Unveiling the Implications of Newly Launched Investigation on the College Football Playoff Committee

Head coach Mike Norvell and the Florida State Seminoles aren’t alone in their fight for justice for the discriminatory CFP ruling that robbed them of their right to play at the playoffs. The Noles completed each season game with grace, ultimately winning the ACC championship with an unbeaten record of 13-0. But why did the CFP Committee feel they’re not qualified enough to enter the 2024 playoffs? 

The CFP Committee raked in the wrong type of attention as the State of Florida got involved in this scandalous playoff deliberation. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has spoken for the bulk of FSU supporters during this trying time. Will the CFP Committee be able to abide by the transparency request from the AG Office?

AG Ashley Moody demands answers from the CFP Committee 

On Tuesday, Ashley Moody launched an antitrust investigation into the CFP’s decision to rule out FSU for the playoffs. She posted the following on Twitter, “I’m a lifelong Gator, but I’m also the Florida Attorney General, and I know injustice when I see it. That is why we are fighting for the #Unconquered @FSUFootball team and demanding answers from the College Football Playoff Selection Committee.”

Ashley Moody expressed her disapproval over CFP’s unfair judgment of snubbing the unconquered Seminoles from the playoffs. She demanded that the CFP should be transparent in providing answers to FSU players and coaches, college football teams in general, and millions of fans in the nation. Moody added in her speech, “I have faith in our antitrust division to get to the bottom of the matter and take appropriate action if warranted.”

Documents requested by the State of Florida AG

As proposed by Moody, these are the following document requests presented to the CFP Committee with an expected call to action from December 26 to January 11. 

• All communications pertaining to deliberations to/from the NCAA, ESPN, ACC, SEC, Power Five, Group of Five, and any other related deliberations;
• All documents pertaining to public statements with relevance to the deliberations;
• Documents related to Conference restrictions against alternate playoff schedules;
• Documents revealing members’ compensation in 2023;
• Documents that support all refusal of Committee members from deliberations; and 
• The CFP Committee standards on ethics and conflicts of interest.

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Following this intervention by the Attorney General, CFP executive director Bill Hancock said, “We will carefully review this demand for information, but it sure seems to be an overly aggressive reaction to a college football ranking in which some fans somewhere were bound to be disappointed.” Unfortunately, the entire nation seems to be collectively disappointed with their decision. 

The much-awaited response from the CFP could stick to the extremities of either appeasing the crowd or sparking more outrage. Even so, FSU will have to miss the 2024 playoffs. But hopefully, this controversial incident will pave the way for a fairer CFP selection in the future. 

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