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The season opener between Alabama and Florida State is the biggest story line of the first full weekend of college football in 2017 and pundits have begun lining up to pick the winner of the contest. One such pick comes from ESPN's Paul Finebaum, as he hopped on for an appearance on WJOX 94.5 FM and said the following about the match-up.
"I still don't know many people that think Florida State can win. When you get right down to it, even if it's an even matchup, and I don't think it's uneven, Nick Saban is the deciding factor. As long as Alabama plays its game and executes well, I know this is coach speak, they're going to win. They have the best program in the country.
"As much as Jimbo Fisher wants to talk about the ACC, as much as pundits want to talk about (Deondre) Francois and Derwin James and everything else on the other side of the ball, until someone comes up and beats Alabama, I'm not going to believe it."
Finebaum picking Alabama to win the game isn't exactly a shock given that the Tide are seen as the favorite and he has a well documented history with the program. With that said, Finebaum's comments could be perceived as taking FSU lightly in this spot and that could provide some motivational material for Jimbo Fisher and the Seminoles.
All eyes will be on the game in Atlanta on Saturday night and we know where Paul Finebaum stands from a punditry perspective.
