College football star Diego Pavia is voicing his opinion in an unconventional way, directly calling on President Donald Trump to intervene in the College Football Playoff selection process through executive order. Pavia’s request highlights a growing frustration among some athletes with the current system.
Pavia, who quarterbacked Vanderbilt University to victory against Tennessee and was considered one of the top contenders for this year’s Heisman Trophy, took issue with the latest playoff rankings. The standings placed the Commodores in the No. 14 spot – a position that offers minimal chance at reaching the final four spots given the upcoming conference championship games.
In his appeal, Pavia tweeted: “@realDonaldTrump MAKE THE EXECUTIVE ORDER PLEASE,” seemingly referencing a post encouraging Trump to increase the size of the playoff from its current 12-team format. The tweet suggests he wants the White House authority to compel the playoff committee to include more teams under consideration rather than relying solely on rankings.
This sentiment echoes one that reached headlines last week, when U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared to endorse a similar idea during an interview with CNN. Rubio suggested Trump should “take over” the selection process if certain undefeated teams like his alma mater, Florida (Miami) were excluded from the top 12 in the traditional bracket.
Florida’s national debate spotlights have also been intense this season. The Hurricanes finished the regular season at a respectable 10-3 record, but their status as one of many two-loss contenders created its own logjam for playoff inclusion – much like the situation with Pavia’s Vanderbilt team, ranked No. 14 nationally.
Both the Commodores and Hurricanes share similarities that have fueled frustration this weekend: they feature double-digit winning records (at least 10-2) while maintaining a Top-25 ranking. However, their positions in the standings leave little room for advancement into the bracket of four teams set to compete after conference title week.
As the selection committee prepares its final rankings before bracket announcement on Sunday, December 7th, calls like Pavia’s add fuel to an ongoing discussion about playoff fairness and whether presidential involvement should be part of determining champions.