Florida AG probing CFP over Florida St. exclusion

Andrea Adelson, ESPN Senior WriterDec 12, 2023, 05:54 PM ET
Close
- ACC reporter.
- Joined ESPN.com in 2010.
- Graduate of the University of Florida.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced Tuesday that she is launching an investigation into the College Football Playoff selection committee over the decision to leave Florida State out of the top four.

Moody said the state’s antitrust division is sending a civil investigative demand to the committee for “more information about the nature of possible contracts, conspiracies in restraint of trade or monopolization of trade and commerce relating to anticompetitive effects of the College Football Playoff.”

“I’m a lifelong Gator, but I’m also the Florida attorney general, and I know injustice when I see it,” Moody said in a video announcement in front of Doak Campbell Stadium, Florida State’s home field. “No rational person or college football fan can look at this situation and not question the result. The NCAA, conferences and the College Football Playoff committee are subject to antitrust laws.

“My office is launching an investigation to examine if the committee was involved in any anticompetitive conduct. As it stands, the committee’s decision reeks of partiality, so we are demanding answers — not only for FSU, but for all schools, teams and fans of college football. In Florida, merit matters. If it’s attention they were looking for, the committee certainly has our attention now.”

Afterward, College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock issued a statement that read: “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.”

The committee also said it hadn’t received anything official from the attorney general’s office yet.

Florida State finished 13-0 and won the ACC title game, but became the first Power 5 conference champion to be left out of the playoff when teams were selected last week. CFP committee chair Boo Corrigan pointed to the injury to starting quarterback Jordan Travis as a key factor in the Seminoles’ omission. Undefeated teams Michigan and Washington and one-loss Texas and Alabama made the four-team playoff.

Last week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he was requesting $1 million to be set aside for Florida State to sue the committee if it chooses. The Florida Legislature, which begins its new session next month, must agree on a spending plan.

As part of the investigation, Moody wants communications between the SEC, ACC, NCAA, ESPN, Group of 5 and Power 5 conferences as it relates to deliberations, compensation of committee members, how individual committee members voted, the names of those present during any vote and information related to the software used to record votes, in addition to several other requests.