Florida State will play in a blockbuster season opener in 2017, traveling to Atlanta to face Alabama.
The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl announced that the two elite programs will play in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at the beginning of the 2017 season. The game will be held at the New Atlanta Stadium, where the Atlanta Falcons will eventually play home games.
“These teams represent the best in our sport,” said Gary Stokan, Peach Bowl, Inc. President and CEO. “The best players, the best coaches, the best fans. It’s going to be a memorable start to the season, and there is no better place to host this than in Atlanta, the capital of college football.”
The two teams have met four times previously, with the Crimson Tide holding a 2-1-1 advantage in the series. They most recently met in 2007, a Florida State win.
There’s an argument to be made that this contest pits the top two programs in college football against each other. Together, they’ve won four of the last six national championships, with Alabama winning in 2009, 2011 and 2012, and Florida State winning in 2013. Both teams participated in the inaugural College Football Playoff this past season.
Neither program shows any sign of slowing down, either. In 2015, Alabama signed the nation’s No. 2 recruiting class, and Florida State signed the No. 6 class, according to 247Sports. Midway through the 2016 cycle, Florida State has the No. 1 class, and Alabama has the No. 4 class.
The game against Alabama is Florida State’s second nonconference game scheduled for the 2017 season. The Seminoles will also play Florida, as they do every season. There are two openings remaining on the schedule, which will now likely be filled by lower-tier opponents.