Alabama doesn’t need much extra motivation for Florida State. But after what happened a year ago, the reminder is already baked in.
Kalen DeBoer’s Crimson Tide head into their Week 3 meeting with the Seminoles knowing full well what can happen if they let a struggling opponent off the hook. Last season, Alabama went to Florida State in Week 1 ranked No. 8 in the country and left with a 31-17 loss that still hangs over this matchup. That result is why this trip feels different, even with Florida State in a rough place.
The Seminoles are dealing with a mess. Their athletic director has been fired, and head coach Mike Norvell is under pressure after going 8-18 over the last two seasons.
There was even a box truck recently spotted at Norvell’s house, which led to questions about whether he was on his way out in Tallahassee. He hasn’t been fired, but the situation is ugly.
Still, Alabama can’t treat this like a soft landing.
FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt expects the Tide to come out sharp and says the memory of last year’s loss should keep them from drifting.
“You might be thinking to yourself, like, well, couldn’t (Alabama) just have a little bit of a letdown? They win an SEC game … and now Florida State comes to town in a free fall.
Couldn’t they kind of sleepwalk? No, they lost to Florida State last year.
You don’t think they’re going to be motivated? I think they’re going to be motivated," Klatt said on a recent episode of his podcast (h/t On3).
Klatt is calling for Alabama to win 38-10, and that lines up with the market as well, since the Tide are listed as nearly a 20-point favorite, per the ESPN game odds.
There was some wobble for Alabama against Kentucky in Week 2, especially with the game on the road. The Tide trailed 17-16 in the third quarter before taking control and finishing with a 45-17 win. They closed by outscoring the Wildcats 29-0, and Klatt thinks that late surge carries over.
“I think that one’s an easy one for me," Klatt said of his prediction for a 38-10 Alabama win. "I think that again they unlock some things in that run game, so I like Bama.”
In Other News...
Kentucky Just Got A Harsh Week 3 Reality Check
Week 3s College GameDay panel gave Kentucky fans a snapshot of how unpredictable the early season can be, with ESPNs analysts and celebrity guest Morgan Freeman weighing in on a slate of big matchups around the country. The show leaned into the LSU at Ole Miss atmosphere, where the crowd was described as hostile, and the picks from Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Nick Saban and Pat McAfee showed plenty of disagreement across the board.
For Kentucky, the larger takeaway was less about any single prediction and more about the reality check built into a Saturday like this one. When the sports most visible voices split on so many games, it reinforces how thin the margins can be in September and how quickly expectations can shift. The Wildcats are watching a college football landscape that already feels unsettled, and that kind of week has a way of exposing who is ready to handle it. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Is Suddenly Chasing A Statement Win In Will Steins Debut
Will Steins debut was already carrying plenty of attention in Kentuckys SEC opener, but the Wildcats gave it an unexpected jolt by seizing control early against a top-10 opponent at Kyle Field. An unranked Kentucky team looked ready to make a loud first impression, turning a tough road assignment into a chance at something much bigger than a clean debut.
The momentum kept swinging Kentuckys way in the third quarter, when CJ Baxter helped stretch the lead and put Texas A&M on its heels. With the Wildcats suddenly in front 28-7, the question became whether Kentucky could turn that fast start into the kind of statement win that changes how the rest of the league sees it. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Has A Rare Chance To End One Painful Texas A&M Trend
Kentucky heads into Saturdays trip to Kyle Field with a chance to chip away at one of the stranger streaks in its football history. The Wildcats take on Texas A&M in College Station at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, with streaming options on ESPN+ and Fubo, and the matchup brings a long-running challenge back into view for a program still looking for a breakthrough in the series.
The last Kentucky win over Texas A&M came in 1952, a reminder of just how long this road has been. The teams have not played often, but their most recent meeting in 2018 ended with a Texas A&M overtime victory, leaving Kentucky with another reminder of how hard this matchup has been to crack. [Read more 🡒]