Dec 31, 2023; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban at the Rose Bowl coaches press conference at the Sheraton Grand Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Alabama Legend Nick Saban Heaps Praise On FSU Football Ahead Of Season-Opener

Originally posted on Florida State Seminoles on SI
By Tommy Mire | Last updated Aug 23, 2024 4:46 PM ET

There are a little under 24 hours to go before the No. 10 Florida State Seminoles and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets kick off for the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland, to start Week '0' of the 2024 College Football season.

While both teams will feature many new faces on their rosters, ESPN's College GameDay will also have a new face in seven-time National Championship head coach Nick Saban who joined the GameDay ranks after retiring last season.

Never one to split hairs, Saban had some interesting insight on what to expect and gave FSU head coach Mike Norvell and the Seminoles their due credit while previewing the matchup. He went as far as to say he believes that FSU is one of the best teams in the country.

"Florida State, to me, probably has one of the best five personnel-wise teams in the country. The way they've been able to reload through the portal as well as having good recruiting and good young players coming up in the program. So, I think they're one of the best teams in the country. Just looking at them on the field, they're a very physical good-looking team."

"The first game of the season is the moment of truth for every College Football team"

Nick Saban #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/W47QYPHJLT
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 23, 2024

However, Saban doesn't believe that Georgia Tech will just lie down. While Florida State is currently a 10.5-point favorite to win the matchup, there is still some firepower to the Yellow Jackets' offense that he said shouldn't be overlooked. Saban called them a 'sleeper team' in the ACC after leading almost every category of offense in the country a season ago.

"I really think Georgia Tech is one of the sleepers in the ACC. I mean, last year, they were in the top three in almost every offensive category, they just needed to improve their defense. For this year, because they have a lot of those players coming back, I think they are going to be very, very competitive and have a chance to be one of the teams that are a factor in the ACC and who wins the conference."

The ball is set fly through the air at 12:00 p.m. EST and the game will broadcast on ESPN.