Marty Smith pumped for CFP despite Florida State getting 'screwed'

In the 16 days since the final College Football Playoff rankings came out, much of the discussion has been about Florida State. The undefeated ACC champion Seminoles came in at No. 5 in the last rankings of the year, meaning they are out of the race for the national championship.

Fans, understandably, were unhappy with the committee’s decision. ESPN’s Marty Smith said their reaction is fair considering the circumstances.

“They should be heartbroken, man,” Smith told Andy Staples, a Florida native who has heard from Seminoles fans, on Andy Staples On3.

Still, the four-team field — Michigan, Washington, Texas and Alabama — should still make for an exciting CFP on New Year’s Day. Michigan and Alabama will square off in the Rose Bowl and Washington will take on Texas in the Sugar Bowl. Of the two games, the biggest point spread is Texas -4.5 over Washington, according to FanDuel. Michigan is a 1.5-point favorite over Alabama.

That’s why, even despite Florida State’s absence after getting “screwed,” Smith said the CFP should be entertaining, at the very least.

“I’m thrilled,” Smith said. “I can’t wait to see both games. I think they’re both going to be really great. And speaking of Florida State fans, they got screwed. I mean, we are taught our whole life — if you demand best of self, if you’re able to overcome adversity and still succeed, then you’re gonna be rewarded for that. And that is just not what happened.

“However, on the flip side of it, I can’t sit here and pretend like I am not pumped for these two football games. And so I don’t love that government officials are getting involved. But whatever.”

Rather than compete in the CFP, Florida State will now go up against Georgia — which also made a case for the four-team field — in the Orange Bowl. But the decision to keep the Seminoles out of the field is also generating conversations in legal circles.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced an investigation into the committee last week, and Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) sent a letter to the College Football Playoff to get more information. Executive director Bill Hancock responded, pointing out the tough decision the committee had.

In the process, though, Scott criticized Hancock for calling the ACC a “so-called Power Five conference” and suggested he meant the conference wasn’t a power league. However, Hancock clarified that remark, telling ESPN’s Andrea Adelson the CFP committee doesn’t use “Power Five,” “Autonomous Five” or Group of 5″ to describe conferences.

“It is important to know that CFP doesn’t use the term ‘Power-5’ or ‘P5,’” Hancock said. “While the media and others use the term P5 to refer to the ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC, we use the term ‘A5’ or ‘Autonomy-5’ instead.”