Florida State walks into Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday with last season’s result still fresh and a tough number next to Alabama’s name: No. 10.
The Seminoles and Crimson Tide meet at 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 19, 2026, in Tuscaloosa, with FSU sitting at 1-1 overall and 0-1 in Atlantic Coast Conference play after a loss to then-No. 19 SMU on Monday, Sept. 7 and a bye last weekend. Alabama is 2-0 and 1-0 in Southeastern Conference play after a 45-17 win at Kentucky last Saturday.
ABC will carry the game, with Sean McDonough on play-by-play, Greg McElroy as analyst and Katie George on the sideline. The matchup is also set to air on the Seminole Sports Network, with audio available on SiriusXM Radio Channel 269.
Mike Norvell leads Florida State into the game at 39-35 in seven seasons with the Seminoles and 77-50 in 11 seasons overall as a head coach. His track record against SEC opponents has been a major talking point: he has five regular-season non-conference wins over SEC teams at FSU, the most by any coach over the SEC since 2020, and his six wins against SEC teams since becoming a head coach in 2016 are the second-highest non-conference total in that span.
On the other sideline, Kalen DeBoer is 22-8 in three seasons at Alabama and 126-20 in 12 seasons as a head coach.
These teams already met last season, when Florida State beat then-No. 8 Alabama 31-17 in Tallahassee.
Saturday gives the Crimson Tide a chance to answer, and history says Alabama usually does that when it gets the chance. Since 2007, the Tide have lost 37 games total, and this is the 31st time in that stretch they’ve had an opportunity to avenge a prior defeat.
They’re 26-4 in the previous 30 such spots.
The series itself has been tight in the long view. Florida State is 2-3-1 all-time against Alabama, and Saturday marks the first consecutive-season meeting in the series. It’s also FSU’s first trip to Alabama since the 1974 season, with the Seminoles 0-2 at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
One more Alabama number stands out entering the game: the Crimson Tide have won 89 straight home games against unranked opponents. Their last loss at Bryant-Denny Stadium to an unranked team came on Nov. 17, 2007, a 21-14 defeat to ULM.
In Other News...
Mike Norvell's Future Suddenly Carries A Price FSU Fans Will Hate
Mike Norvells tenure at Florida State has reached a stage where every result feels heavier, and the financial reality around his job only makes it more complicated. He is in his seventh season in Tallahassee with a 39-35 record, and after signing an eight-year extension in 2024 that runs through 2031 and pays roughly $10 million to $11 million annually, the Seminoles are now dealing with the fallout of a much different kind of pressure than the one that came with that deal.
Florida State also recently fired athletic director Michael Alford, the administrator who signed Norvells extension, which has only added to the uncertainty around the programs direction. Add in the buzz generated by a viral photo of a moving truck at Norvells home, and the speculation has only grown louder, especially with the upcoming game against Alabama looming and a potential buyout of about $48 million hanging over any sudden change. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama's Mike Norvell Near-Miss Looks Even Bigger Now
When Nick Saban retired in January 2024, Mike Norvell quickly emerged as one of Alabamas top targets, and the fit seemed real enough that talks reportedly got into advanced territory with the Crimson Tides athletic director. Instead, Norvell stayed at Florida State after landing a contract extension, a decision that looked like a major hold-the-fort moment for the Seminoles at the time. It was the kind of coaching crossroads that can shape a program for years, especially when a rival national power comes calling.
Since then, though, Florida States on-field slide has made that near-miss feel a lot larger in hindsight. The firing of the athletic director has only added another layer of uncertainty around the program, and it has inevitably renewed questions about Norvells long-term future in Tallahassee. What once looked like a big escape from a possible change now feels more like the start of a stretch Florida State still has not fully figured out. [Read more 🡒]
FSUs Comeback Just Took A Brutal Turn In The Backfield
Florida States comeback effort against Alabama took a worrying turn in the backfield when Samuel Singleton Jr. went down after a 65-yard catch and was later seen leaving the field on crutches. Before the injury, Singleton had already been an important part of the Seminoles offense, helping provide some much-needed explosiveness as the game wore on.
The immediate concern now is his knee and what it could mean for Florida State moving forward, since the team has not yet offered an official update. If Singleton is forced to miss time, the Seminoles will have to turn to other running backs to absorb the workload and keep the ground game moving. [Read more 🡒]