Florida State AD: "The committee failed college football today." (Michael Alford)

After the reveal of the College Football Playoff field left the Seminoles on the outside looking in - despite being an undefeated conference champion from a Power Five program - Florida State athletic director Michael Alford issued a strongly worded statement.

It would be safe to say he went full scorched-earth on the committee.

The statement reads:

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.

The fact that this team has continued to close out victories in dominant fashion facing our current quarterback situation should have ENHANCED our case to get a playoff berth EARNED on the field. Instead, the committee decided to elevate themselves and 'make history' today by departing from what makes this sport great by excluding an undefeated Power 5 conference champion for the first time since the advent of the BCS/CFP era that began 25 years ago. This ridiculous decision is a departure from the competitive expectations that have stood the test of time in college football.

Wins matter. Losses matter. Those that compete in the arena know this. Those on the committee who also competed in the sport and should have known this have forgotten it. Today, they changed the way success is assessed in college football, from a tangible metric - winning on the field - to an intangible, subjective one. Evidently, predicting the future matters more.

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. 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.

Our players, coaches, and fans - as well as all those who love this sport - deserve better. The committee failed college football today.

Florida State came in at #5 and will wait to hear their bowl destination, which serves as both disappointing and a great opportunity to prove the selection committee wrong as they played their last two weeks without star quarterback Jordan Travis, playing a second string quarterback last week and a true freshman in the ACC title game.

Head coach Mike Norvell will surely weigh in with a strong take at some point today too.

Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.

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