Sunday belonged to more than just the NFL, as College Football helped kick the day off by revealing the final CFB Playoff bracket after Championship Saturday.
One of the biggest questions was how the committee would treat the Florida State Seminoles. Their only loss this year was a season-ending injury to star quarterback Jordan Travis, who broke his leg two weeks ago and threw the playoff picture into chaos.
With Travis out of the picture, a case against the Noles started to build that argued they weren't as competitively sound as the other teams in the running. It was a flimsy basis to argue against a team that finished the season undefeated and with a strong case to be in the Top 4.
Alas, the Noles were on the outside looking in when the final bracket was revealed. Despite the credentials, Travis' injury outweighed everything the team accomplished and they finished No. 5 according to the committee.
Alabama's win over Georgia not only knocked the Bulldogs out -- ending their quest for a third straight national championship -- but propelled the Tide to that final spot in the playoff. Needless to say, the discourse was strong, with Noles fans and casual fans aligning with outrage and some notable figures stepping up to weigh in on what many see as a total travesty.
Derrick Brooks sends message to FSU after getting snubbed by CFB Playoffs
After the final bracket was revealed, Buccaneers legend and former Florida State star Derrick Brooks sent a message to not only Noles fans who were upset but to the players who had been so badly snubbed by the College Football Playoff selection committee.
Some folks lashed out at, others used it as an opportunity to dunk on FSU, but Brooks had the exact kind of message you'd expect him to send.
1st, Seek a spiritual path to acknowledge God in this situation because only he knows WHY?
— Derrick Brooks (@DBrooks55) December 3, 2023
2nd, Share in the pain of this playoffs committee decision to leave us out. It hurts!!
4th, Stay Together as A TEAM! Be smart with your words, we control our attitude, make the next opponent feel this pain with how we prepare, work, and play in the bowl game. Send our Seniors out as undefeated (14-0)
— Derrick Brooks (@DBrooks55) December 3, 2023
It's no surprise he served as a leader in the Bucs locker room for so many year, or that he's still so well respected by so many people.
Brooks having a level-headed and powerful message for the team is really the only take there should be. It's the players who battled all season long who are getting the short end of the stick, and who better than someone like Brooks to try and help lift them up out of the funk they were forced into by outside forces?