Alabama and Florida State to Play in Atlanta in 2017
They've been two of the best programs over the past five years and are responsible for four of the last six national championships. And now they will meet for the first time since 2007.
First reported by Tom D'Angelo of the Palm Beach Post, the Alabama Crimson Tide will take on the Florida State Seminoles in Atlanta, GA to kick off the 2017 college football season. The last time these two powers met in the regular season, the Bobby Bowden-coached Seminoles defeated the Tide 21-14 in Jacksonville, FL during Saban's first year in Tuscaloosa. Adding intrigue to the game is the fact that FSU's current coach Jimbo Fisher was Saban's offensive coordinator at LSU.
While there has been some dismay about neutral-site games becoming the norm with Alabama, that trend shows no signs of stopping as the Tide have negotiation rights for the Cowboy Classic in Arlington, TX for the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
Alabama is undefeated in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic in Atlanta, but this will be their toughest opponent in that game by far. Also of interest will be the new stadium in Atlanta that should be completed by that time.
Alabama opens the 2015 against Wisconsin in Texas, and returns the following season to take on the USC Trojans.