Week 5: Alabama vs. Florida State

Alabama (3-1, 2-1) vs. Florida State (2-1, 0-1) in Jacksonville
Game Time: Saturday, September 29 at 5 p.m. ET

Bobby Bowden will finally coach his first game against Alabama, the school he idolized while growing up in Birmingham. The legendary coach almost made the move to Alabama following the 1986 season, but — depending on who you believe — was not interested enough or was never officially offered the job. So he remained at Florida State and built the Seminoles into one of the nation’s finest programs.

That program, however, has slipped in recent years. The Seminoles have averaged 4.3 losses over the past six seasons and slumped to 7–6 overall and 3–5 in the ACC last fall. So far this season, FSU isn’t showing many signs that a return to dominance is imminent. The Seminoles are 2–1 with a loss at Clemson and wins over UAB and Colorado. The offense, which was supposed to be jumpstarted by new coordinator Jimbo Fisher, continues to struggle. FSU ranks 89^th in the nation in total offense with 332.3 yards per game. Drew Weatherford, who continues to hold onto the starting quarterback position, has been inconsistent. In two games against BCS competition, the junior has completed 25-of-52 for 268 yards and only one touchdown.

FSU’s defensive stats are solid — 23^rd in the nation in total defense — but Clemson is the only above-average offensive team the Noles have faced. This defense will receive a stiff challenge from a pretty solid Alabama offense that can hurt you in the passing game (usually) and the running game. Quarterback John Parker Wilson hasn’t been at the top of his game, but he is a proven commodity who has some solid receivers at his disposal.

Alabama will be coming off a loss for the first time this season. The Tide worked some fourth quarter magic once again against Georgia, scoring the final 10 points of regulation to force overtime. But Sabanation was let down in overtime, when Georgia scored on its first play from scrimmage to post the 26–23 win.

First-year coach Nick Saban applauded his team’s ability to come back, but he’d rather see the Tide play with the lead rather than have to come back from a deficit each week.

“There was tremendous resiliency in the game relative to the fight that we showed against a good team,” he said. “So that’s a real positive thing. But you like to do it for 60 minutes. You like to be ready to do it in the beginning.”

The Tide will have an opportunity to “do it in the beginning” against a slow-starting Florida State team. In the opener, the Noles trailed Clemson 21–0 early in the second quarter; the next week, they fell behind UAB 17–3 in the second quarter.

While this game is being played in Jacksonville, don’t expect a home game for Florida State. The tickets were split 50/50, and Rick Catlett, president of the Gator Bowl Association, told the Birmingham News that he expects more than 85,000 fans, including “the largest contingent of out-of-town fans coming to a game in Jacksonville history.”

That’s good news for the Tide.

Alabama by 8