Deion Sanders Talks FSU Snub: 'Ain't No Playoff' If Alabama and Georgia Both Left Out

After getting bypassed for the College Football Playoff, Florida State didn't exactly receive a sympathetic ear from one of its most distinguished alumni.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders told 247Sports' Carl Reed there was "no way" both Alabama and Georgia would miss the playoff and that "it ain't no playoff" with neither in the semifinals.

Sanders echoed his comments during an appearance on the Dan Le Batard Show:

Thanks in effect to Jordan Travis' season-ending injury, going 13-0 and winning the ACC wasn't enough for Florida State to claim a top-four seed. Alabama moved into the top four on the strength of its SEC title game victory over Georgia, with Big 12 champion Texas leapfrogging the Seminoles as well.

Emotions were understandably raw in Tallahassee and inside the ACC's offices.

Sanders' comments summed up the pragmatic viewpoint on the situation, one the CFP selection committee basically deployed. Without Travis, Florida State probably isn't one of the four best teams in college football. On paper, Alabama matches up better with Michigan in the semis.

Sanders also cut to the ultimate truth about the College Football Playoff: It's a television spectacle. When push comes to shove, everyone involved will choose the path that's guaranteed to deliver the biggest viewership and most revenue.

The committee didn't have enough cover to put a one-loss Notre Dame in ahead of 12-0 Cincinnati during the 2021-22 season due to the Bearcats' head-to-head victory over the Fighting Irish. In 2022, TCU and Ohio State were the only one-loss Power Five teams in the country, so they were locks for the playoff despite not winning their respective conferences.

This year, the selection committee had firm enough ground to omit Florida State.

As many have pointed out, the Seminoles would've easily qualified for the playoff under the 12-team format due to arrive in 2024.

This time next year, fans will be arguing over seeding and which team was most deserving of the last Power Five bid.