TAMPA, Fla. — To Kurt Kenworthy and Jackie Sanelli, it still doesn't seem real.
Both are diehard Florida State Seminole fans, and both are currently devastated.
Their team went undefeated — and won the ACC championship on Saturday night — but was left out of the 4-team college football playoffs when the playoff committee made its selections Sunday.
“I mean, my first thought was, ‘We’re in.’ I mean, you play the games for a reason — to win, and that’s exactly what we did 13 times in a row,” said Sanelli.
The current FSU team was not the same team after losing star quarterback Jordan Travis to injury a few weeks ago. In the two games since, even though the Seminoles won, they didn’t look the same. So, critics argued the team didn’t deserve a playoff spot.
“It just feels a lot harder to argue college football’s merit over the NFL now,” said Kenworthy.
“It’s telling our backup quarterback that he was incompetent to do anything. It tells our defense that they didn’t do enough when they did,” added Sanelli. “You’re taking away the team aspect of the sport, which is honestly — it’s heartbreaking. It sucks.”
The two fans, who both live in Tampa, are not the only people sounding off.
Governor Ron DeSantis pointed out the injustice in a post to X after the playoff selections were announced on Sunday.
“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,” he wrote.
On Monday, Senator Rick Scott went a step further.
In a letter to the playoff committee chairman, Boo Corrigan, he requested emails and texts explaining their decision to snub FSU.
“There are hopes, dreams, and billions of dollars in economic activity that hinge on the decisions made by the 13-member group you lead,” Scott wrote. “Given the unprecedented nature of your recent decision, an unprecedented commitment to transparency is required.”
Kenworthy agrees that more transparency is needed from the College Football Playoff committee.
“I would love that,” he said. “I would love a full audit.”
Even though FSU won't play for a championship, it will play in a bowl game. On Dec. 30, it will play the University of Georgia Bulldogs in Miami in the Orange Bowl.
If FSU wins it, Kenworthy and Sanelli hope the Noles will declare themselves national champions anyway.
