Mark Richt blames CFP for Florida State bowl game opt-outs

The 2023 bowl season matchups and College Football Playoff field have been set for quite some time now. However, it is difficult for some to comprehend the CFP selection committee’s decision not to include the Florida State Seminoles in the Playoff field. And a former ACC head coach blames the committee’s decision as one of the reasons why Florida State has had so many players opt out of playing in their New Year Six Orange Bowl matchup against Georgia.

Former Georgia Bulldogs, Miami Hurricanes head coach Mark Richt was a part of the ACC Network’s Signing Day Special panel on Wednesday. And while sitting next to former Seminoles star quarterback E.J. Manuel, the former Bulldogs, Hurricanes headman let the College Football Playoff committee have a piece of his mind.

“Yeah, I get it. I understand why those Florida State kids decided not to play for a lot of reasons. If they’re playing for the national championship, I don’t think any of them leave,” said Richt. “But the fact that they got snubbed and the way they got snubbed, I understand why they decided not to play.”

“I was talking to E.J. and E-Mac (Eric Mac Lain) earlier today; the longer we go away from that decision that was made by the committee, the more mad I get. Because I think they blew it. I think they did damage to college football.”

Richt is of the mindset that had Florida State been in the College Football Playoff field, players such as star EDGE Jared Verse would not have opted out, regardless of their draft intentions. Not only that, but the former Georgia head coach believes the lack of inclusion of the Seminoles in the CFP harms the committee’s reasoning more than doing it justice. Richt went on to question how exactly can the committee be correct when they did not give a Power-5 undefeated conference champion a chance to prove them wrong.

“How is the league supposed to change the narrative? How is the team supposed to change the narrative if they can’t even get in the game, being undefeated as a Power-5 school? I think it was ridiculous. And the fact that there was a chance of a decision being made by human beings… it just turned out bad.”

However you slice it, and whatever spin you would like to put on it, Richt believes that the decision to keep Florida State out of the College Football Playoff is not only bad but detrimental to the sport. As for the Seminoles, even if they are to win against Georgia in the Orange Bowl, they will not go down as this year’s national champions.