Alabama is off to a 2-0 start with wins over East Carolina and a road SEC win over Kentucky. Now, we move on to the game that players, coaches, and fans have had circled on the calendar all offseason long.
A wounded Florida State team comes to Tuscaloosa this weekend with Alabama looking to avenge last season's humiliating loss in Tallahassee. Mike Norvell is on the hottest of hot seats entering this matchup, and Kalen DeBoer has the opportunity to drive the final nail into the coffin of his tenure.
Even with Florida State having extra time to prepare with a Week 2 bye week, it's clear that oddsmakers aren't expecting the Seminoles to put up much of a fight this weekend in Tuscaloosa.
As of Monday morning, the line on FanDuel shows the Crimson Tide as a 20.5-point favorite at Bryant-Denny.
Alabama is a massive home favorite over Florida State this weekend
The 'Noles are quarterbacked by a player Alabama knows well in Auburn transfer Ashton Daniels. Kane Wommack's defense, fresh off a dominant effort in Lexington, will know how to make things difficult for him.
Florida State comes into the matchup at 1-1. They had an uninspiring 17-point home win in Week 1 over New Mexico State and then lost to SMU at home in Week 2. The loss to SMU isn't bad on paper, but the 'Noles finding a way to lose a game in which they were +3 in the turnover margin is just another frustrating development for a program that hasn't been able to get out of its own way.
Last season, when Florida State upset Alabama in Tallahassee, it looked like Norvell had righted the ship and the 2024 season was just a blip on the radar. Instead, it didn't take long for things to fall apart from there, and the Seminoles finished the season just 5-7. The two programs have been on divergent paths since that opener, with Alabama rebounding and making the SEC Championship Game and College Football Playoff last season.
This could be a "get right" game for Tide sophomore QB Keelon Russell. He struggled in his first road start, at least in the first half, and needs to continue building confidence. A leaky Florida State secondary might be just what the doctor ordered for him and his receivers.
Alabama knows better than to overlook Florida State after what happened last year. They may not be particularly well-coached, but this is still a talented team on the other sideline. With last season's embarrassing loss fresh on the players' minds this week, Alabama should come out hungry and motivated to right that wrong.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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