Sep 21, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell and associate head coach Odell Haggins high-five after winning against the California Golden Bears at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Seminoles' chances at beating Alabama to start the season just got a whole lot better but at the cost of an unfortunate situation

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Justin Churchill | Last updated Aug 17, 2025 7:54 PM ET

No one in their right mind has the Florida State Seminoles beating the Alabama Crimson Tide here in a few weeks. Well, anyone who isn’t a die-hard Seminoles fan with a rational mind, I should say.

That’s not to say they can’t or it won’t happen, but most people have Alabama winning that game. And, it makes sense when you think about the two rosters. Sure, this is not the same two-win roster from last year, as only a handful of the projected starters are returning from last season. But it is the same staff, and it’s not as good of a roster on paper as Alabama’s.

Now the Seminoles have something going their way that could actually boost their chances at winning their first game of the year. And, it’s unfortunate that it happened, but the Seminoles can only take advantage of it.

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Seminoles to play Alabama with RB Jam Miller

When you look at Alabama’s roster, they have stars everywhere. Jam Miller is a guy who was projected to be in that conversation for the 2025 season as the team’s likely starting running back. But, earlier this week, he suffered an injury.

It’s unfortunate for Alabama that they could be without Miller for around six weeks with a dislocated collarbone.

“Jam Miller suffered an upper-body injury in Saturday’s scrimmage and went in for a procedure on Saturday evening,” Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said in a statement. “Jam should recover fully with a timetable for his return yet to be determined.”

This leaves Alabama with Richard Young, Daniel Hill, Kevin Riley, Louisiana transfer Dre Washington, and top 100 high school recruit AK Dear. Young, Hill, and Washington seem to be the guys who will get the carries against Florida State.

Now, there are also some downsides to this – they have been prepping for Miller, and some of these other guys don’t have a ton of tape to go off of. But Mike Norvell is a head coach for a reason, so he will adapt.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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