As they say, all politics are local. Ron DeSantis, while he is running for President, is taking on a political issue that is especially close to his home. Like the town where he lives, Tallahassee, Florida, the state capital. And the issue he’s taking on, as we approach yet another Republican Presidential Debate, is the plight of the Florida State football team. As you likely know FSU, located in Tallahassee, was ranked 5th in the country by the College Football Playoff Committee on Sunday after the end of the conference championship games. The problem is that only four teams make the playoffs, making the Seminoles the odd man out, the best of the rest. Which makes them, and their governor, quite angry.
Of course, there’s always going to be someone that finishes 5th in a four-man race, just like there’s the cut off for upgrades to business class. But this wasn’t a normal 5th place. Florida State went 13-0 this season, the first and only undefeated team from a Power 5 conference to not make the four team playoff. What’s worse for Seminole fans is how it happened, as they were 4th in the rankings going into the final weekend, won their title game, but still got passed up by two one loss teams, Texas and Alabama, blue bloods from more prestigious conferences who had much more impressive showings in their championships. So the committee jumped them to 3rd and 4th. So even as Georgia fell to 6th with a loss, FSU was out. There’s also the fact that much of the committee’s perspective is based on Florida State losing their starting quarterback a couple of weeks ago, making their once dominant office remarkably pedestrian against their past two opponents. As you can imagine, this has not set well with anyone affiliated with the program, who used words like conspiracy and rigged when trying to explain what they see as inexplicable. Perhaps the biggest, and most sympathetic gripe is that a football championship is supposedly decided on the field, where the Seminoles were unblemished – at least by the scoreboard of wins and losses. Otherwise, why not simple pick the winners at the beginning of the season and be done with it. And if you think people aren’t taking this seriously, just look at the statement from Florida State athletics director Michael Alford, who called this decision destructive, far reaching, and permanent for college football.
But no one has expressed more public outrage than Ron DeSantis, who is looking for any issue that might get him out of third place. DeSantis has asked his legislature for $1 million in this year’s Florida State budget for legal fees to sue the College Football Playoff Committee. I have no idea what that would mean, especially since by the time any money got appropriated, we’d be halfway into next season. I suppose federal agents could run onto the field of the Rose Bowl to stop the kickoff. But in reality, this is little more than a publicity stunt, one that he hopes appeals to all the American voters that care deeply about inflation, immigration, and college football strength of schedule metrics. While this may be a divided America, we can all agree that playing Georgia in the Orange Bowl is not fair.
Jokes aside, we shouldn’t underestimate the anger on display by FSU football fans. We just had a congressional hearing about rising hate on college campuses – I think they may have missed this part of the testimony. Harvard and Penn may have their protests, but hell hath no fury like a college football fan scorned. And as anyone with even a cursory understanding of recent Republican politics knows, harnessing anger is the central platform of a winning Presidential ticket. Trump has his retribution tour of government officials. DeSantis will use his bully pulpit against the tyranny of college football. I guess if we have to decide, I’ll take the latter.
Of course, none of this really matters. In a few weeks, we’ll have a new champion, and the only people that still care about FSU’s slight will live in Tallahassee. The outrage machine waits for no one. And just remember that for every Seminole fan, there’s probably two Alabama fans that are sending holiday gifts to each committee member. And maybe DeSantis should remember this – tonight’s debate is being held in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Home of the Crimson Tide. And when it comes to college football, politics are always local.
Keith Strudler is the director of the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University. You can follow him at @KeithStrudler
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