SEC boss throws shade at Florida State with College Football Playoff talk

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey took a not-so-subtle jab at Florida State with his remarks about how well Georgia handled not making the College Football Playoff.

'We didn't stomp our feet' when Georgia missed the College Football Playoff, according to SEC commissioner Greg Sankey. / Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Florida State was not selected as one of the final four teams in the College Football Playoff last season despite being undefeated ACC champions, resulting in a tidal wave of negative reaction from fans, the school, and even politicians in the state.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey feels that Georgia fans handled being left out of the playoff much better, comparing how the Bulldog faithful reacted to how Seminole fans did, and in the process appeared to throw some subtle shade at FSU.

"Think last year, [Georgia] was one of the four best teams, period," Sankey said on 1010 XL Radio. "There's people in your listening audience saying, 'Oh, there he goes again.' We didn't stomp our feet, we didn't, like, fly banners over places. That was one of the four best teams.

"They lost one game in two years," he said of Georgia. "Bad second half, second quarter, third quarter. And in the future, if they're 9-3 compared to a 10-2 or 11-1 [team], the standard's not 10-2 or 11-1. It's the best teams."

Those are certainly comments that Florida State fans will take some offense to, believing that their reaction to the snub was entirely justified: the Seminoles became the first undefeated Power Five conference champion to miss out on the national semifinal, while Georgia had a loss.

Related: SEC doesn't want Florida State, insiders claim

Instead, the selection committee sided with one-loss Alabama, which beat the then-undefeated and two-time defending national champion Bulldogs in the SEC Championship Game.

It also picked Big 12 champion, one-loss Texas, judging its resume, which included a road win against that Alabama team earlier in the season, as superior to the Seminoles' overall achievements.

Both those teams lost in the semifinals: Texas to Washington, and Alabama to eventual champion Michigan, further leading FSU fans to believe their team would have had a better chance.

Among the reactions to the snub, or "foot stomping" as Sankey might characterize it, was Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell, one of many luminaries to strongly criticize the CFP at the time.

"I am disgusted and infuriated with the committee's decision to have what was earned on the field taken away because a small group of people decided they knew better than the results of the games," he said in December. "What is the point of playing the games?"

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody even announced a probe into the College Football Playoff selection committee, and Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) sent a letter for the CFP for more information.

Last season was the final College Football Playoff tournament to be played with four teams, as the format is set to expand to 12 teams starting this postseason.

Hopefully as a result of tripling the field, we can avoid another historic snub like that in the future.

Related: Noles AD alleges ESPN knew of CFP snub early on

(1010 XL Radio)

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