Florida State has a road game against No. 10 Alabama in Week 3. It's been a shaky couple of days in Tallahassee, as the Seminoles fell to SMU last week and then fired athletic director Michael Alford after four years.
The pressure continued to mount around Mike Norvell, and Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer seems like he will have his guys ready to roll against the Seminoles. He was asked if the Crimson Tide are going into the contest with revenge on their minds. While he didn't flat-out say yes, you can see that Alabama didn't forget what happened last year.
"In our minds, this is the 2026 team... But I know there’s a lot of guys, including our staff, that certainly know what it felt like last year walking off that football field,” DeBoer said.
DeBoer is focusing on the fact that it's a new season, but you can tell he wants to come out with a win, and he's making it an emphasis for his players.
Kalen DeBoer isn't letting FSU's upset last year linger ahead of rematch
Last year, to open the season, Florida State upset No. 8 Alabama 31-17. In that win, the Seminoles were able to run the ball at will to the tune of 230 yards and four rushing touchdowns. Losing in that fashion can never feel good because when a team runs that successfully, they were the bigger, stronger, and more physical team.
When the Crimson Tide watched the film back from that one, that's how they had to walk away from it. Now, one year later, you can bet the coaches and players from last year who are still around want to get some revenge for that loss.
It'll be a harder contest for Florida State, especially since they are on the road this time. In addition to that, the Seminoles are coming off a 27-24 loss to SMU, where they had serious problems that need to be addressed.
They couldn't make any stops, as SMU finished with a whopping 585 total yards of offense. They were able to do so in both phases, as they logged 430 passing yards and 155 rushing yards. Despite SMU committing four turnovers, Florida State couldn't take advantage.
While that's in the rearview mirror, those flaws were evident on tape, and you can expect Alabama to look to exploit some of them. Add in that the Tide were embarrassed by Florida State in 2025, and they will be juiced up for the contest.
Alabama is going into this game ranked No. 10 in the country, and they know that if they want to make a serious push for the College Football Playoffs, they need to take care of business. Based on DeBoer's comments during that presser, he's locked in and will make sure his guys are as well.
Those players saw and heard what was said over the past year. When these teams last played, Florida State got the best of them, so they have the bragging rights. With those up for grabs, both teams will need to bring their best foot forward to secure the win.
The Seminoles haven't looked great to start the year, so a win here would go a long way in terms of momentum and protecting Norvell's job. If they fail to do so, the pressure around Norvell and his team will only rise, which isn't what they need right now.
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