Alabama's 2025 season began in disastrous fashion when the eighth-ranked Crimson Tide lost 31-17 on the road to unranked Florida State.
Just over 12 months later, No. 10 Alabama has a chance to right that wrong when it faces the Seminoles in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Saturday afternoon.
Some may see it as a revenge game, which Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer understands but doesn't necessarily agree with.
"In our minds, this is the 2026 team," DeBoer said when asked if he sees this rematch that way. "It's the most important game of the season right now because it's the next one. But there are certainly guys who remember how it felt. So I want it to be about us and our improvement in this season, as far as what truly is inward on us."
The Crimson Tide (2-0) passed their first road test of 2026 last week. After trailing 17-13 at halftime of its Southeastern Conference opener at Kentucky, Alabama outscored the Wildcats 32-0 in the second half to turn a nail-biter into a runaway 45-17 win.
Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell turned the ball over three times in the first half (two interceptions, one strip sack) but settled in to complete 16 of 23 passes for 188 yards and a touchdown for the game.
He was again backed by a strong running game. Daniel Hill (104 yards, 1 TD) anchors a ground game that is averaging 191 yards per contest.
"He's earned every carry he's gotten. He's worked hard for it," DeBoer said of Hill, a third-year player who has stepped into a starting role. "I'm excited, I'm happy for his success, because he's worked and stayed the course."
The Seminoles (1-1) are in a similarly disjointed place compared to the last time they faced Alabama.
Entering last year's game, they were coming off a 2-10 campaign in 2024 and introducing two new coordinators. This year, Florida State fired athletic director Michael Alford on Monday, a week after the football team's near-upset of then-No. 19 SMU on Labor Day.
That Florida State loss, 27-24 on a final-minute, 20-yard field goal by SMU kicker Nick Reed, wasn't especially close on paper. The Seminoles were outgained 585-324 and only stayed competitive by holding a 4-1 edge in the turnover column.
Despite the questions about the team, which has lost 18 of its last 22 games against Power Four teams since the start of the 2024 season, and his tenuous future after Alford's firing, Florida State coach Mike Norvell said he remains confident in his team.
"(The loss to SMU) doesn't change my perspective on my belief for this football team. We just have to be better," Norvell said. "I think our guys have taken the right approach of that since (that game) finished. Now you build confidence through work."
Bruce Warwick, Florida State's senior associate athletic director, has been named interim AD while the school searches for a permanent successor for Alford.
On the field, questions remain about the Seminoles' defense and transfer quarterback Ashton Daniels, who has a 58.0 completion percentage, 327 passing yards, two TDs and one interception through two games.
The ground game has been a strength for Florida State. Ousmane Kromah has begun his sophomore season with the first two 100-yard games of his career, rushing for a combined 231 yards and two scores.
--Field Level Media