CHICK-FIL-A KICKOFF GAME
NO. 1 ALABAMA vs. NO. 3 FLORIDA STATE
8 p.m. - Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta - ABC & 97.3/99.3 FM
THE MATCHUP
Had this showdown been held at the end of last season, the obvious mismatch would have been Alabama's edge pressure against Florida State's pass protection, and it still may play a big role tonight. Seminoles quarterback Deondre Francois was sacked 36 times last season, when the Crimson Tide possessed the outside linebacker tandem of Ryan Anderson and Tim Williams, who combined for an eye-popping 35 tackles for loss but are now in the NFL. Christian Miller and Anfernee Jennings will be among the outside linebackers looking to bring pressure tonight for Alabama, while there is always the possibility of Rashaan Evans and Shaun Dion Hamilton wreaking havoc up the middle. Sacks are not as big of a stat to Tide coach Nick Saban as disrupting the quarterback, which his team did plenty of times last season while accumulating 11 defensive touchdowns. "I think we had a lot of playmakers on defense and a lot of guys who attacked the ball and could rush the passer on loose plays," Saban said this week, "and we also had a lot of guys with good ball skills in the secondary and at linebacker. It's kind of been a joint effort by a lot of players, and we emphasize the ball a lot. We do turnover drills every day at the start of practice, and our players have done a good job with that and have really bought in to it. It's something we're trying to emphasize again, but how well we do it remains to be seen."
Alabama offensive coordinator Brian Daboll and sophomore Jalen Hurts have spent much of the offseason working together to develop Hurts into a more complete quarterback.ONE TO WATCH
This could be a tie between Alabama sophomore quarterback Jalen Hurts and new Tide offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, because developing the passing game of the 2016 Southeastern Conference offensive player of the year has been a shared goal since Daboll was hired in February. Hurts threw for 2,780 yards and completed 62.8 percent of his passes last season to rank fifth in the league in efficiency, but he struggled after the regular season. Enhancing his aerial attack while maintaining his ability to run - Hurts rushed for 954 yards while averaging 5 per carry last season - is the desired objective in his sophomore year. "I think his ability to scramble is still a tremendous asset for him," Saban said. "I think he's learned how to use that a little bit better and be an effective passer. I think systematically we're better in that regard."
IN THE END
As good as Saban has been at the end of college football seasons, winning five of the past eight SEC championships and four of the past eight national titles, he has been even better at the start. Alabama is 10-0 in openers under Saban, winning by an average score of 41-12, and the Tide have won seven of those at neutral sites. This will be nowhere close to the 52-6 massacre Alabama applied to Southern California last Labor Day weekend, but the Seminoles will have to be better defensively than they were last season, when they allowed 30 or more points six times. Derwin James is back from injury to headline Florida State's secondary, but the thought here is Alabama simply will be too prepared and locked in to lose, even with the multitude of new starters due to the Crimson Tide having 10 selections in the 2017 NFL draft.
PREDICTION: Alabama 33, Florida State 20