know this. Those on the committee who also competed in the sport and should have known this have forgotten it. Today, they changed the way success is assessed in college football, from a tangible metric - winning on the field - to an intangible, subjective one. Evidently, predicting the future matters more.
“For many of us, today’s decision by the committee has forever damaged the credibility of the institution that is 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 prognosticators. They have abandoned their responsibility by discarding their purpose – to evaluate 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."
