Dec 2, 2023; Charlotte, NC, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell raises the ACC Championship trophy with his players after the game against the Louisville Cardinals at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
NCAA Football: ACC Football Championship-Louisville at Florida State
FLORIDA — Despite an undefeated 13-0 record and winning the ACC Championship, all while playing with their third-string quarterback, the Florida State Seminoles will not be competing for a national championship.
Hours after winning the ACC title with a 16-6 victory over Louisville, the ‘Noles were not selected as one of four teams to compete in this year’s College Football Playoff on Sunday.
The four teams selected are: No. 1 Michigan, No. 2 Washington, No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Alabama.
Before this year, the CFP Selection Committee had never kept an unbeaten Power 5 conference winner of the playoffs; however, the ‘Noles were left out due to the season-ending injury to QB Jordan Travis.
Backup quarterback Tate Rodemaker took Travis’ place, before he also was sidelined with a concussion and freshman Brock Glenn had to play quarterback in the ACC Championship Game.
After Sunday’s announcement was made, Florida State athletics director Michael Alford released the following statement: “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. The argument of whether a team is the ‘most deserving OR best’ is a false equivalence. 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 unforgiveable.”
‘Noles coach Mike Norvell said in a statement: “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 games,” Norvell said in a statement. “What is the point of playing games? Do you tell players it is OK 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 nonconference 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.
The No. 5 ranked Florida State will face the two-time defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs (No. 6) in the Capital One Orange Bowl on Dec. 30.
