Deion Sanders Comments on 'Business' Decision to Exclude FSU From CFP

Florida State became the first undefeated Power Five conference champion to be left out of the College Football Playoff in its decade-long history on Sunday. And Deion Sanders thinks there was more at play than résumé comparisons in the selection committee's decision to put Alabama at No. 4 over FSU.

Sanders, a two-time unanimous All-American for the Seminoles in the 1980s who just wrapped up his first season as Colorado's head coach, called the move a "business" decision.

"Unfortunately, it comes down to some business," Sanders told Newsweek on Monday morning. "And you're talkin' about Alabama not being in the College Football Playoff after they defeated the No. 1-ranked team in college football that has been the No. 1-ranked team all season?

"You're not gonna leave [Alabama coach] Nick Saban out of the College Football Playoffs. You can forget that. You might as well fight something else. You'd rather argue with Texas or someone like that. And you've got to understand, these are all large-market teams, except for Washington. So, your fight would be with Washington, but they're undefeated as well."

The committee's final four ended up being Michigan, Washington, Texas and Alabama. The Wolverines and Huskies, both 13-0, were virtual locks heading into the selection show after winning their conference championships over the weekend. So the final two spots came down to some combination of Texas, Alabama, Florida State and Georgia. And FSU, No. 4 in last week's rankings but without starting quarterback Jordan Travis, was the only undefeated team in the bunch.

The Crimson Tide upset the two-time defending champion Bulldogs, 27-24, in the SEC Championship Game to improve to 12-1. The 13-0 Seminoles also won their conference title, defeating Louisville, 16-6, for the ACC championship despite being down to their No. 3 QB. But they were left out anyway.

Sanders said that after Alabama's win, the committee wasn't going to shut out the SEC by leaving Saban's team and Georgia out of the playoff field.

"You're not getting Alabama out of the College Football Playoffs—and Georgia," he said. "That is not going to happen. You can forget that. Alabama and Georgia? Georgia should be upset as well, right? They've been No. 1 for the last two years.

"When is it not good for business to have Alabama in anything?"

Reactions to the FSU's snub were mixed.

ESPN analyst Booger McFarland called the decision a travesty. But his colleagues on the selection show, including former Alabama QB Greg McElroy, complimented the committee for putting in what they believed to be the four best teams, which to them did not include the Seminoles without Travis under center. Travis suffered a season-ending leg injury in mid-November, and in their first full game without him, the Seminoles defeated rival Florida in "The Swamp," 24-15, before going on to win the ACC.

The senior QB took to X, formerly Twitter, to say he wished his "leg broke earlier in the season" so his teammates had more time to prove themselves without him.

Florida State Athletic Director Michael Alford and head coach Mike Norvell released scathing statements after the rankings were released, with the latter saying he was "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."

When confronted about the decision to leave FSU out, College Football Playoff selection committee chair Boo Corrigan said the Seminoles are not the same team without Travis.

"Florida State is a different team than they were through the first 11 weeks," Corrigan said on ESPN on Sunday. Coach [Mike] Norvell, their players, their fans [had] an incredible season. But as you look at who they are as a team right now without Jordan Travis, without the offensive dynamic that he brings to it, they are a different team. And the committee voted Alabama four and Florida State five."

FSU will play Georgia on December 30 in the Orange Bowl, a consolation prize of sorts for the first two teams out of the four-team field.

But Sanders is, in a way, envious of the position the Seminoles find themselves in. Colorado finished 4-8 in the first season of the Sanders era, which will soon be the subject of Season Two of the Amazon documentary series Coach Prime. The 56-year-old praised FSU's resilience and ability to win without Travis, even if the end result was heartbreaking.

"I would love to be in coach Norvell's shoes because he did a tremendous job," Sanders said. "He was outstanding as a coach. His team did an outstanding job even without their starting quarterback, which is unbelievable to me because I don't think any other team in the country could do what they accomplished without a starting quarterback for a few weeks. It's tough. I mean, that's just tough. I don't know what to say."