A top-10 showdown in Death Valley (East) could be the best of a terrific Week 1 college football slate to open the 2025 season.No. 9 LSU at No. 4 Clemson has more than enough storylines to keep you interested. 

In Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik vs. LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, you have two of the most popular options to be taken No. 1 overall in next year’s NFL Draft. It’s why multiple NFL general managers are expected to be inside Memorial Stadium on Saturday. But, it doesn’t stop there.

It’s “DLU” (Clemson’s Peter Woods, T.J. Parker) vs. what could be LSU’s reemergence as “DBU” after an aggressive offseason talent overhaul. It’s star receivers (LSU’s Nic Anderson and Barion Brown) vs. star receivers (Clemson’s Antonio Williams, Bryant Wesco Jr.) It’s Dabo Swinney vs. Brian Kelly. Tigers vs. Tigers.

A win puts the victor on the fast track to making the College Football Playoff. A loss makes the path that much more treacherous, especially for LSU and a slate that still includes six preseason top 25 SEC teams.

Keep it locked here as CBS Sports provides you with live updates, highlights and analysis as LSU battles Clemson to open the 2025 season in Week 1. 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — — New quarterback Tommy Castellanos led a punishing rushing attack for Florida State with 78 yards and a touchdown as the Seminoles stunned No. 8 Alabama 31-17 on Saturday, ending the Crimson Tide’s streak of 23 straight wins in season openers.

Coming off a 2-10 season, Florida State handed a crushing setback to Alabama, which was viewed as a College Football Playoff contender under second-year coach Kalen DeBoer.

Students and fans swarmed the field at Doak Campbell Stadium to celebrate the upset by the Seminoles, who were 13 1/2-point underdogs according to Sportsbook.

Under new offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn — who spent eight seasons as Auburn’s head coach — Florida State was physical from the start, finishing with 230 rushing yards and averaging 4.7 yards per carry. The Seminoles averaged just 89.9 yards during their disastrous 2024 season.

The Crimson Tide had not dropped a season opener since losing 20-17 to UCLA in 2001 under Dennis Franchione, and this defeat will ratchet up the pressure on DeBoer from the demanding Tuscaloosa faithful. His predecessor, Nick Saban, led Alabama to six national titles.

DeBoer fell to 6-4 against unranked teams at Alabama; Saban went 124-4 in such games.

Alabama couldn’t solve Florida State’s defense, finishing with 87 rushing yards on 29 carries. Florida State halted Alabama three times on fourth down, the final time coming with 5:39 to go.

Castellanos, a Boston College transfer, had 16 carries while no one else had more than seven rushing attempts for the Seminoles. He also completed 9 of 14 passes for 152 yards as Florida State defeated its first ranked opponent since knocking off No. 19 Louisville in the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.

Micahi Danzy, Caziah Holmes and Gavin Sawchuk also had rushing touchdowns for Florida State.

Ty Simpson completed 23 of 43 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns in his Alabama debut. Germie Bernard led Alabama with eight catches for 146 yards.

The takeaway

Alabama: The Crimson Tide scored on an opening drive that went 8 minutes, 50 seconds, but struggled to sustain drives the rest of the afternoon.

Florida State: The Seminoles bounced back on a big stage as coach Mike Norvell began his sixth season by picking up a fifth win over a Southeastern Conference team.

Up next

Alabama hosts Louisiana-Monroe next Saturday.

Florida State hosts East Texas A&M next Saturday.

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One of the biggest nonconference clashes of Week 1 features No. 8 Alabama making its first-ever trip to Tallahassee, Florida, squaring off against a Florida State team that is looking to erase the disappointment of 2024 with a strong performance from a retooled Seminoles roster.

Alabama enters the 2025 with its own bounce-back motivations after last year’s 9-4 finish fell short of expectations for Year 1 under Kalen DeBoer. After inheriting Nick Saban’s program, DeBoer fell just short of the 12-team College Football Playoff in part because of multiple losses as a double-digit favorite. That’s the same favorite status the Crimson Tide carry into this season-opening road tilt, providing a great opportunity for Alabama to start its playoff march by reversing that trend.

For Florida State, there’s a lot at stake in terms of proving that last season’s stunning collapse was just a blip on the radar. After going 13-1 in 2023, Mike Norvell’s team started the season in the top 10 and proceeded to go 2-10. Norvell made new hires at offensive coordinator (Gus Malzahn) and defensive coordinator (Tony White) and brings in a host of transfer talent, including quarterback Tommy Castellanos, to try and flip the script and get the program back on track.

It’s a huge statement spot for both teams in what should be an electric environment in a renovated Doak Campbell Stadium. 

Keep it locked here as CBS Sports provides you with live updates, highlights and analysis as Alabama battles Florida State to open the 2025 season in Week 1.