FSU Football: Is Opener Against Alabama Being Overhyped?

FSU football is already hearing the hype about their 2017 opener against Alabama – but is it possible the game is being overhyped by everyone?

Just one week ago on this very website, one member of the Chop Chat staff – who shall remain nameless at this time – wrote about FSU football could be a part of the greatest opening game in college football history when they open the 2017 season against the Alabama Crimson Tide in Atlanta on September 2nd.

Okay, it was me. You can read it write here.

It’s no secret that column like that are written, as almost every single expert or columnists has written virtually the same thing about a game that could be the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 game in the first weekend of the season EVER. Add that to the fact that both teams are among the two best this decade in the sport and you have a game that not just fans of the Seminoles and Crimson Tide will be watching.

But are we making too much of the game?

The reality is that in the current state of college football, a loss in the opener isn’t the end of the world. Since the College Football Playoff system started during the 2014 season, each eventual champion had a regular season loss. While both Ohio State and Alabama got theirs out of the way within the first month of the schedule, Clemson got into the playoff last year even with a November 12th loss to Pittsburgh.

The sad reality, which I have written about before and been critical when speaking of it, is that the current playoff system seems to value a “quality loss” more than a team winning all of its games. Either Alabama or FSU football might, in a sick and twisted way, benefit even in a loss as long as the other team stays one of the top teams in the sport.

Florida State Seminoles Football

Florida State would also be well served to not put all their eggs in this one basket based on what took place last year. After a convincing win over a projected SEC West Power (Ole Miss), the Seminoles lost two of their next four games and effectively said adios to the playoff system. With Miami looming two games later and other games against Louisville, Clemson and Florida, the opener with Alabama may not be as life or death as we’ve all been led to believe.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m not back tracking from what was written last week and all of a sudden acting like FSU football is playing Wake Forest or Louisiana-Monroe in the opener. This is Florida State-Alabama…these are the schools that have combined to win four of the last six national titles. These are the schools that have consistently bought the top five recruiting classes in for much of the past decade.

This is Jimbo Fisher taking on his former boss, Nick Saban. This is arguably the ACC’s best team in 2017 taking on the best from the SEC this year. This could also be the first of two games this year featuring these two teams in Atlanta – with a rematch in the national title game come January in Atlanta not out of the realm of possibilities.

It just might be time to pump the breaks for a moment – at least with just under four months to go until the game actually kicks off. The buildup with this much time to go is putting this game on track to be a letdown to some if it doesn’t turn out to be a four overtime thriller. But if the winner of the game, whether it be FSU or Alabama, finishes the year 7-5 – well, it will go down as the most overhyped game of all time.