Florida Attorney General Launches Investigation Into College Football Playoff After Florida State Left Out - Forbes

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Topline

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced an antitrust investigation into the College Football Playoff Tuesday after the undefeated Florida State Seminoles were denied a spot—a decision she said cost the state and the university millions of dollars.

Key Facts

The Florida AG announced the probe into the CFP’s selection process after the “stunning decision” on Dec. 3 to not include Florida State.

Moody said the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the CFP Selection Committee are subject to antitrust laws, and the state of Florida will investigate whether either organization was involved in “anti-competitive conduct.”

“As it stands the committee’s decision reeks of partiality—picking winners in the boardroom and not on the field,” Moody said.

Moody said she would subpoena all communications between the NCAA, several conferences including the Southeastern Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference, and Disney-owned sports network ESPN through a civil investigative demand, as well as all records related to deliberations, media talking points and interview notes about the selection process.

Moody said the process would be lengthy and does not expect it to change the outcome of this year’s playoff.

The CFP told Forbes it would “carefully review” the AG’s subpoena, but called Moody’s demands “an overly aggressive reaction to a college football ranking in which some fans somewhere were bound to be disappointed.”

Key Background

Florida State finished the college football season with a 13-0 record, but was left disappointed after the CFP announced when they failed to make the 2023 playoff. The four playoff slots are not determined solely by record, but adjudicated by a committee of 13 members. CFP Selection Committee Chair Boo Corrigan told ESPN that the Seminoles were a “different team” after star quarterback Jordan Travis broke his leg while playing North Alabama in November. The CFP does not award the playoff positions solely based on record, instead ranking teams subjectively based on factors such as championships won, strength of schedule, head-to-head competition (if it occurred) and comparative outcomes of common opponents. Undefeated Michigan and Washington received the top two seeds in the playoff, while 12-1 Texas was chosen No. 3 and 12-1 Alabama received the No. 4 seed. Alabama’s football program is one of the most valuable in the nation, bringing in a record profit of more than $130 million in 2022. The move sparked outrage across the college football world, and has drawn condemnation from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump, who said DeSantis is to blame for the exclusion due to a “Really bad lobbying effort.” FSU Coach Mike Norvell said he was “disgusted and infuriated” after his team’s exclusion. “I don’t understand how we are supposed to think this is an acceptable way to evaluate a team,” he said in a statement.

What To Watch For

Although they did not make the playoff, Florida State was ultimately ranked 5th in the nation and will play the University of Georgia—the winner of the past two national championships—on Dec. 30 in the Orange Bowl. The CFP semifinals will both air on ESPN on Jan. 1, with Michigan playing Alabama in the Rose Bowl at 5 pm EST and Texas playing Washington in the Sugar Bowl at 8:45 p.m. EST. The National Championship game will air on ESPN on Jan. 8.