Scott demands texts and emails of College Football Playoff committee after FSU snub

Florida Sen. Rick Scott (R) is demanding that members of the College Football Playoff committee turn over text, emails and notes related to its decision to exclude Florida State University’s (FSU) undefeated football team from the college playoffs.

Scott in a letter to Boo Corrigan, the chairman of the selection committee, demanded “total transparency from the committee regarding how this decision was reached and what factors may have been at play in reaching this outcome.”

He argued that it was the first time in its 10-year history that the selection committee “made the shocking decision” to exclude an undefeated, Power Five conference champion from the playoffs, emphasizing the decision was made “behind closed doors.”

“The Committee’s decision to remove FSU from playoff contention is also difficult to understand given the Committee’s actions in prior years when ranking other undefeated, Power Five conference champions among the top four teams in the nation,” he wrote.

Scott is calling for any notes, recordings or reports about the committee deliberations to select the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide, which lost to Texas earlier in the year, over the Florida State Seminoles, who compiled a perfect 13-0 record during the season, to the playoffs.

He wants all emails, text messages and other written communications exchanged between members of the selection committee about its college playoff selections, including communications exchanged with College Football Playoff company officers and board members.

And Scott wants all emails, texts and communications exchanged between the selection committee and individuals not affiliated with the College Football Playoff selection committee, company or board.

He also wants the committee to turn over all statistical data and game video of FSU’s season reviewed by the selection panel.

Sports analysts had speculated that Florida State would likely get passed over for a spot in the playoffs after its team lost its starting quarterback, Jordan Travis, for the season to a leg injury.

Scott acknowledged the committee considered the loss of Travis, but questioned why that wasn’t reflected in FSU’s ranking as it headed into the last week of the regular season.

The senator lamented the decision likely cost Florida State and the Atlantic Coast Conference an estimated $2 million in revenue distribution from the college football playoffs.

“There are countless other concerns and arguments that could be voiced here, but the main issue is the justified perception of an unfair system that has wrongly disregarded the known strengths of an undefeated team over the speculated impact of losing a single player,” he wrote.

Scott noted that the selection committee is unlikely to reverse its decision to invite Alabama over Florida State to the playoffs but insisted that allowing for total transparency about the decision would do “tremendous good” for the college football playoffs and college football more generally.

The senator made his letter public after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) criticized the College Football Playoff committee in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

“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 wrote.

In addition to Alabama, which compiled a 12-1 record, the selection committee also invited the Universities of Michigan, Washington and Texas to the playoffs. Michigan and Washington finished the regular season 13-0 while Texas finished with 12 wins and a loss to Oklahoma University.

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