Florida State has spent the last year and a half-plus staggering in a daze, winning all of two games since December 2023 and generally wondering how everything went so wrong so fast. From national championship hopeful to national joke, Florida State’s fall since the 2023 ACC championship game has been remarkable — and, if you’re a Nole, devastating — to behold.
Saturday afternoon in Tallahassee, the Seminoles get a chance to right a whole lot of wrongs — or, at least, to heal a lot of psychic damage — when they face the Alabama Crimson Tide. Because Alabama, you see, has quietly but definitely broken Florida State’s brain.
Advertisement
The last time these two teams met — eight years ago almost to the day — Alabama stomped then-No. 3 Florida State 24-7 in the 2017 season opener, and marched right on to yet another national championship. FSU ended up going a mediocre 7-6, and Jimbo Fisher left the team after the season.
[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season]
It’s all part of a longstanding tradition. Back in the Bear Bryant and Nick Saban days, Alabama left a nationwide slate of programs and fan bases deranged with anger, and put entire generations of coaches out of jobs. Pick a major university — and every single SEC squad — and you can see the size-15 cleatprints of Alabama on their chest.
In a strange way, the 2020s version of Florida State represents the last in that line of shattered fanbases, because Florida State is the last opponent Nick Saban broke. Consider two elements:
Advertisement
• Alabama was the fourth and final team admitted to the final four-team playoff in 2023, leaving Florida State out in the cold even after an undefeated season and an ACC championship. (We don’t need to re-litigate the fact that Texas should have been bounced, not the Seminoles. The point remains: Alabama in, FSU out.)
• After Nick Saban retired, Florida State head coach Mike Norvell’s name was one of many bandied about as a replacement. Norvell and his agent parlayed that into a nifty eight-year, $10-million-per extension. It seemed like the right deal at the time, although since then, Florida State has paid $5 million per Norvell win.
So you can see why Florida State and its fans might be a bit sideways about Alabama, even if nobody else is at the moment. And you can also see why a win over No. 8 Alabama would go a long way toward erasing the sting of that woeful 2-10 record in 2024.
Florida State paid a boatload to keep Mike Norvell from jumping ship to Alabama. Saturday, Norvell has an opportunity to show Seminole fans he’s still the right man in Tallahassee.
(Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Norvell referenced the up-and-way-down last few years earlier this week, trying to put some distance between both the good and the bad: “At the end of the day, this is the 2025 Florida State football team. The 19 wins in a row from ’22 and ’23 is not going to win a game for us this fall. The disappointing season for what last year was is not going to lose us a game this fall, it’s not going to win us a game either,” he said. “It’s what we do in the moment with the opportunity that’s there.”
Advertisement
Pretty much everyone outside of Norvell and Chief Osceola is new in Tallahassee this season. Florida State has 49 new players on the roster, plus new offensive and defensive coordinators in Gus Malzahn and Tony White, respectively, along with their associated new staffs. (White had the quote of the preseason earlier this month when he assessed his defense: “There are some guys who need to, quite frankly, step their ass up.”)
The whole Florida State team is going to need to step its ass up if it hopes to run with Alabama. Although Saban is long gone and the Tide are bringing in a new quarterback, Alabama is still a two-touchdown favorite, with a receiving corps that will test Florida State’s secondary. Plus, FSU quarterback Tommy Castellanos spent this summer poking the bear that is the entire Alabama defense, and the Tide is eager to rectify the disrespect.
Still, there aren’t many programs that can get halfway to last season’s win total on Saturday. And if that win comes at Alabama’s expense, well, the Seminoles can finally put the nightmarish last year-plus behind them.
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Best Sports Betting Apps 2025: Top Betting Sites Reviewed
This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.There are more than a handful of ways for gamblers to legally wager on sports. But what are the best sports betting apps or the best betting sites?Well, that depends on the user. Several sportsbooks offer welcome bonuses and bets for creating an account with their app, while other users might be looking for the right betting app that offers the odds they're looking for.So, let's take a look at the seven best online sportsbooks in the United States.Best Sports Betting App Promos for August 2025Each sports betting site has a welcome bonus for downloading its app and signing up. Here are the welcome bonuses for each sportsbook, and […]
College football picks: Identifying the top motivational, letdown spots for Week 2 contests
We introduced the standalone angle of top college football situational plays last year and had some success with it. In fact, our top-rated such plays went 10-5 against the spread (67%), providing a consistently winning angle for SportsLine members. By top situational plays, we're referring to instances in which a college football program appears due for a psychological letdown following a monumental victory, or one that should perform with maximum focus and motivation because of circumstances that suggest the game is essentially a must-win. Such circumstances are easier to identify as the season wears on, but we have zeroed in a couple of Week 2 matchups that meet the aforementioned criteria, with one in each category. Here are our top Week 2 college football situational plays.Virginia Tech -1 vs. VanderbiltThe Commodores started their breakout 2024 season with a 34-27 overtime […]
FanDuel Promo Code: Bet $5, Get $300 in Bonus Bets
This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.The FanDuel promo code welcome offer gives new users the chance to score a $300 bonus when their first bet of $5 or more wins. This limited-time promotion requires no code — the offer is automatically applied when you sign up through our link or widget below.As the most-used sportsbook in the U.S., FanDuel is known for its intuitive interface, a world-class mobile app, deep betting markets and cutting-edge live betting features. On this page, you’ll learn everything you need to know about the Bet $5, get $300 FanDuel promo, including how it works, key terms, eligibility by state and a complete sportsbook review.Current FanDuel Promo Offer for New […]
Best Live Betting Sites, Sportsbooks & Apps for In-Play Bets
This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.There are many ways gamblers can bet nowadays. One advantage that sports betting offers is live betting. So, let's take a look at what to know about live betting sites.Best Live Betting Sites – Our Top ChoicesWhile many sportsbooks allow live betting within their apps, there are some things to consider when you pick one app over the other. Some sportsbooks might have more in-game offerings, ongoing promotions or odds competitiveness. Other apps might allow you to stream games live, allowing you to watch and wager. Here are our top picks.Best for Fast Odds Updates: bet365 – typically the quickest to update its odds when it comes to in-game wagering.Best Mobile App […]
Fantasy football rankings 2025: Breakouts, sleepers, busts from model that nailed C.J. Stroud’s tough season
Every year it seems as though prolific, veteran wideouts change teams, and this year is no different. Davante Adams, DeAndre Hopkins, Stefon Diggs and Cooper Kupp are among those, with each coming off somewhat disappointing 2024 seasons, making them potentially 2025 Fantasy football sleepers. Meanwhile, Keenan Allen is also in that group as he returns to the Chargers, and unlike the aforementioned, we already know he has chemistry with his quarterback. Allen finished 11th in positional Fantasy points in his last season with Justin Herbert in 2023. His return to Los Angeles has a ripple effect in regard to the 2025 Fantasy football rankings for fellow wideouts like Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston and Tre Harris. Expecting Allen to pick up where he left off two years ago may be a bit ambitious as some helpful Fantasy football advice would be to […]
NFL RedZone will feature commercials in 2025, long-time host Scott Hanson confirms
One of the best catchphrases in sports will sound a little different in 2025. Long-time NFL RedZone host Scott Hanson typically welcomes fans into the program by stating, "Seven hours of commercial-free football start now."Hanson is going to have to make changes to that catchphrase now because — take a deep breath, football fans — commercials are coming to NFL RedZone in 2025. Hanson confirmed as much during an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Wednesday.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHanson said commercial breaks are coming to the show in 2025, but that the program would "not miss a touchdown."He added that the team would "pick and choose" when it was the right time to jump to a commercial break.NFL RedZone has experimented with commercials in the past, with Hanson even apologizing once after using the phrase "commercial-free football" to start a week in […]
Related
Best Sports Betting Apps 2025: Top Betting Sites Reviewed
This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.There are more than a handful of ways for gamblers to legally wager on sports. But what are the best sports betting apps or the best betting sites?Well, that depends on the user. Several sportsbooks offer welcome bonuses and bets for creating an account with their app, while other users might be looking for the right betting app that offers the odds they're looking for.So, let's take a look at the seven best online sportsbooks in the United States.Best Sports Betting App Promos for August 2025Each sports betting site has a welcome bonus for downloading its app and signing up. Here are the welcome bonuses for each sportsbook, and […]
College football picks: Identifying the top motivational, letdown spots for Week 2 contests
We introduced the standalone angle of top college football situational plays last year and had some success with it. In fact, our top-rated such plays went 10-5 against the spread (67%), providing a consistently winning angle for SportsLine members. By top situational plays, we're referring to instances in which a college football program appears due for a psychological letdown following a monumental victory, or one that should perform with maximum focus and motivation because of circumstances that suggest the game is essentially a must-win. Such circumstances are easier to identify as the season wears on, but we have zeroed in a couple of Week 2 matchups that meet the aforementioned criteria, with one in each category. Here are our top Week 2 college football situational plays.Virginia Tech -1 vs. VanderbiltThe Commodores started their breakout 2024 season with a 34-27 overtime […]
FanDuel Promo Code: Bet $5, Get $300 in Bonus Bets
This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.The FanDuel promo code welcome offer gives new users the chance to score a $300 bonus when their first bet of $5 or more wins. This limited-time promotion requires no code — the offer is automatically applied when you sign up through our link or widget below.As the most-used sportsbook in the U.S., FanDuel is known for its intuitive interface, a world-class mobile app, deep betting markets and cutting-edge live betting features. On this page, you’ll learn everything you need to know about the Bet $5, get $300 FanDuel promo, including how it works, key terms, eligibility by state and a complete sportsbook review.Current FanDuel Promo Offer for New […]
Best Live Betting Sites, Sportsbooks & Apps for In-Play Bets
This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.There are many ways gamblers can bet nowadays. One advantage that sports betting offers is live betting. So, let's take a look at what to know about live betting sites.Best Live Betting Sites – Our Top ChoicesWhile many sportsbooks allow live betting within their apps, there are some things to consider when you pick one app over the other. Some sportsbooks might have more in-game offerings, ongoing promotions or odds competitiveness. Other apps might allow you to stream games live, allowing you to watch and wager. Here are our top picks.Best for Fast Odds Updates: bet365 – typically the quickest to update its odds when it comes to in-game wagering.Best Mobile App […]
Fantasy football rankings 2025: Breakouts, sleepers, busts from model that nailed C.J. Stroud’s tough season
Every year it seems as though prolific, veteran wideouts change teams, and this year is no different. Davante Adams, DeAndre Hopkins, Stefon Diggs and Cooper Kupp are among those, with each coming off somewhat disappointing 2024 seasons, making them potentially 2025 Fantasy football sleepers. Meanwhile, Keenan Allen is also in that group as he returns to the Chargers, and unlike the aforementioned, we already know he has chemistry with his quarterback. Allen finished 11th in positional Fantasy points in his last season with Justin Herbert in 2023. His return to Los Angeles has a ripple effect in regard to the 2025 Fantasy football rankings for fellow wideouts like Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston and Tre Harris. Expecting Allen to pick up where he left off two years ago may be a bit ambitious as some helpful Fantasy football advice would be to […]
NFL RedZone will feature commercials in 2025, long-time host Scott Hanson confirms
One of the best catchphrases in sports will sound a little different in 2025. Long-time NFL RedZone host Scott Hanson typically welcomes fans into the program by stating, "Seven hours of commercial-free football start now."Hanson is going to have to make changes to that catchphrase now because — take a deep breath, football fans — commercials are coming to NFL RedZone in 2025. Hanson confirmed as much during an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Wednesday.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHanson said commercial breaks are coming to the show in 2025, but that the program would "not miss a touchdown."He added that the team would "pick and choose" when it was the right time to jump to a commercial break.NFL RedZone has experimented with commercials in the past, with Hanson even apologizing once after using the phrase "commercial-free football" to start a week in […]
Be the first to leave a comment