Rick Scott says College Football Playoff Committee gave him ‘excuses’ for FSU decision

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., reported on social media that the College Football Playoff committee responded to his letter on Florida State University’s exclusion.

“The @CFBPlayoff just responded to my letter with more excuses & still NO TRANSPARENCY,” Scott said.

“@FSUFootball was #4 before beating #14 Louisville without Jordan Travis…but then after that win, the CFP thinks #FSU is a weaker team?” he said. “It makes no sense. ANSWER OUR QUESTIONS!”

Bill Hancock, the executive director of the playoff committee, responded to Scott in a letter, detailing two main reasons why the committee chose to rank the team number five instead of four – ultimately disqualifying the team.

“The protocol requires the committee to take into consideration the unavailability of key players that may affect a team’s performance during the post-season,” Hancock wrote. “Simply put, Florida State is not the same team without its star quarterback. That causes the committee to believe that there were indeed four teams that should rank higher than FSU.”

The second point had to do with issues related to the strength of Florida State’s schedule.

“FSU’s strength of schedule was not as strong as the four teams that were ranked ahead of them,” Hancock added. “As I’m sure you are aware, strength of schedule is a key metric the committee takes into consideration. If being undefeated without regard to a team’s strength of schedule was part of our protocol, other universities with undefeated records would have routinely been considered for the playoff.”

“There have been eight, counting Florida State, undefeated teams that did not make the playoff,” he said. “While this is the first year such a team was from a so-called [Power 5] conference, strength of schedule remains a crucial factor.”

Hancock added that “everyone on the committee understands the disappointment” felt by Florida State and its fanbase.

Scott originally sent a letter to the committee demanding answers about why the school was not chosen for the playoff.

In the letter, the senator questioned “the integrity of the process” of the committee’s 13-team body. According to Scott, only five members had relevant experience in coaching or playing football.

Florida State finished with a perfect 13-0 season, including a victory against the Louisville Cardinals in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship game, despite losing starting quarterback Jordan Travis in the second-to-last game of the regular season.

The Alabama Crimson Tide, a team that lost one game in their schedule, was selected over Florida State, causing an uproar in responses from college football fans and elected officials across Florida.

“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,” DeSantis said on social media following the playoff committee’s decision. “Congratulations to @FSUFootball on an outstanding season and winning the ACC championship!”