Alabama’s focus this week is on Kentucky, but the Florida State result against SMU already gave Crimson Tide fans something to chew on ahead of that Week 3 matchup.
SMU walked into Tallahassee ranked and left with a 27-24 win, and the game said plenty about Florida State beyond the final score. The Mustangs have a quarterback capable of creating explosive plays, but they also made enough mistakes to lose two games. Florida State still found a way to lose anyway, which only reinforced how rough things look in Tallahassee.
That matters to Alabama for more than one reason. Mike Norvell’s name has been tied to the Crimson Tide before, and that conversation has only gotten more interesting in hindsight.
Norvell opened his Florida State tenure with an 8-13 record across the 2020 and 2021 seasons, then followed that with a 23-4 stretch over the next two years. Since then, though, things have cratered.
Florida State went 2-10 in 2024 and 5-7 last season.
Norvell beat Alabama and Kalen DeBoer last season, but whatever lift that upset gave him is long gone now. After Nick Saban’s retirement, multiple sources reported that Greg Byrne had interest in Norvell.
Alabama insiders familiar with the situation say Norvell was not Byrne’s first choice, but if DeBoer’s interview in Seattle had not gone well, Norvell could have been the next call. Looking at Florida State now, Alabama fans can only think, “Perish the thought”.
The pressure around Norvell is no longer subtle. He has what looks like the hottest seat in college football, and there’s a real sense he may not even make it to November.
The home crowd let Florida State hear it during the SMU game, and the boos were clearly aimed at Norvell. By the end, fans were chanting “Fire Norvell”.
The on-field issues were just as ugly. From Tomahawk Nation, the quarterback situation was described this way: “Ashton Daniels was not remotely a passing threat at quarterback, nor did Norvell exactly display much confidence in the QB with his game plan largely committed to the ground game.”
The defense didn’t hold up either. As Tomahawk Nation put it, “The defense was a disaster on third down, time and time again leaving wide-open receivers”
The site also noted that the loss could help speed up the timeline for Norvell’s firing.
The numbers back up the mess. SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings threw for 430 yards, and the Mustangs piled up 585 yards of offense.
Florida State didn’t even get its first third-down conversion until 11:15 remained in the fourth quarter, on its 11th attempt. The Seminoles finished just 2-for-11 on third down.
That’s why the Alabama conversation has shifted. During the offseason, I leaned toward Florida State being a bigger threat to Alabama than Kentucky.
Not anymore. Florida State can’t win in Tuscaloosa.
In Other News...
LSUs SEC Fight Could Shift The Balance Alabama Lives With
The SECs legal fight with LSU has taken another turn, and it is the kind of conference business that rarely stays contained to one school. The league has amended its federal court lawsuit and is preparing to meet about possible punishment tied to LSUs institutional control and the football program, a dispute that puts the conferences authority and its willingness to enforce it back in the spotlight.
For Alabama, any league-wide shakeup involving LSU matters because it can alter the balance of a conference the Crimson Tide lives in every week. The SEC has also alleged that LSUs executive officers do not have meaningful control over coach Lane Kiffin and the football program, and the most extreme option on the table would require a two-thirds vote to terminate LSUs membership. Whether it gets anywhere near that point is still the unresolved part, but the fact it is being discussed says plenty about how serious the conflict has become. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Faces An Early SEC Test It Can't Afford To Sleepwalk Through
Alabama got through its Week 1 tune-up against East Carolina, but the rhythm of the season changes fast now that SEC play arrives. The Crimson Tides first conference test comes against Kentucky, a team that brings a different look than the usual early-September opponent and one that has already spent the offseason reshaping itself on the sideline and at quarterback.
Will Stein is in place as the Wildcats new head coach, and Kentucky also added a transfer quarterback who was impressive in the opener. That combination is enough to make this more than a routine league game for Alabama, which cannot afford to treat it like a soft landing after the nonconference schedule. The Tide will need to be sharp from the start if they want to avoid turning an early SEC roadblock into something bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Just Sent A Confusing Early Message In The Polls
The first full college football polls of the regular season offered an early read on where the sports powers stand, and Alabama got a mixed one. Ohio State stayed No. 1 in both the AP and Coaches polls, LSU surged to No. 8 after a convincing win over Clemson, and Michigans split showing in the rankings underscored how quickly the first month can reshape a rsum.
For Alabama, the picture was less clean. The Crimson Tide climbed to No. 12 in the AP poll after handling East Carolina, but the Coaches poll told a different story by placing them one spot lower. It is still early, of course, but the discrepancy is the kind of small signal that tends to matter in September, especially for a program used to being evaluated with very little margin for error. [Read more 🡒]