FAMU football left out of FCS postseason tournament, recapping the Rattlers' season
Florida A&M's football season is officially over.
The Rattlers (9-2, 7-1 SWAC) were left out of the 24-team Football Championship Subdivision postseason bracket that was announced on ESPNU's Selection Sunday broadcast.
The postseason selection decision comes a day after they defeated rivals, Bethune-Cookman, 41-20 in the Florida Classic.
The team ended the regular season on a nine-game winning streak.
"Obviously, (we are) very disappointed that we didn't get invited to the FCS playoffs," FAMU coach Willie Simmons said on the Rattlers' official Twitter account.
"My heart goes out to these young men, (they) fought for this program, have done more than we've ever asked, and they did what was needed to do on the football field to show they were deserving for the opportunity to play for a national championship."
Simmons again thanked fans for their support, adding "this is the last time we want to see our young men shortchanged. We want to control our own destiny."
FAMU last made the FCS playoffs a season ago, ending a 20-year drought before falling to Southeastern Louisiana in the first round.
The Rattlers were considered on the bubble to earn an at-large bid, according to HeroSports.com.
The website cited FAMU's 59-3 defeat to Jackson State in the season's second game and its strength of schedule, which ranked 76th nationally, according to warrennolan.com.
“Certainly, if your strength of schedule is not that strong against the other teams we are comparing you against you want to make sure you’re managing your schedule,” FCS Selection Committee chairman Jermaine Truax told HBCU Gameday.
“They (FAMU) certainly had an opportunity against Jackson State as a data point this year for the committee to look at and we did.”
No HBCUs qualified for the postseason tournament.
South Dakota State and Sacramento State earned the top two seeds in the FCS playoffs.
Florida A&M University President Larry Robinson, Ph.D. expressed his disappointment with the Rattlers being left out of the playoffs. He also thanks Simmons, coaches and players for an outstanding season that saw the Rattlers place second in the SWAC Eastern Division for the second consecutive year.
“I want to thank Coach Willie Simmons, the coaches, and the Rattler football team for finishing strong as Florida Classic Champions for the second year in a row with a 41-20 victory over our rivals Bethune-Cookman University," Simmons said.
"I also want to thank Rattler Nation for your strong support of another stellar football season.”
MORE RATTLERNEWS COVERAGE
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A quick recap of FAMU's season
A promising season was nearly derailed by a tumultuous start.
The Rattler absorbed 26 NCAA uncertified or ineligible rulings on the season opener eve against North Carolina — thrusting them into the national spotlight.
This was followed by the program's worst loss to an HBCU by losing, 59-3 to eventual SWAC East champion Jackson State.
When the smoke cleared, the Rattlers were 0-2.
FAMU didn't lose since then, running the table for nine consecutive wins to better position themselves for an at-large FCS playoff bid.
But the selection committee decided that wasn't enough for the Rattlers' season to live to fight another week.
The program has not had a losing season since his arrival while beginning a 15-game home winning streak at Bragg Memorial Stadium which is the second-longest in the FCS behind Montana State.
FAMU football has gone 32-12 in the Simmons era since 2018 with three consecutive nine win seasons.
Gerald Thomas III covers FAMU athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at gdthomas@gannett.com or on Twitter @3peatgee.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU Football: Rattlers not voted in for repeat postseason appearance
