Florida State won the ACC Championship to remain unbeaten but failed to make the CFP
A "devastated" Jordan Travis apologized to Florida State fans as the team was left out of the four-team College Football Playoff field on Sunday despite being undefeated.
The college football world, including those from Florida State, heaped a ton of criticism on College Football Playoff officials for denying the Seminoles a chance at the national championship despite being undefeated through the ACC Championship.
Travis, who suffered a season-ending knee injury against North Alabama, took a different route.
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Jordan Travis of Florida State looks on from the Seminoles bench before the Florida Gators game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Nov. 25, 2023, in Gainesville. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)
"devastated. heartbroken. In so much disbelief rn, I wish my leg broke earlier in the season so y’all could see this team is much more than the quarterback," Travis wrote on X. "I thought results matter. 13-0 and this roster matches up across any team in those top 4 rankings. I am so sorry. Go Noles!"
Travis’ injury appeared to be the catalyst for why Florida State wasn't selected. It was suggested that because the Seminoles lost Travis, they didn’t have a good enough make-up to stay in the top four and were leapfrogged by Alabama in the process.
CFP Selection Committee Chair Boo Corrigan said on ESPN that Florida State was a "different team" than they were through 11 weeks, suggesting the Travis injury was why officials decided against putting the team into the Playoff.
FLORIDA STATE'S MIKE NORVELL ARGUES FOR CFP BERTH: 'THIS IS A TEAM THAT HAS EARNED IT'
Jordan Travis of the Florida State Seminoles takes a knee before the start of the game against the North Alabama Lions on Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium on Nov. 18, 2023, in Tallahassee. (Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
Subsequently, Florida State athletics director Michael Alford ripped the College Football Playoff Committee.
"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," Alford said.
"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 unforgievable (sic)."
Alford maintained that the team winning in spite of Travis’ injury should’ve "enhanced" their case to be in the Playoff instead of hindering it.
"Wins matter. Losses matter. Those that compete in the arena know this," he continued. "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.
Mike Norvell of the Florida State Seminoles holds up the trophy after beating the Louisville Cardinals 16-6 in the ACC Championship at Bank of America Stadium on Dec. 2, 2023, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)
"Our players, coaches, and fans – as well as all those who love this sport – deserve better. The committee failed college football today."
Florida State beat two ranked teams in the regular season and then topped Louisville for the conference title.
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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.
