Florida State unveils plaque honoring its 'undefeated' 2023 team, missing Orange Bowl result

The 2023 season will always be memorable for Florida State, and now there is a physical reminder through Doak Campbell Stadium. But not everything was recorded.

As part of the program, a new plaque honoring the 13-1 team was unveiled near Sod Cemetery in front of the stadium, displaying the names of every player on the team, the results of every regular season game, the ACC Championship and the program's final awards can be seen.

“The Coyle Moore Family Trust recognizes Florida State University and the accomplishments of the 2023 undefeated Atlantic Coast Conference championship football team,” the plaque reads.”

There was only one thing missing: the Orange Bowl score.

In case you need a plaque to remind you of what happened in the Orange Bowl last season, Florida State was completely beaten by Georgia after a team that was previously undefeated saw a slew of players drop. The Seminoles were controversially eliminated from the College Football Playoff after star quarterback Jordan Travis suffered a season-ending injury, and the shorthanded program ended its shorthanded season with a 63-3 loss.

So you can probably understand why Florida State wouldn't want those numbers near its plaque.

Few artifacts better capture how the Seminoles view their 2023 team. Every member of the team and its fan base believes they have been stripped of a CFP berth. They did the work required and then got punished when their quarterback got hurt. Some even went so far as to claim a share of the national championship.

One can sympathize with that, but it's hard to deny that using the word “undefeated” in a plaque that intentionally excludes a 60-point loss is quite a swing. The team that faced Georgia may not have been the same as the one that went 13-0, but they wore Florida State uniforms in an officially sanctioned NCAA game. It happened.

Of course, plaques have never been the best choice for capturing nuance.