Senator Rick Scott Florida State Playoff Omission: Florida State’s exclusion from the College Football Playoff faced a new development on Tuesday with the Attorney General’s Office initiating an antitrust investigation into the decision.
U.S. Sen. Rick Scott welcomed this move, emphasizing the need for transparency from the 13-member playoff selection committee that chose 12-1 Alabama over undefeated FSU.
“I think this goes to the core point of what people think about our country right now: They think that the institutions are playing games,” Scott stated to the Tampa Bay Times on Wednesday morning.
“People are losing trust in institutions in this country, whether it’s the FBI, what they’ve done, whether it’s the Department of Justice, whether it’s people attacking the Supreme Court. That’s what’s going on right now. It’s not good for this country when people can’t trust their institutions.”
Scott, a Florida Republican, asserted that the playoff erodes trust if it fails to be transparent about why the Seminoles were placed below Alabama for the fourth playoff spot. He has publicly requested information and documents from the selection committee’s chairman, North Carolina State athletic director Boo Corrigan. These documents include written communication from ESPN or the SEC and the committee. As of now, he has not received a response.
“What’s the secret of all this?” Scott questioned. “Does ESPN decide, ‘Oh, gosh, we’ll get better ratings with different teams? Is there somebody on there that was trying to help a friend, that they get more money or something? I don’t know, but be transparent.
“Here’s what happens: When they’re not, you think the worst.”
ALSO READ: Florida Attorney General Launches Antitrust Probe into College Football Playoff Snub
FSU became the first undefeated champion from a major conference to be passed over by a one-loss team in the history of the playoff and its predecessor, the Bowl Championship Series. While other undefeated teams like UCF in 2017 and ’18 were also excluded, Scott argued that FSU’s snub was particularly egregious. The Seminoles were ranked fourth before the ACC championship game but dropped a spot after a 10-point win over No. 14 Louisville. They were surpassed by one-loss conference champions, Texas and Alabama, who were seventh and eighth before winning the Big 12 and SEC.
Scott also brought up one of the committee’s stated reasonsthe injury to FSU star quarterback Jordan Travis. In 2014, Ohio State had quarterback injuries but moved ahead of No. 3 TCU to make the field. The Buckeyes secured the final spot after a 59-0 win over Wisconsin for the Big Ten title, while TCU fell three spots after a 55-3 win over Iowa State.
“So it just seems like there’s something that we don’t know that’s going on here,” Scott remarked about FSU’s omission.
Attorney General Ashley Moody and her office are investigating this claim. On Tuesday, they issued an antitrust civil investigative demanda civil subpoenato the playoff for information and documents related to the decision. Scott stated that if an investigation is necessary to obtain answers, then so be it.
“They’ve got to be transparent,” Scott insisted. “They can’t ruin this institution, which is what they’re doing.”
Our Reader’s Queries
What are the sanctions on Florida State football?
Florida State was placed on four years’ probation by the NCAA on Friday. The university will also face scholarship reductions in football and game forfeitures due to an academic cheating scandal.
What is Rick Scott doing now?
Richard Lynn Scott, also known as Myers, was born on December 1, 1952. He is an American lawyer, entrepreneur, and government official, currently serving as the junior United States senator from Florida since 2019.