Alabama vs Florida State Game Preview: Everything You Need To Know Before Kickoff
The Alabama Crimson Tide begins the 2017 season and its quest for a 17th national championship on Saturday night against the high-powered Florida State Seminoles.
This game is already being billed as the greatest opener of all-time, but will it live up to the hype? Let's take a look at everything you need to know about this week one game.
No. 1 Alabama (0-0) vs No. 3 Florida State (0-0)
When: Saturday, September 2 at 7:00 PM/CT
Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Weather: Mostly sunny with a high of 82 and temperatures dropping into the 70s at gametime, but the stadium will keep the retractable roof closed the entire game.
TV: ABC (Play-by-play: Chris Fowler, color analyst: Kirk Herbstreit, sideline reporter: Maria Taylor)
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (Play-by-play: Eli Gold, color analyst: Phil Savage, sideline reporter: Chris Stewart). Listen on 95.3 the Bear and Tide 102.9/100.9 in Tuscaloosa.
Spread: Alabama is a 7.5-point favorite over Florida State, according to Bovada. Alabama is 8-1 against the spread in its last nine season openers.
Series History: These two programs will meet for just the 5th time and only the second time since 1974. Alabama leads the series 2-1-1 but hasn't defeated the Seminoles outside of Tuscaloosa.
Last Meeting: These two programs met 10 years ago during Nick Saban's first season in Tuscaloosa, and Jimbo Fisher was the offensive coordinator at the time under Bobby Bowden. That game was played in Jacksonville and Alabama entered the game ranked 22nd after a 3-1 start to the season. After a scoreless first half, the Seminoles connected on a 7-yard touchdown pass to take a 7-0 lead into the fourth quarter. FSU would extend the lead to 14-0 before John Parker Wilson hit DJ Hall for a 7-yard touchdown to close the gap. Both teams would tack on another touchdown and Florida State walked out with the 21-14 victory.
Last Week: This is the first game of the season for both teams.