Florida State opens its 2025 season today against the Alabama Crimson Tide, the first-ever matchup inside a newly-renovated Doak Campbell Stadium.
The Seminoles will be looking to win its second game vs. the Tide, with the series record sitting at 1-3-1 in Alabama’s favor. The last time the two met was 2017, a 24-7 Florida State loss in Atlanta.
Ahead of the game, Florida State released its first uniform combination of the season — garnet jerseys with gold pants and gold helmets.
Per FSU Uniform Tracker, the Seminoles have worn 10 different uniform combinations under head coach Mike Norvell — all-garnet, all-white, white-garnet-white, garnet-black-garnet, gold-white-garnet, gold-black-garnet, gold-black-gold, gold-white-gold-traditional away, and traditional home.
According to FanDuel, the Seminoles are 13.5-point underdogs against the Tide, with the over/under set at 50.5.
Florida State Seminoles vs. Alabama Crimson Tide: How to watch
Date
- Saturday, August 30th
Time
- 3:30 p.m. Eastern
Watch/Stream
Listen
FSU Broadcast: CH. 161/193/SXM App
Spread
- -13.5, Alabama
Over/Under
- 50.5
Odds/lines are subject to change. T&Cs apply. For details, see https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/
FSU vs. Alabama: Game Notes
- Florida State will host No. 8 Alabama in the 2025 season opener on Saturday at 3:30 PM. The game will air on ABC.
- Florida State is 4-2 all-time in season openers against current SEC teams, including a 45-24 win over LSU to begin the 2023 season. Over the past 10 seasons, Florida State’s eight regular-season non-conference wins against the SEC are 2nd in the nation.
- Head coach Mike Norvell has five wins against the SEC since 2016, the 2nd-most non-conference wins against the conference in that span.
- Florida State welcomes 49 newcomers for the 2025 season – 25 true freshmen and 24 transfers.
- FSU’s 22 Division I transfers have accounted for 595 appearances and 293 starts, completed 56.0 percent of passes with 6,448 passing yards and 53 touchdowns, run for 3,228 yards with 36 rushing touchdowns, caught 303 passes for 3,939 yards and 21 receiving touchdowns, and notched 638 tackles, 75.5 tackles for loss, 39.0 sacks, 23 pass breakups, eight interceptions, nine forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.
- Florida State hired six new assistant coaches this offseason, including offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn and defensive coordinator Tony White. New position coaches are OL coach Herb Hand, passing game coordinator and WR coach Tim Harris Jr., DL coach Terrance Knighton and safeties coach Evan Cooper.
- Malzahn (head coach) and Hand (OL) were both at UCF from 2021-24 and produced a top-10 rushing offense and top-20 total offense each of their last three years together. UCF had the nation’s 3rd-highest cumulative rushing total from 2021-24 behind only Air Force and Army.
- Malzahn’s offenses are averaging 447.7 yards per game in his 19 seasons as an offensive coordinator or head coach.
- White has produced a top-25 defense each of the last four seasons at two different programs (Syracuse and Nebraska). In the last two seasons (24 games), his defense held opponents to 20 points or fewer 15 times.
- His 2024 defense was the first in the country since 2021 to not allow a rushing touchdown at home.
- At Tulsa in 2007 – the first year Mike Norvell, Malzahn and Hand were on the same coaching staff – they produced the only season in NCAA history with a 5,000-yard passer, three 1,000-yard receivers and a 1,000-yard rusher.
- Norvell has coached 114 all-conference players and 14 All-Americans, and he ranks 4th among active head coaches with four conference championship game appearances.
- Transfer quarterback Tommy Castellanos, who spent his freshman season at UCF under Malzahn, comes to Florida State after accounting for 4,921 yards of total offense in 21 games played during the 2023 and 2024 seasons at Boston College. He is one of five different players in the ACC this century to pass for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a season (2,248 & 1,113 in 2023).
Florida State Seminoles vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
Pre-Game Coverage from Tomahawk Nation
- TN Staff Predictions: Florida State Seminoles vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
- Line of Scrimmage: Previewing Alabama with Roll Bama Roll-After a long offseason, college football is finally upon us. All the anguish from last year, the transfer portal, high school recruiting, lack of spring games, and end zone painting has all led to this moment. Will it all be worth it?
- 4 bold predictions for FSU’s 2025 football season –Football season is here. Soon enough, we’ll have real, tangible results to argue about, instead of hypotheticals. Before we get there, I’m making my final guesses of how I see things playing out for the Seminoles this year.
- Taking stock of FSU: 3 strengths, 3 weakness, 3 question marks heading into Florida State vs. Alabama–it’s time to take stock of the Seminoles heading into Saturday.
- Drawing It Up: A Deeper Look at the 3-3-5’s Blitzes–The history of the zone blitz can show us the way
- Drawing It Up: Explaining the 3-3-5 defense and what it means for FSU–Florida State’s defense will look very different in 2025
- Drawing It Up: Breaking down the quadruple option–Can Castellanos make the right reads?
- Column: At long last, talking season is almost over — it’s time for FSU football-It’s always a joy when college football’s excruciatingly long offseason comes to an end.
- Column: Florida State’s gameday identity crisis has program at a crossroads–…the renovations have drawn heavy criticism from many…for reducing capacity and pricing out the average fan.
- What are realistic expectations for FSU in 2025?–Do the Noles have the pieces to be competitive in 2025?
- FSU’s revamped receiver room has the pieces for 2025 rebound-Across the 2025 Florida State roster, there’s a general feeling of needing to prove it on the field after how miserable the 2024 season went. But that may apply to no position group more than FSU’s wide receiver room.
- How To Watch: Florida State vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
- Depth Chart: FSU releases first depth chart of the 2025 season
- Injury Updates: FSU wide receiver Lawayne McCoy and defensive tackle Kevin Wynn out for Alabama game
- Media Monday: “What better way to kick it off than here at Doak Campbell Stadium?” Norvell talks depth chart, FSU vs. Alabama-In head coach Mike Norvell’s eyes, it’s a perfect way to start the year.
- 2025 FSU football guide: Position previews, schedule breakdown, team profiles, Vegas odds and more
- FSU names The Battle’s End as official NIL collective of Seminoles’ athletics, Jordan Travis joins as ambassador
- RECRUITING THREAD #3 is up– NoleThruandThru and Josh Pick keep you up to date on the LATEST FSU RECRUITING NEWS @ Tomahawk Nation’s hub for all things relating to Florida State football recruiting-FSU Football: OFFICIAL #Tribe26 Recruiting and Transfer Portal Thread #3
