Florida State pulls off upset, takes down No. 8 Alabama

For the second time in Week 1, a top-10 ranked team has fallen. This one is a bit more surprising, though, as Florida State upset No. 8 Alabama on Saturday, 31-17. Once the Seminoles knew they needed all offseason, head coach Mike Norvell delivered in the biggest way.

You can add quarterback Tommy Castellanos to the list of people who delivered. Castellanos produced headline after headline talking about Alabama after transferring in from Boston College. His words turned into a great performance, both through the air and on the ground.

In 14 pass attempts, Castellanos completed nine for 152 yards. But it’s the run game that led Florida State to victory. Their quarterback led the way with 68 yards and one touchdowns. Four different Seminoles got into the end zone for a rushing score, totaling 230 yards. As usual against Alabama, a Gus Malzahn special.

Florida State was great defensively as well. Alabama struggled to run the ball all night and forced Ty Simpson into a tough situation. Simpson did not deliver, falling short in multiple big-time occasions. Great early returns on new defensive coordinator Tony White, who is in his first season after coming over via the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

“It’s incredible,” Norvell said postgame with ESPN’s Katie George. “All glory to God. Just so blessed to have the opportunity to coach these great players, to be at this wonderful institution. It’s truly special. Newly renovated Doak Campbell Stadium, all the investment, all the great support, all the great former players that are here with us tonight. This is for them. Just greateful the good Lord is with us tonight and I’m proud of how our guys prepared and they showed who they are tonight.”

Last season was a tough one for Florida State, finishing with a 2-10 record. One year prior, the program was heartbroken after being left out of the College Football Playoff in favor of Alabama. The Seminoles have taken a ton of lumps since then but maybe exorcised some demons on Saturday.

Tallahassee is going to be rocking for quite a while now, celebrating a ranked win for the first time since the 2023 ACC Championship game. Eventually, Norvell will have to turn the page inside the locker room, even if Texas A&M-Commerce is next on the schedule. They will be hoping this springboards into ACC play and hopefully starts the conversation of finally getting into the CFP.