Mike Norvell releases statement after Florida State misses College Football Playoff

After an undefeated and ACC champion Florida State team missed the 2023 College Football Playoff field, Seminole head coach Mike Norvell had some very strong feelings to share with the committee.

Sunday morning following championship weekend, the CFP field was officially unveiled, with Michigan leading the way as the No. 1 seed followed by Washington at No. 2, then Texas third with Alabama rounding things out at fourth. But, notably, FSU was left out at 13-0 and having just won the ACC title against top-15 Louisville.

While Norvell’s reaction was minimal and he appeared to take the announcement in stride with the cameras on him live in the moment, the Florida State coach quickly produced a statement condemning the committee for what he viewed as an egregiously unjust decision.

You can read Norvell’s right here, thanks to Nicole Auerbach:

Mike Norvell statement: pic.twitter.com/vJ8exHb0QA

— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) December 3, 2023

Statement from FSU AD Michael Alford on CFP omission

In light of the decision Sunday morning, Florida State athletic director Michael Alford also rallied to release an impassioned statement explaining what a miscarriage of justice the committee made by stranding the ‘Noles outside the College Football Playoff.

“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’s 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 unforgiveable.

“The fact that this team has continued to close out victories in dominant fashion facing our current quarterback situation should have ENHANCED our case to get a playoff berth EARNED on the field. Instead, the committee decided to elevate themselves and ‘make history’ today by departing from what makes this sport great by excluding an undefeated Power 5 conference champion for the first time since the advent of the BCS/CFP era that began 25 years ago. This ridiculous decision is a departure from the competitive expectations that have stood the test of time in college football.

“Wins matter. Losses matter. Those that compete in the arena know this. 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,” Norvell continued. “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.

“Our players, coaches, and fans – as well as all those who love this sport – deserve better. The committee failed college football today.”