2 Best College Football Bets and Player Props for Alabama at Florida State

Two major programs meet Saturday afternoon with the Alabama Crimson Tide paying a visit to the Florida State Seminoles. However, these are two programs with very different expectations for the 2025 college football season.

After an up-and-down 2024 season, Alabama carries -170 odds to make the College Football Playoff paired with a 9.5-win total. Meanwhile, Florida State declined in the 2024 season with a putrid 2-10 record and holds -192 to go under 7.5 wins -- per FanDuel Sportsbook's college football win total odds.

As the 13.5-point spread suggests, the Crimson Tide are a big favorite for Saturday's meeting. How should we bet this SEC-ACC collision?

All college football betting odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

Alabama at Florida State Betting Picks

Florida State +13.5 (-102)

Following a historical 2024 collapse, it's easy to fade Florida State. However, the Seminoles didn't pull any punches about making changes in the offseason. FSU replaced its offensive and defensive coordinators while landing 23 transfers paired with 23 incoming freshmen. It was a true reset offseason.

247 Sports gave Florida State the sixth-best portal class as the group of transfers totals 319 starts with 17 of 23 players holding at least five career starts. This was a much-needed shift, and the Seminoles acquired some experienced pieces who could make immediate impacts.

FSU carrying the home advantage plays a big factor in the cover. The Noles brought in Gus Malzahn as offensive coordinator -- a coach known for leaning on the run. Plus, Boston College transfer quarterback Thomas Castellanos is a mobile signal-caller who recorded 1,113 rushing yards in 2023. This fits right into Malzahn's offense, and the running back room is promising with Ousmane Kromah on the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year watch list while Oklahoma transfer Gavin Sawchuk has potential thanks to 744 rushing yards from the 2023 season.

Against the Tide's offense that features explosive wide receiver Ryan Williams and a promising run game, Florida State will probably play some keep away. That means bleeding the clock with the run game and attempting to limit Alabama's possessions. I believe the Seminoles' offense is suited to do just that, keeping this matchup competitive.

Ultimately, Alabama is still the more talented team by a landslide, but a Week 1 road test against an offense that's probably going to bleed clock in any which way sounds like a close game. DRatings' game projections have FSU losing by 12.2 points.

Ryan Williams Longest Reception Over 28.5 Yards (-118)

We mentioned the Noles playing keep away, and Williams is a major reason. Williams made our Heisman Trophy dark horse picks thanks to a stellar true freshman season.

Big plays were his middle name, totaling 18.0 yards per reception. Furthermore, Pro Football Focus awarded Williams an absurd 96.4 receiving grade on targets of 20 or more yards. Part of this success can be credited to 2024's starting QB Jalen Milroe posting passing grades of 90.7 and 93.1 on attempts of 10-to-19 yards and 20+ yards. Is 2025's starter Ty Simpson capable of ripping accurate deep shots?

Simpson is a former five-star recruit, and his high school scouting report highlighted good arm strength with the ability to make every throw. He's earned some Mac Jones comparisons as a pocket-passing QB who waited his turn. Of course, there's unknown until we actually see Simpson make some starts. Still, he feels fully capable of helping the Crimson Tide make a leap.

Taking Williams to go over his longest reception also goes hand-in-hand with Florida State's defense. The unit gave up the 7.5 yards per passing attempt in 2024 (75th) while ranking 126th in expected points added (EPA) allowed per passing attempt, per Game On Paper.

The Seminoles are making changes across the entire defense, but there are concerns about the pass rush -- especially after edge Patrick Payton transferred to LSU. Houston cornerback transfer Jeremiah Wilson should be a staple for the secondary, but the remainder of the secondary is littered with inexperience. Most of FSU's experience lays in the interior defensive line and at linebacker -- suggesting the run defense will improve. However, I don't have much confidence in the pass defense right now.

With that said, Williams feels bound to produce one of his game-breaking plays Saturday afternoon.

Get a No Sweat Token to use on ANY wager for any college football games taking place on August 28th through September 1st! See here for full terms and conditions. Learn about today’s other offers at FanDuel Sportsbook Promos.

Looking for the latest college football odds? Head over to FanDuel Sportsbook and check out all of the college football betting options.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.