Kirby Smart Opt-Out On FSU’s Orange Bowl As Things Get Though To Fix…
“People must examine what transpired tonight and take action to address this,” Smart said at the outset. “Everyone is saying that Florida State didn’t have their guys, but we did. All of that is fine with me, but college football needs to make a decision. Furthermore, I am aware of how things are changing and will change in the upcoming year. However, what’s the deal? Outside of [the playoffs], bowl games will still take place. Individuals must make decisions about what they want and what they hope to gain from it. The children who were forced to play in that game without having their entire arsenal on the sidelines are truly unfortunate. It had a 100% impact on the game.
Florida State played without several key players on Saturday, including quarterback Jordan Travis, who is out for the season with a broken leg, and wide receivers Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson, among others, who elected to opt-out of the game following the College Football Playoff snub.
Only 53 scholarship players, many of whom had never played a down of college football, were dressed for the Seminoles on Saturday. Conversely, Georgia exhibited a majority of their regular players dressed appropriately.
The final outcome? Georgia outscored Florida State 209 yards on the ground, had 36 first downs compared to 11 for Florida State, and gained 372 yards through rushes versus 63 for Florida State.
Despite the fact that neither team was able to achieve their 2023 national championship dream, they all agreed during Saturday’s Orange Bowl to declare that the current bowl structure is flawed.
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Georgia Bulldogs HC Kirby Smart Calls Out Current Landscape of College Football After 63-3 Orange Bowl Victory; ‘It Needs to be Fixed’
Last night in the Orange Bowl, the Georgia Bulldogs crushed the Florida State Seminoles, 63-3. Due to opt-outs and the transfer portal, the Seminoles were unable to field 29 scholarship players, which led to 146 yards from scrimmage in a crushing defeat. Even though his team completely destroyed the Seminoles, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart was not happy with what he saw on the field.
Georgia Bulldogs HC Kirby Smart: Frustrated with Transfer Portal, Opt-Outs
Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart took the podium postgame, discussing how opt-outs and the new NCAA transfer portal rules resulted in the lopsided win.
“This needs to be fixed, and people need to see what happened tonight,” asserted Smart. 29 scholarship players were used by the Seminoles, including Johnny Wilson and Keon Coleman, two of the team’s top wide receivers. Brock Glenn, their backup quarterback, was also on the field. Less than a week before the Orange Bowl, backup Tate Rodemaker registered on the transfer portal, while starter Jordan Travis sustained a horrific leg injury late in the season.
Smart continued, “It needs to be fixed. It’s very unfortunate that they have a good football team and a good football program, and they’re in the position they’re in.”
The College Football Playoff committee made an unprecedented move this postseason, omitting the Seminoles from the CFP despite going undefeated and winning the ACC Championship. Florida State became the first Power-Five team in the history of the CFP to miss out on the four-team playoff field after finishing the season without a loss and taking home their conference title. Instead, the committee picked a pair of one-loss teams, the Texas Longhorns and the Alabama Crimson Tide, as the last two teams to make the dance.
Kirby Smart Gives College Football an Ultimatum
They didn’t have their guys, and we had ours. College football players need to make a decision. I am aware that times are changing. Outside of those, though, bowl games will still take place. It’s unfortunate for the kids on the sidelines who had to play in that game without having their entire arsenal, so people need to decide what they want and what they hope to get out of it. And it had an impact on the match.
From the Myrtle Beach Bowl in mid-December to the College Football Playoff National Championship in late December, there are forty-three bowl games. But squads, particularly those outside the CFP, have been completely destroyed by opt-outs and the transfer portal. More than two thousand FBS football players have accessed the transfer website. within the present cycle.