The 2023 college football season marked the conclusion of the four-team College Football Playoff era, making way for the new 12-team format which just got underway this past weekend.
Echoing the transition from the BCS era, this shift has brought both nostalgia and anticipation.
However, the final four-team CFP edition ended on a contentious note, with Florida State at the center of one of the biggest debates in recent playoff history.
Despite an undefeated 13-0 regular season, the Seminoles were left out of the CFP, a decision that sparked outrage among fans and analysts.
FSU had persevered through adversity, including the loss of star quarterback Jordan Travis to injury, and went on to win the 2023 ACC Championship.
Yet their exclusion denied them a shot at a second CFP appearance.
The fallout was severe. Eleven FSU players, now in the NFL, opted out of the Orange Bowl against Georgia, leaving the team massively undermanned.
The Seminoles went on to suffer a crushing 63-3 defeat, one of the worst losses in program history.
Amid this backdrop, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders made headlines for his comments about player commitment in bowl games.
His Buffaloes, led by Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and son/quarterback Shedeur Sanders, have enjoyed a solid season, finishing 9-3 and narrowly missing out on the 12-team playoff field.
Unlike how Florida State approached their bowl game last year, Sanders made it clear that his Buffaloes intend to field (close to) their full team for their upcoming bowl game against BYU.
“Our kids are going to play in our bowl game because that’s what we signed up to do, and we’re going to finish,” Sanders said. “We’re not going to tap out because that throws off the structure of next season.
“It’s a couple teams that you take note with, and they laid an egg in the bowl game and haven’t recovered since. We don’t plan on doing that. We plan on going out there fighting.”
While Sanders did not directly reference Florida State, his remarks about teams “laying an egg” in bowl games could be interpreted as a critique.
Only two teams, Iowa and Syracuse, were shut out during last season’s bowl games, but FSU’s near shutout against Georgia looms large as a potential target of his comments.
Needless to say, the relationship between Sanders and FSU has long been a point of intrigue.
As an FSU alumnus and former NFL star, Sanders was reportedly interested in the Seminoles’ head coaching role following the dismissal of Willie Taggart.
Of course, the powers that be in Tallahassee decided to go in a different direction – one that Sanders wasn’t too happy with.
Sanders’ comments may serve as a motivational call for his own team, but they also highlight the stark differences in the trajectories of the two programs.
While still one of the biggest programs in the country, Florida State head coach Mike Norvell is under massive pressure to get things back on track.
After all, the Seminoles were the biggest disappointment of the entire 2024 season.
What are your thoughts on Sanders taking an indirect (yet direct) shot at Florida State for all of their bowl opt-outs last season???
