CFP News – NCAA logo – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by: Jonathan Weiss
After he made comments on Florida State’s failure to make the College Football Playoffs on Monday, former president Trump took aim at another Republican contender for the presidency, Governor Ron DeSantis.
The former president blamed the Florida governor on Truth Social for the Seminoles’ weekend-long oddity in a field of four teams, even though they had won the ACC Championship and finished the season unbeaten.
“Florida State was treated very badly by the ‘Committee,’ he wrote on the social media platform. “They become the first Power Five team to be left out of the College Football Playoffs. Really bad lobbying effort….Let’s blame DeSancticmonious!!!”
When it was announced on Sunday that Alabama had defeated Florida State to advance to the playoffs, DeSantis stood by the Seminoles.
“What we learned today is that you can go undefeated and win your conference championship game, but the College Football Playoff committee will ignore these results,” DeSantis wrote on X. “Congratulations to @FSUFootball on an outstanding season and winning the ACC championship!”
It didn’t seem like there was anything more DeSantis could have done to support Florida State. The résumé seemed to say everything. Throughout their schedule, Florida State defeated three-ranked opponents, went 13-0, and won the conference title. Nonetheless, the committee recommended that Jordan Travis’ injury altered the team’s composition and that they consequently could not be permitted to go to the postseason.
“Florida State is a different team than it was the first 11 weeks,” CFP Committee Chairman Boo Corrigan said on ESPN. “As you look at who they are as a team right now without Jordan Travis, without the offensive dynamic he brings, they are a different team and the committee voted Alabama four and Florida State five.”
Travis was not necessary for the Seminoles to win games. Rather, in January, Michigan, Washington, Texas, and Alabama will compete for the title. Georgia and Florida State will square off in the Orange Bowl.
Officials and coaches at Florida State attacked the CFP Committee for maintaining Florida State’s outsider status.
“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 game,” coach Mike Norvell said in a scathing statement.
“What is the point of playing games? 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.”
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Melissa’s career in writing started more than 20 years ago. Today, she lives in South Florida with her husband and two boys.