Florida State athletic director Michael Alford didn't mince words after the unbeaten Seminoles were omitted from the College Football Playoff field.
"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," he said in a statement after the committee's picks were revealed.
"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."
Alford added that Florida State players, coaches and fans "deserve better" and that the CFP selection committee "failed college football today."
Curt Weiler @CurtMWeiler<a href="">#FSU</a> 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. <a href="">
Florida State head coach Mike Norvell added that he was "disgusted and infuriated" with the decision:
Nicole Auerbach @NicoleAuerbachMike Norvell statement: <a href="">
"What is the point of playing games?" Norvell asked.
ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips was similarly scathing:
Nicole Auerbach @NicoleAuerbachStatement from ACC commissioner Jim Phillips, who calls the CFP's decision to exclude FSU "unfathomable." <a href="">
The anger of Alford and anybody associated with the Seminoles is entirely understandable because the team was punished almost entirely because of Jordan Travis' season-ending injury.
Florida State capped off a perfect regular season Saturday with a 16-6 victory over Louisville in the ACC title game. Going unbeaten and winning a major conference has typically guaranteed a team's ability to compete for a national championship, especially in the four-team playoff era.
But the selection committee selected the four best teams rather than the four most deserving, a rationale that opened the door for Alabama to occupy the No. 4 seed over FSU.
The immediate consequences of that decision are clear, and the committee's choice could have ramifications that alter the landscape of college football as a whole.
Florida State is among the schools that has pondered whether it can get out of the ACC's current grant-of-rights deal, which runs through the 2035-36 academic year. In August, school president Richard McCullough said during a Board of Trustees meeting the 'Noles "are not satisfied with our current situation" in the conference.
Beyond the grant-of-rights, there was the notion that the ACC remained prestigious enough to be assured of a playoff berth when its conference champion was unbeaten. Now, that perception is shattered.
For Florida State specifically, what's the point of staying in the ACC anymore when you're making less money than you'd probably earn elsewhere and you've watched your reputation suffer a bit.
Mike Golic Jr @mikegolicjryeah if it wasn't already clear, the committee drove home the message today: the ACC isn't respected enough to get the benefit of the doubt. <a href="">
Given the current tide of realignment, the ACC was always left to swim upstream and its demise is perhaps inevitable. The Big 12 has survived, but everything it did to appease Texas and Oklahoma didn't stop those schools from bolting for the SEC eventually. The Pac-12 probably offers a better guide of what the ACC's future could entail.
It feels as though the selection committee may have inadvertently expedited the process.
