After extensive discussion and even more speculation, it became official Friday night: Florida State and Alabama will open the 2017 season against one another at the stadium that will be the new home to the Atlanta Falcons.
The contest will be the first regular season match-up between the teams since FSU defeated the Crimson Tide 21-14 in 2007, which was Nick Saban’s first year at Alabama and Jimbo Fisher’s first at Florida State. Fisher at the time, was the school’s offensive coordinator under Bobby Bowden. He would become the team’s head coach following the 2009 season after the legendary Bowden retired.
It’s well known that Saban and Fisher worked together at LSU from 2000-04, winning a pair of SEC titles and the BCS national championship at the end of the 2003 season.
Over the last two seasons, many expected to see the Seminoles and Crimson Tide square off in a contest for all the marbles. Alabama and FSU entered the final week of the 2013 regular season ranked first and second, but the Crimson Tide fell to Auburn 34-28 on a missed field goal that was returned for a touchdown with no time remaining. The Seminoles would overcome a 21-3 deficit to top Auburn 34-31 for the national championship a little over a month later.
Last season, FSU and Alabama were each a win away from the national championship. The schools made up half the field in the first ever College Football Playoff, but were defeated by Oregon and Ohio State respectively.
Since 2008, Alabama has been the class of college football, winning three national championships while finishing in the top 10 in the final AP Poll every year. Over the last three years however, that title has belonged to Florida State, who has gone 39-3 with three ACC crowns, two major bowl victories and the aforementioned 2013 national championship.
Even with the recent national success of each program, the schools still seem to carry misconceived stigmas regarding the teams that show up on the schedule.
Alabama is sometimes regarded as a team that doesn’t make an effort to play quality non-conference competition despite scheduled meetings with Clemson, Michigan, FSU, Penn State and Virginia Tech since 2007.
The notion regarding FSU is that the Seminoles largely benefit from playing in a weak ACC despite a 6-1 record versus the SEC under Jimbo Fisher and an 11-2 record against ranked opponents over the last three years.
It’s not clear whether the 2017 opener will remove those stigmas or whether Alabama and FSU can remain national powers into 2017, but for now, a very intriguing match-up is in the works. Regardless of whether one rolls with the Tide, chops with the ‘Noles or just enjoys quality college football, the scheduled contest in Atlanta is something to be excited about.
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