FSU football had the worst season in most of our lifetimes in 2024. It was so bad Mike Norvell fired multiple coaches, made some good hires, finished the Early Signing Period strong, and met most of their needs in the transfer portal and FSU fans are still in wait-and-see mode before believing anything about the team.
The Noles will host the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2025 season opener, and oddsmakers don't have much faith in the Noles. FanDuel has the Noles as +11.5 betting underdogs. However, that line is subject to change the closer we get to the game, so it doesn't mean much.
Alabama wasn't the same under new coach Kalen Deboer as they were under Nick Saban. FSU was terrible for several reasons, but Alabama had some bad losses last year, considering the amount of talent on the roster.
Alabama's defense will be the strength of its team again, returning several starters. However, the offense will have a new offensive coordinator, quarterback, and questions on the offensive line.
FSU's offensive coordinator routinely has top 30 offenses and their defensive coordinator has had top 20 defenses in back-to-back seasons with less talent in Nebraska.
It would be a massive mistake to suggest FSU will look anything like last year. Alabama will likely look more like a pro-style offense with fewer quarterback runs, with Jalen Milroe gone. FSU defensive coordinator Tony White is historically great against the run.
His defenses can be tricky to play against, which could pose issues for an inexperienced quarterback on the road. Can the FSU offense avoid turnovers and score enough points? The over/under point total is 51.5, which suggests a 31-20 win for the Crimson Tide.
I might expect a lower-scoring game, as both teams will look to run the ball. The betting limits on these odds are small, so they don't mean much in the grand scheme. These rosters will change and mature as they get more practice reps between now and August.
I'll be curious what the numbers look like in July and in the weeks leading up to the week of the game. We'll revisit it for sure.