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Unbeaten Florida State, the conference’s champion, is out of the College Football Playoff picture, leaving coach Mike Norvell “disgusted and infuriated” that his team is the first unbeaten Power 5 conference winner to ever miss out on the playoffs. Four teams are thrilled about the chance to play for a national title on the field.

“I am disgusted and infuriated with the committee’s decision today to have what was earned on the field taken away because a small group of people decided they knew better than the results of the games,” Norvell stated in a statement. “Is there any purpose to playing games? Do you advise players that it’s acceptable to give up if they fall? On Senior Day, do you not play a senior for fear of getting hurt? Is there any incentive to arrange difficult nonconference games? “Not only are we the unbeaten P5 conference champions, but we also won both of our away P5 non-conference games. I’m not sure how we’re supposed to believe that this is a legitimate method of team assessment. In college football, everything that occurred today contradicts what is true and appropriate.” Jim Phillips, the ACC commissioner, added: “It’s unfathomable.”

“Their exclusion calls into question the selection process and whether the Committee’s own guidelines were followed, including the significant importance of being an undefeated Power Five conference champion,” Phillips said in his statement. “My heart breaks for the talented FSU student-athletes and coaches and their passionate and loyal fans.

“Florida State deserved better. College football deserved better.”

The committee seemed to focus on how competitive the Seminoles would be in the playoff without quarterback Jordan Travis, who suffered a season-ending broken leg against North Alabama in mid-November. FSU started backup Tate Rodemaker in its regular-season finale victory over the Florida Gators, but a concussion kept him out of the ACC title game.

“I wish my leg broke earlier in the season so y’all could see this team is much more than the quarterback,” Travis posted to X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday.

The quarterback injuries forced Norvell to go with freshman Brock Glenn in the ACC title game Saturday — a win over Louisville in which the Seminoles’ defense led the way.

The FSU defense has been stellar since Travis got hurt. Over the past two games, the Florida State defense has a combined 13 sacks — and held its past two opponents to zero or negative yards in the fourth quarter.

“The 2023 Florida State Seminoles are the epitome of a total TEAM,” Alford said in his statement. “To eliminate them from a chance to compete for a national championship is an unwarranted injustice that shows complete disregard and disrespect for their performance and accomplishments. It is unforgiveable.

“The fact that this team has continued to close out victories in dominant fashion facing our current quarterback situation should have ENHANCED our case to get a playoff berth EARNED on the field. Instead, the committee decided to elevate themselves and ‘make history’ today by departing from what makes this sport great by excluding an undefeated Power 5 conference champion for the first time since the advent of the BCS/CFP era that began 25 years ago. This ridiculous decision is a departure from the competitive expectations that have stood the test of time in college football.”

Florida State was No. 4 in the previous CFP rankings and, prior to Sunday’s selections, no team ranked outside the top six of the second-to-last CFP rankings had ever jumped into the final four. Alabama and Texas both accomplished that feat Sunday.

“Florida State is a different team than it was the first 11 weeks,” CFP selection committee chairman Boo Corrigan told ESPN. “As you look at who they are as a team right now, without Jordan Travis, without the offensive dynamic he brings, they are a different team and the committee voted Alabama four and Florida State five.”

Alford vehemently denied that should even matter.

“Wins matter. Losses matter. Those that compete in the arena know this,” Alford said. “Those on the committee who also competed in the sport and should have known this have forgotten it. Today, they changed the way success is assessed in college football, from a tangible metric — winning on the field — to an intangible, subjective one. Evidently, predicting the future matters more.

“For many of us, today’s decision by the committee has forever damaged the credibility of the institution that is the College Football Playoff. And, saddest of all, it was self-inflicted. They chose predictive competitiveness over proven performance; subjectivity over fact. They have become a committee of prognosticators. They have abandoned their responsibility by discarding their purpose — to evaluate performance on the field.”

Norvell said the Seminoles overcame adversity by continuing to win despite the injuries at quarterback.

“I’m hurting for our players who have displayed a tremendous amount of resilience and response this season,” Norvell said. “… A team that overcame tremendous adversity and found a way to win doing whatever it took on the field was cheated today. It’s a sad day for college football.”

Florida State’s exclusion from the College Football Playoff was felt throughout the sport.

Asked if he could imagine going 13-0 and not making the field, Washington coach Kalen DeBoer said simply: “In all honesty, no.”

“You go undefeated and miss it by one spot, makes me feel sympathy for those guys,” Texas linebacker Jaylan Ford said. “Just like us, they put in the same amount of work in the offseason. They fought just as hard throughout the season. They’re still players. They’ve still got a program. It’s just a tough situation to be in.”

Georgia’s pursuit of a third straight national championship was derailed by one ill-timed loss. The Bulldogs (12-1) had won 29 straight games, but Saturday’s loss to Alabama in the SEC title game left Georgia on the outside looking in. As a result, the Bulldogs become the first No. 1 team in the penultimate CFP rankings to fall out of the top four after losing on Championship Weekend.