Florida State’s exclusion from the College Football Playoff has ignited a wave of sympathy from fans, media, and even lawmakers.
The Seminoles impressive 13-0 season, culminating in an ACC Championship win over Louisville, seemed to position them as strong contenders for a coveted playoff spot.
However, the playoff committee’s decision to leave the Noles out in the cold has stirred both disappointment and frustration among Florida State supporters.
ESPN’s Paul Finebaum, however, is unapologetically standing by the committee’s decision.
Appearing on ESPN’s “Get Up,” Finebaum voiced his opinion on the matter, dismissing what he deemed as “fake outrage” from Florida State’s athletic director and president.
“They did get it right, and can we all just stop with the fake outrage from Florida State AD and the president?” Finebaum declared. “I get the coach, I get the players, but the rest of the people just need to shut up already.”
“This is college football. It is not a perfect system. We have controversy every year. It helps fuel what makes the sport great,” he added.
.@Espngreeny went OFF on the selection committee's process to pick the final four teams in the CFP:
"You know what happened yesterday? Football became figure skating." pic.twitter.com/0zfKvvKgjl
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) December 4, 2023
Finebaum went on to emphasize that the system’s imperfections are inherent to college football, contributing to the drama and excitement surrounding the sport.
“For the coach to say, ‘It’s a sad day in college football,’ I saw people celebrating all over the place. I think we have an amazing game … Michigan and Alabama, please, Michigan was upset. They have to play Alabama,” Finebaum said, correctly asserting that the Wolverines would have preferred to play the weaker Seminoles over the Tide.
I don't often agree with Paul Finebaum. But today on ESPN's "Get Up", he was right. Everyone else not associated with Florida State FB, shut up. Several ESPN announcers are just trying to get attention, for in their minds, it's an ego move. Has Herbstreit gone crazy on it? No!.
— Johnny Thornton (@JT92reporter) December 4, 2023
What happened to Florida State is very unfortunate.
They did absolutely everything that was asked of them. They went undefeated and won the ACC championship. In virtually any other year, that resume would have been good enough to clinch them a Playoff spot … But this is not every other year.
Unfortunately, the nail in the coffin for the Noles most likely was the season-ending injury to their star quarterback Jordan Travis.
If Travis was not injured, Florida State would be in the Playoff. It’s that simple … It’s not fair, but it’s reality.
“Devastated. heartbroken. In so much disbelief rn,” Travis tweeted after the unveiling. “I wish my leg broke earlier in the season so y’all could see this team is much more than the quarterback. I thought results matter. 13-0 and this roster matches up across any team in those top 4 rankings. I am so sorry. Go Noles.”
Jordan Travis shared this message after FSU was left out of the #CFBPlayoff. pic.twitter.com/GxN46CSFoQ
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 3, 2023
The Seminoles will now have to settle for a spot in the Orange Bowl, facing Georgia as a consolation prize.
Meanwhile, the College Football Playoff semifinals on New Years Day will feature Michigan-Alabama and Washington-Texas, leaving Florida State grappling with what could have been…
Then Paul Finebaum telling people to shut up and get over it well you can bet your ass of it was a SEac school Paul would have lost his mine. They say Michigan cheated and coach out all year but that’s ok they’re in but I do think Michigan is best team but can’t make exceptions
— Ron Conyers (@ronconyers2) December 5, 2023
What are your thoughts on the Seminoles being left out?
Did the committee get it right?
Who were your top-four teams???