FSU Football: Could Opener vs. Alabama Be Moved From New Atlanta Stadium?
By Jason Parker
FSU football is scheduled to start the 2017 season inside Atlanta’s new Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but that could be in jeopardy thanks to construction delays.
In just over four months, FSU football is scheduled to take the field inside a brand new, $1.5 billion stadium in Atlanta, Georgia against the Alabama Crimson Tide. However, recent construction delays have some wondering if that game will take place inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium after all.
According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, officials are moving back the opening of the stadium and getting dangerously close to the September 2nd scheduled date when the Seminoles are supposed to kick things off:
"Steve Cannon, CEO of Atlanta Falcons parent company AMB Group, said Tuesday that the opening will be pushed back from July 30…to Aug. 26, when a Falcons pre-season game is scheduled to be played there.The $1.5 billion retractable-roof stadium was originally scheduled to open on March 1. That was pushed back to June 1 and then pushed back again to July 30."
Florida State Seminoles Football
Along with that, Cannon said that the scheduled demolition of the Georgia Dome – located right next door to the new stadium after being cast away at the old age (in stadium terms, apparently) of 25 – will not take place as an “insurance policy” in case the new stadium doesn’t get final approval in time for FSU football taking on Alabama.
In all likelihood, the Seminoles and Crimson Tide will kick things off inside the new, state of the art stadium with a retractable roof – which is the reason for the delay – during a nationally televised game that could be the top two ranked teams playing each other. Still, there does have to be plenty of concern when the stadium is being delayed not just a few weeks from its originally opening – but almost six months!
If for some reason the game does have to be moved to the Georgia Dome due to the new stadium not being ready in time, it would be the third game ever for FSU football under the roof. The Seminoles played for the first time their to end the 2010 season with a bowl win over South Carolina, while suffering a loss to end 2015 against Houston.