Florida State heads into Saturday’s trip to Tuscaloosa with the betting market expecting the Seminoles to keep sliding. The opener against Alabama has FSU listed as a hefty underdog, and the numbers reflect how different these two starts have been.
Alabama is 2-0 and coming off a second-half surge at Kentucky that turned a tight game into a 45-17 win. The No. 12 Crimson Tide showed real bite on defense in Lexington, forcing three turnovers, including a pick-six, and holding the Wildcats to 1/14 on third down.
That’s not exactly the kind of stat line Florida State wants to see after its own early struggles on money downs.
FanDuel opened the Seminoles at +18.5, with the Over/Under set at 50.5. Alabama is a -1400 favorite on the MoneyLine, while Florida State sits at +800. The Seminoles are also 0-2 against the spread this season.
The matchup brings back a familiar flashpoint from a year ago, when Florida State shocked Alabama in the 2025 opener with a 31-17 win. In that game, the Seminoles controlled the ground game and outgained the Crimson Tide rushing 230-87.
This time, Alabama enters with a very different look, including sophomore quarterback Keelon Russell. Through eight quarters, Russell has completed 29 of 45 passes for 399 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. He has also run 21 times for 77 yards and a score, while taking five sacks.
For Florida State, the bigger concern may be the road drought that keeps stretching on. The Seminoles have not won away from Doak Campbell Stadium since November 25, 2023 - 1,023 days ago. In that span, FSU is 0-11 on the road overall and 0-9 in true road games, with six of those defeats coming by double digits.
Florida State and Alabama are set to kick off at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 19, with ABC carrying the game.
In Other News...
Mike Norvell's Future Suddenly Hangs On Florida State's Next Stretch
Mike Norvells footing at Florida State has become one of the defining storylines of the season, and the next stretch of games will go a long way toward determining how the program handles it. The Seminoles are still sorting through a disappointing run of results, and the path forward now seems tied to whether the team can show enough progress to stay on track for a bowl berth and give the season some stability.
If the losses keep piling up, the questions around Norvells status only get louder, with the possibility of a midseason move lingering in the background. Even if Florida State waits until after the season, a decision would still come with financial consequences and shape how the program approaches its next coaching search, which is why the coming weeks carry so much weight beyond the standings. [Read more 🡒]