TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Week 1 of the 2025 college football season saw several teams make a statement, but none more emphatically than the unranked Florida State Seminoles, who shocked No. 8 Alabama with a 31-17 victory. The loss is a significant blow to Alabama’s College Football Playoff aspirations and marks the end of their 23-game winning streak in season openers, according to a report from The Associated Press.
The game began with the Crimson Tide looking to be in control, scoring on a long, time-consuming opening drive. However, as noted by CBS Sports, Alabama’s offense struggled to sustain drives for the remainder of the game and finished with just 87 rushing yards on 29 carries. The Seminoles’ defense, led by their effective pass rush, held Alabama to just 6 of 17 on third-down conversions and made three critical fourth-down stops.
According to Sports Illustrated, the loss is particularly significant for second-year head coach Kalen DeBoer, who has now lost five games at Alabama. The Crimson Tide’s struggles included quarterback Ty Simpson, who completed 23 of 43 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns but couldn’t rally the team against a stout Florida State defense. Conversely, Florida State’s quarterback Tommy Castellanos delivered a strong performance, guiding a punishing rushing attack that confused the Alabama defense.
While Alabama is being widely labeled a “loser” for its performance, other teams are being celebrated as “winners” from the opening weekend. According to CBS Sports, the LSU Tigers are also considered a winner after their defense dominated No. 4 Clemson in a 17-10 victory, a performance that some analysts believe could make LSU a national title contender. The Ohio State Buckeyes’ defense also received praise after holding No. 1 Texas to just seven points in a 14-7 win. The result, and the struggles of Texas’s quarterback Arch Manning, have led to discussions about the hype surrounding the Longhorns.
The Week 1 results have already led to a reshuffling of the national rankings and a new set of questions for some of the sport’s biggest programs as they head into the next week of games.