Stephen A. Smith on Florida State’s CFP snub: ‘Blame no further than TCU’

The four participating teams in this year’s College Football Playoff were officially announced on Sunday. Undefeated Florida State was left out of the final four teams, and ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith is seemingly in full support of this decision.

Many media members have already started to take exception to this decision because Florida State has no blemishes on their record this year.

However, some, including Stephen A. Smith, agreed with the decision because Florida State unfortunately lost star quarterback Jordan Travis for the remainder of the season with a significant injury.

Smith made the argument on social media shortly after the decision on Sunday that Florida State should blame TCU for this decision due to their blowout loss to Georgia in the 2022 National Championship last year.

“Condolences to Florida State,” tweeted Smith. “They were fantastic. But blame no further than TCU! If they hadn’t gotten destroyed 65-7 in the nat’l title game last year, things may have been different. But we don’t need the potential of another slaughter because FSU doesn’t have a QB. Could not risk it.”

Condolences to Florida State. They were fantastic. But blame no further than TCU! If they hadn’t gotten destroyed 65-7 in a nat’l title game last year, things may have been different. But we don’t need the potential of another slaughter because FSU doesn’t have a QB. Could not…

— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) December 3, 2023

The argument that Smith is trying to make here makes sense. Nobody wants to see a National Championship game that is completely non-competitive like it was last year.

However, this year’s Florida State team and TCU’s team last season are completely different in several ways.

TCU reached the CFP last year after an 11-1 season. Many said they didn’t belong after a loss in the Big Ten Championship game to Kansas State. However, they proved everyone wrong in the CFP semifinals, defeating Michigan in one of the most entertaining games in recent memory.

They would of course go on to get dominated by Georgia in the National Championship. But their win against Michigan clearly showed that they at least deserved the opportunity to face off against Georgia.

TCU also had a very competent quarterback at the helm last season, Max Duggan, who was a semi-finalist for the Heisman Trophy.

Bringing up a blowout loss in a National Championship game last season as an argument for why Florida State shouldn’t be in the CFP is a pretty weak take. And several media members around the sport criticized this tweet from him.

and TCU made it to the national championship game, I don’t understand your argument at all

— Mike Golic (@golic) December 3, 2023

You mean after TCU won its semifinal game? Convenient omission there. https://t.co/MOMzP30yUv

— David Visser (@DavidBVisser) December 3, 2023

Someone want to explain to this guy that TCU won a playoff game last year to get to the national title game, a game I might add all of the “eye test” crowd said they had no chance in? Do any of these people even do a little bit of research before spouting off idiotic takes? https://t.co/M7rSGO5g4h

— Paul Zeise (@PaulZeise) December 3, 2023

This take certainly won’t get him any new fans in the state of Florida…

[Stephen A. Smith on Twitter]