Florida AG opens investigation into FSU exclusion from playoffs

Florida Republican Attorney General Ashley Moody on Tuesday announced an investigation into the College Football Playoff Selection Committee's decision to exclude Florida State University, despite its undefeated season.

The committee cited the season-ending injury of starting quarterback Jordan Travis in justifying its decision. It ultimately chose to pit the University of Michigan against the University of Alabama, and the University of Texas against the University of Washington. The decision prompted outrage among Floridians, including GOP Sen. Rick Scott and former President Donald Trump.

Moody announced the antitrust investigation on Tuesday and told Politico that "I'm a lifelong Gator, but I’m also the Florida attorney general, and I know injustice when I see it. 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."

"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," she went on. "In Florida, merit matters. If it’s attention they were looking for, the committee certainly has our attention now."

Moody's efforts are merely the latest probe into the matter, as Scott last week demanded the committed provide him with documentation of its decision. Trump, for his part, has blamed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and a "[r]eally bad lobbying effort."

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.