Ponder was 'disappointed' to see his Seminoles left out
Christian Ponder was walking in Central Park watching the College Football Playoff selection show on his phone and fell to his disappointment when his alma mater, the Florida State Seminoles, missed out on making the four-team field despite finishing the season undefeated.
Ponder said he was still "very disappointed" when he learned Florida State would not be making the bracket. However, he was most perturbed with how it all played out in the first place and how the College Football Playoff Selection Committee allegedly broke from precedent.
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Christian Ponder, #7 of the Florida State Seminoles, runs against the North Carolina State Wolfpack during the game at Carter-Finley Stadium on Sept. 16, 2008 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
"The result is outrageous," Ponder told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. "The fact that they’ve gone against, what, 25-26 years of precedent between the BCS and this College Football Playoff where an undefeated Power 5 Conference champion has always had the opportunity to compete for a national championship until this year.
"I think the hardest time trying to figure out how Texas went from what seven in the country to jumping up to the three seed in the playoff system as a one-loss team who lost to a not great (Oklahoma) team in the middle of the season, beat an Alabama team that was a very different Alabama team early on the season than how they finished, how both those teams were able to leapfrog Florida State."
Christian Ponder, #7 of the Florida State Seminoles, scrambles against the Florida Gators at Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium on Nov. 29, 2008 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Marc Serota/Getty Images)
The former Minnesota Vikings quarterback, who spoke to Fox News Digital on behalf of his new business venture called The Post, took issue with the criteria that appeared to keep Florida State on the outside looking in.
CFP Committee Selection Chairman Boo Corrigan said Florida State was a different team without Jordan Travis, who was lost due to a season-ending knee injury.
"And the fact that we’re making assumptions about potential performance because Jordan Travis got hurt, Ponder continued. "How do we know that Tate Rodemaker isn’t a better quarter than Jordan Travis? Obviously, Jordan was one of the best players in all of college football this year and last year as well but still, to make that assumption to be a part of the process I think is completely absurd."
He pointed to Cardale Jones leading Ohio State to a national championship and Tua Tagovailoa subbing in for Jalen Hurts to help Alabama come back to defeat Georgia for a title.
"For that to be about the process, to me, is insane. I think it’s clearly an SEC bias and the SEC has been one of if not the best conferences in the last decade," Ponder said. "I don’t think the SEC was as strong of a conference this year, nor do I think the Big 12 was that strong of a conference this year.
Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder warms up prior to taking on Wake Forest at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida, on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2010. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
"I get the arguments against the ACC but to go undefeated, have an out of conference schedule that includes LSU and Florida, at Florida and in a neutral site against LSU, and to win those games – I just don’t know what else they cold do so I think the outcome was definitely absurd."
Florida State will play Georgia in the Orange Bowl.
No. 1 Michigan will play No. 4 Alabama in the Rose Bowl while No. 2 Washington plays No. 3 Texas in the Sugar Bowl. Both games take place on Jan. 1. The winners will meet for the national championship.
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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.
