Finally, someone said it.

Following Georgia’s 63-3 rout of what was left of Florida State’s football team in the Orange Bowl, head coach Kirby Smart said something has to change about the current state of college football.

In the weeks leading up to the Orange Bowl, the Seminoles had 15 players either opt out of the game, decide to enter the transfer portal or was hurt. In all 29 scholarship players did not play for FSU, including their two best quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers, a tight end, three defensive linemen and defensive backs and two linebackers.

A lot of the Seminoles optouts occurred the week of the game.

“People need to see what happened tonight and they need to fix this,” Smart said following his team’s 60-point victory, the largest margin of victory in the history of bowl games. “It needs to be fixed. It is very unfortunate that (FSU), who has a good football team, and a good football program, are in the position they are in.

“Everybody can say it is their fault and it’s their own problem. Everybody can say that we had our guys, and they did not have their guys. I can listen to all of that, but college football has to decide what they want.”

Florida State was not the only team that had issues with players opting out to go pro or entering the transfer portal during the bowl season. LSU had a player opt out of the ReliaQuest Bowl during the game after breaking a single-season record.

Even Clemson had optouts and players transferring prior to the Gator Bowl. And yes, those optouts and transfers hurt the team.

Prior to the Gator Bowl, Kentucky quarterback Devin Leary had two games all year where he threw for more than 300 yards. Clemson’s secondary, considered one of the best in the country, had not allowed a quarterback to come close to throwing for 300 yards in a game in the regular season, and that included a list of quarterbacks that are all considered better pro prospects than Leary.

In the Gator Bowl, Leary completed 16 of 28 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns, including pass plays of 60 and 72 yards.

What happened?

Clemson starting cornerback Nate Wiggins decided not to play due to turning professional. The same can be said for linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr, while safety Andrew Mukuba transferred to Texas and reserve corner Toriano Pride transferred to Missouri.

It also did not help that Clemson had three other cornerbacks out with an injury.

“I know things are changing and things are going to change (in the College Football Playoff) next year, and you know what, there are still going to be bowl games outside of those,” Smart said. “People have to decide what they want and what they really want to get out of it because it is really unfortunate for those kids on that (FSU) sideline that had to play in that game that didn’t have their full arsenal.”

I could not have said it any better, Kirby.