In just over three months, Alabama and Florida State will square off in Atlanta in an absolutely fantastic primetime opener to kick off the 2017 college football season.
As I've mentioned before, we could very well witness a preview of the College Football Playoff in the first week of the season.
Despite losing a ton of notable talent on both sides of the ball, there's no reason to think Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide won't be one of the top teams in the land once again. Saban is a mastermind in reloading his roster with the nation's best high school talent year after year, and this won't be the exception.
On the other side, Florida State enters the 2017 campaign with massive expectations. Almost every major media outlet pegs the Seminoles as one of the preseason favorites to win the national title, and apparently Saban is in full agreement about FSU's potential.
"Florida State is a great team and will probably be No. 1 in the country," Saban told the Tampa Bay Times at Tuesday's SEC spring meetings.
MORE: Ranking The Top 5 ACC Quarterbacks For 2017
The Alabama front man always makes a point to go above and beyond when it comes to praising his opponents, but there's certainly merit to this one. Jimbo Fisher has been steadily building a giant and though he's hit adversity along the way, everything is in place for FSU to make a run toward the promise land this season.
Derwin James — one of the most electrifying defensive backs I can remember watching in recent history — is fully healthy and looked dominant during the spring game. Quarterback Deondre Francois plowed through the freshman speed bumps and finished the season as the top freshman passer in the country. Dalvin Cook might be gone in the backfield, but freshman RB Cam Akers looks like he's ready to make a statement right away.
The expectations are warranted and now it's just a matter of seeing if this team can mesh. Saban will undoubtedly have his hands full trying to prepare for the opener.
