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Paul Finebaum blasts FSU ahead of Alabama football season opener

Finebaum doesn't think the Seminoles have a chance against the Crimson Tide

Tommy Mire

Oct 5, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; SEC Nation analyst Paul Finebaum looks on prior to the game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Missouri Tigers at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images.
Oct 5, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; SEC Nation analyst Paul Finebaum looks on prior to the game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Missouri Tigers at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images. / Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images
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There are a little under six weeks remaining until the Alabama Crimson Tide travel to Tallahassee, Florida, to kick off the first game of a home-and-home series against the Florida State Seminoles on August 30.

While the 3:30 p.m. kickoff time may not suggest the preseason hype surrounding the game for both teams, the Alabama vs. Florida State matchup has certainly garnered a lot of attention from ESPN's Paul Finebaum.

Finebaum recently appeared on ESPN's First Take, and when mentioning Alabama's season opener, he doesn't believe that the Seminoles will win, or even be competitive, for that matter.

"Kalen DeBoer doesn’t have a monster game at the beginning... I don’t think Florida State will even be competitive in that opening game," Finebaum said. "This is not the Florida State of five or six years ago, or even of Mike Norvell. So I think the expectations are lower.”

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Finebaum called Castellanos' overconfidence embarrassing, and the belief that Florida State has fallen off in the analyst's eyes is ever rampant.

There was a recent uproar regarding Florida State quarterback Thomas Castellanos' comments about the upcoming game, saying, "They don’t have Nick Saban to save them. I just don’t see them stopping me."

"Hope people don’t think that Florida State is going to be the same team it was last year because we have weapons. People can’t just sit back in zone coverage and watch me."

One thing is for certain: both teams are stepping into Doak Campbell Stadium with something to prove. For Alabama, it's life after Nick Saban in the Kalen DeBoer era, for Florida State, it's to prove everyone wrong and that last season was just a fluke.

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Tommy Mire
TOMMY MIRE

Tommy Mire joined NoleGameday in 2023 as a writer and editor. He initially worked as lead voice at SBNation's Tomahawk Nation and contributes to football, NFL and recruiting coverage. Connect with Tommy on Twitter at @TommyM3III

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