Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Sunday ripped the College Football Playoff committee’s decision to pass over undefeated Florida State University and pick the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide instead to fill the four-team playoff field.
The decision sparked a wave of protest because Alabama lost to the University of Texas Longhorns on Sept. 9, and Florida State kept a perfect record.
“What we learned today is that you can go undefeated and win your conference championship game, but the College Football Playoff committee will ignore these results. Congratulations to @FSUFootball for an outstanding season and winning the ACC championship!” DeSantis posted on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
There was speculation before the participants in the four-team playoff were announced that the Florida State Seminoles might not make the cut because they lost quarterback Jordan Travis for the rest of the season to a leg injury, raising questions about how competitive the team would be in the playoff.
Some critics saw the snub of Florida State as confirmation of the rumor that at least one spot in the college playoff is reserved for a team from the Southeastern Conference. Alabama upset the University of Georgia, which had been the No. 1 team in the country, to win the SEC championship over the weekend.
Alabama was ranked No. 8 heading into that game.
Florida State beat the Louisiana State Tigers — ranked 13th in the country at the time — on Sept. 3, and it beat the 16th-ranked Louisville Cardinals on Saturday.
The Seminoles will play the Georgia Bulldogs on Dec. 30 in the Orange Bowl.