Florida Sen. Rick Scott asked for answers as to why the College Football Playoff selection committee allowed Alabama to leapfrog Florida State to get to the final tournament.
He was not happy with the response — although the reply did reinforce some of the criticism of the Seminoles.
Now, the Republican lawmaker has again called for more “transparency” from the CFP committee, saying excluding FSU has suddenly cast doubt on all of college football.
As the Tampa Free Press reported two weeks ago, Scott sent the CFP selection committee a letter seeking details of its deliberations that ended with the Seminoles excluded from the four remaining teams.
Scott noted in his letter that beyond the “fury and heartbreak caused by the Committee’s decision,” FSU stood to lose $2 million in additional revenue by being booted from the finals, in addition to what players lost individually and what the city of Tallahassee and the state also would not see.
Related: Florida AG Ashley Moody Probes FSU Playoff Exclusion
On Friday, Bill Hancock, executive director of the CFP, answered Scott.
Hancock said the committee understands how fans of the undefeated Seminoles find the decision “disappointing.”
But the Seminoles were sidelined because starting quarterback Jordan Travis was unavailable because of an injury suffered a couple of weeks before the season ended. “Simply put, Florida State is not the same team without its star quarterback,” Hancock added.
Meanwhile, he added, FSU played much weaker competition than the four finalists: Michigan, Washington, Texas, and Alabama.
“If being undefeated without regard to a team’s strength of schedule was part of our protocol, other universities with undefeated records would have been routinely considered for the playoff,” Hancock wrote.
He then noted the 2023 Seminoles are one of eight undefeated teams that have been excluded from the CFP, which is in its 10th season.
One of those instances was this year. Liberty University, like FSU, is also 13-0, yet ranked 23rd in the nation. Liberty, however, gets a shot at No. 8 Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Day.
“While this is the first year such a team was from a so-called P5 [Power 5] conference, strength of schedule remains a crucial factor,” Hancock said.
Related: Florida Gov. DeSantis, CFO Patronis Support Spending $1M So FSU Can Sue For Football Playoff Snub
As the Free Press has reported, Alabama played the fifth-hardest schedule in the country, according to ESPN. Washington’s was the ninth most difficult, while Texas’ was 13th and Michigan’s 35th.
FSU’s opposition was the 55th hardest in major college football this season.
Hancock then assured Scott that the selection committee was “confident” that it had picked the four best teams in the country for the final showdown.
Sen. Scott, however, was not appeased.
“The @CFBPlayoff just responded to my letter with more excuses & still NO TRANSPARENCY,” Scott posted on X on Friday.
“@FSUFootball was #4 before beating #14 Louisville without Jordan Travis…but then after that win, the CFP thinks #FSU is a weaker team? It makes no sense. ANSWER OUR QUESTIONS!”
On Monday, the senator fired off another letter to Hancock and the CFP committee.
“I am troubled by your oversimplification of the problem at hand. The work you and the Selection Committee do has implications that stretch far beyond the football fields or athletic departments of our nation’s universities. This is bigger than just college football,” Scott argued.
“I clearly outlined my concerns with the Selection Committee’s decision, which will deny significant financial and economic opportunities for FSU, our student-athletes, the City of Tallahassee, and the State of Florida, in my first letter,” Scott continued.
Read: Citing Potential $2M Loss, Florida Sen. Scott Wants Records Related To FSU Playoff Snub
“I am sure that you will agree that those who feel snubbed or mistreated should not be denied the opportunity to get an explanation for the decisions that created that perception. That is how many athletes at FSU feel, and we now have Americans across the country who doubt the integrity of the playoff system.”
Scott then reiterated the same demands included in his first letter to the CFP.
He seeks any written exchanges between the committee members themselves as well as between them and ESPN or the SEC. He also wants the committee to turn over the “listing step” and “ranking step” votes of each member; any notes, recordings or reports about its deliberations; and the statistical data and game video for the Seminoles that was reviewed by members.
“Please know that no matter how busy things are in Washington, I will never stop fighting for Florida families, our students and our universities,” Scott concluded in the letter.
“I sincerely hope that you will take this opportunity to choose transparency and salvage the integrity of the important organization you represent.”
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