Trump weighs in on College Football Playoff, blames DeSantis

Florida man versus Florida man in a football showdown?

Former President Trump is blaming Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, his bitter rival in the battle for the GOP presidential nomination, for the College Football Playoff committee’s decision to exclude Florida State University’s football team from the playoffs despite its undefeated season.

“Florida State was treated very badly by the ‘Committee,'” Trump wrote Monday on Truth Social. “They become the first Power Five team to be left out of the College Football Playoffs. Really bad lobbying effort…Lets blame DeSanctimonious!!!”

Trump often refers to DeSantis, who previously was an ally but has been aggressively campaigning against Trump for the 2024 nomination, as “DeSanctimonious” and other pejoratives.

Florida State became the first unbeaten champion from a Power Five conference to be excluded since the four-team playoff system started a decade ago. The College Football Playoff selection committee cited a season-ending injury to Florida State starting quarterback Jordan Travis as a reason for the exclusion.

The committee chose instead to include Southeastern Conference champion University of Alabama, to round out the field, one of two one-loss teams to make the playoff. The 12-1 Crimson Tide lost to the University of Texas in September before winning 11 games and beating the University of Georgia in the SEC championship.

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) wrote a letter to the selection committee Monday, demanding “total transparency from the committee regarding how this decision was reached and what factors may have been at play in reaching this outcome.”

“Beyond the fury and heartbreak caused by the Committee’s decision, there are also financial implications that must be discussed,” Scott wrote in the letter addressed to College Football Playoff (CFP) Selection Committee Chairman Boo Corrigan.