When the playoff committee revealed the selections for the 2023 version of the four-team field, Florida State football players, fans, and coaches felt like they were slighted. They went from No. 4 in the rankings the previous week down to No. 5 despite winning the ACC title -- albeit, an ininspiring performance against Louisville.
The Seminoles finished the year 13-0 after the win but it felt like they deserved to be in the field, with or without Joardan Travis even thought they didn't look nearly the same without him.
Given a golden opportunity to prove the playoff committee wrong, the Seminoles were matchup up with two-time defending national champion Georgia. The Bulldogs were No. 1 all season long before an SEC title loss dropped them to No. 6, right behind Florida State. If anyone deserved to have a gripe with the selection committee, it was the Bulldogs.
And yet they didn't receive a ton of attention and no one went to bat for them. Florida State had a chance to beat Georgia and prove that it belonged in the playoff field.
How did they respond? Oh, just by suffering the biggest bowl game loss in history, 63-3. The Seminoles were missing guys like Trey Benson, Travis, Johnny Wilson, Keon Coleman, Akeem Dent, Jaheim Bell, and a number of other players who transferred and opted out, but it just didn't seem like a team that had what it took to contend for a national title.
Georgia, too, had opt-outs, injuries, and transfers.
All Florida State did was embarrass itself and Mike Norvell doesn't have a gripe with the committee anymore -- or at least he shouldn't. It was a disgraceful performance from the nation's No. 5 team.
It may take a long time before people take Florida State seriously again.
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