TAMPA, Fla. – Just weeks after the Florida State Seminoles were denied a spot in the Football Playoff, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office is escalating the fight with the CFP selection committee.
Moody’s office sends a 10-page subpoena to the 13-member CFP selection committee. The move comes after weeks of complaints from Florida State fans and media around the country about the Seminoles being left out of the playoffs despite being named Power 5 conference champions and with an undefeated record.
“My office is launching an investigation to examine whether the commission is involved in any anti-competitive behaviour,” Modi said in a statement. All schools, teams and college football fans. In Florida, merit matters. If this is the attention they were looking for, the committee certainly has our attention now.
The move to exclude the Seminoles angered fans and many media pundits. It also attracted the attention of politicians, including Governor Ron DeSantis and US Senator Rick Scott.
This civil request for information is broad and includes communications, documents, and votes related to the selection committee’s final decision.
WFTS
AG Moody’s Office is seeking various communications including, but not limited to:
- All communications related to the deliberations to or from the SEC, ACC, NCAA, ESPN, Group of Five Conferences, Power Five Conferences, or anyone else related to the deliberations
- All documents relating to public statements related to the deliberations, including media talking points and interview notes
- Documents regarding conference restrictions versus alternative playoff schedules
- Documents showing members’ compensation for the year 2023
- Sufficient documents to prove all committee members’ objections to the deliberations
- Committee standards regarding ethics and conflicts of interest
The committee, according to the College Football Playoff website, selects four teams based on strength of schedule, head-to-head results against common opponents, championships won, and “other factors.”
In the case of Florida State, the committee decided to put a one-loss champion from the Big 12 (Texas) and a one-loss champion from the SEC (Alabama) on the Noles.
The 2023 College Football Playoff Committee consists of former athletic directors, coaches, players, and a sportswriter (now professor). Specifically, this season’s panelists are:
- Chris Ault, former head coach and athletic director at Nevada
- Mitch Barnhart, University of Kentucky athletic director
- Bo Corrigan, NC State Athletic Director (Committee Chairman)
- Chet Gladchuk, Navy athletic director
- Jim Grubb, former head coach at multiple schools
- Mark Harlan, Utah State athletic director
- Manuel, Michigan’s athletic director, responded
- David Seiler, athletic director, Miami (Ohio)
- Will Shields – former NFL player, Outland Trophy winner, College Football Hall of Famer
- Gene Taylor, athletic director at Kansas State
- Joe Taylor, Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics, Virginia Union University
- Rod West, former Notre Dame player, is a member of the National Football League Foundation’s Board of Directors
- Kelly Whiteside, professor, Montclair State University, 14 years college football writer for USA Today
Bill Hancock, executive director of the College Football Playoff, commented on the subpoena on behalf of the committee.
“We will carefully review this request for information, but it certainly appears to be an overly aggressive response to college football’s rankings in which some fans somewhere were bound to be disappointed,” Hancock said.
For his part, Governor DeSantis has submitted a request for up to $1 million to the state of Florida and the state university system to wage a legal battle to delist the Seminoles.
No lawsuit has been filed by any government entity regarding FSU’s exclusion.
The College Football Playoff with Washington, Texas, Alabama and Michigan kicks off on January 1, with the championship game on January 8.
The College Football Playoffs have always been a hot topic of discussion, and now even more so as the Florida Attorney General has issued a subpoena seeking records from the commission. This move has sparked widespread interest and speculation about what information the subpoena may reveal and what implications it could have for the future of college football. With so much at stake in the world of college athletics, this latest development is sure to have a significant impact on the sports world and beyond.