Florida State quarterback Thomas Castellanos was right this summer when he told the world that Alabama does not have Nick Saban coming to save them.
The Seminoles went on to upset Alabama in Week 1, 31-14, as a +13.5 underdog.
Last season was Alabama’s first without Saban on the sideline since 2007. The Crimson Tide finished as the No. 17 team in the nation, missing the College Football Playoff’s new, expanded 12-team format.
Florida State’s upset of Alabama in college football’s true opening weekend proved that Crimson Tide football is a byproduct of whoever is coaching them.
Early in the Kalen DeBoer era, it seemed like Alabama had something in his pairing with Jalen Milroe. They flexed their muscles against bad teams but suffered losses to Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Oklahoma, only to get smoked by Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
Despite the disappointment of last season, the Crimson Tide entered 2025 ranked No. 8 in the nation. After being upset by an unranked Florida State team — who were flat-out awful last year — college football fans can expect a major dip in the rankings.
Some impatient Alabama fans will hate to hear that DeBoer has a $70 million buyout, meaning he likely isn’t getting fired. The Tide’s only way through this rut is, well, through it.
They’ll likely get right next week against Louisiana-Monroe. After that, they host unranked Wisconsin. No. 5 Georgia will be their toughest test of the season in the last weekend of September.
The expanded College Football Playoff means that Week 1’s upset doesn’t kill Alabama’s season — but it’s already on life support. They have to win one of their difficult matchups against either Georgia or LSU. Saturday’s flop in Florida gave little reason to be optimistic about those games.
Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson was completely outmatched by Castellanos, whose benching at Boston College last season didn’t stop him from talking a ton of smack leading up to this matchup. Castellanos was a reclamation project for Mike Norvell. Thus far? He’s looking better than what Florida State got out of DJ Uiagalelei last season.
Saban seems happy hosting College GameDay, especially after how unceremonious his exit from Alabama felt. He vocally hated the direction college football was heading in because of name, image and likeness becoming a predominant part of the sport. In his final seasons, Alabama just didn’t have the aura they used to. Despite that, they still won the SEC Championship and lost to eventual national champion Michigan in the Rose Bowl.
Alabama’s recent struggles remind you just how great of a coach Saban was, and make you wonder if he still has some magic in the tank.
Colin Cowherd reported he would have interest in coaching a young, blue-chip quarterback in the NFL if the opportunity presented itself.
Maybe NFL owners should keep that in the back of their minds. Especially if Alabama continues to struggle, it only proves how great Saban really was.
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