The College Football Playoff (CFP) is a hotbed of controversy. Battles rage on about unjust exclusions and miss opportunities.
Uniquely, Georgia politicians have entered the fray, campaigning for Georgia Bulldogs to earn a place in the playoff.
Georgia State Senator Colton Moore led the charge, reaching out to his followers on X—a notable alternative to Twitter.
“Your mandate is to send the four best teams in the country to the Playoff, and instead you have created a political mess with a decision based in bias to weaker conferences and teams who want nothing to do playing the Georgia Bulldogs,” Moore wrote in a letter addressed to the College Football Playoff selection committee. “In light of the CFP expansion in the 2024 season and as a remedy to avoid massive liabilities, People of Georgia request you allow The Orange Bowl to be activated as a College Football Playoff game and therefore delay the National Championship by one week or otherwise make accommodations.”
People of Georgia demand the @NCAA and @CFBPlayoff include @OrangeBowl in the College Football Playoff: @UGAAthletics vs @Seminoles
UGA is in the top 4 teams in the USA. @SEC @ACC @NCAA@ronDesantis @ScottforFlorida @BrianKempGA@espn @KirkHerbstreit @finebaum pic.twitter.com/R0kjrT9OWz
— Sen. Colton Moore (@realColtonMoore) December 14, 2023
Moore, unflinchingly advocating for the Bulldogs, proclaimed their supposed right to playoff inclusion.
Navigating the intricacies of playoff logistics, such as the complexities of including the Orange Bowl game between Florida State and Georgia in the CFP, remains uncertain.
The existing system adopted by SEC and ACC offers no leeway for last last-minute admission. Moore isn’t the first politician to leverage football-based grievances.
Floridian politicians have previously tapped into this domain to sway Seminole fans expressing a solid claim as an unbeaten Power Five champion.
Florida Senator Rick Scott shared the response from CFP executive director Bill Hancock on this hot topic.
🚨BREAKING: The @CFBPlayoff just responded to my letter with more excuses & still NO TRANSPARENCY.@FSUFootball was #4 before beating #14 Louisville without Jordan Travis…but then after that win, the CFP thinks #FSU is a weaker team? It makes no sense. ANSWER OUR QUESTIONS! pic.twitter.com/nCGPSiJ7qE
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) December 15, 2023
Currently 6th-ranked, the Georgia Bulldogs have not enjoyed an undefeated football season. They also lack a conference champion title.
While they remain key players in college football this season, redrawing the path to CFP inclusion teases the impossible.
The Bulldogs certainly bring a strong game to college football—there is no argument about that.
Still, their 202-2021 CFP entry is not up for debate. As intense as the plea for inclusion is, current standards deliver seemingly insurmountable obstacles that relegate Georgia to the sidelines.
