Quarterback Deondre Francois did an outstanding job of directing the Seminole offense in 2016. As a redshirt freshman, he completed 59 percent of his pass attempts for an average of 258 yards a game. He did a solid job of protecting the football, with 20 touchdown passes and just seven interceptions. With a year of starting experience under his belt, many expect the redshirt sophomore to emerge as one of college football's top signal-callers.
On the receiving end, FSU lost its top three pass-catchers from last season -- Travis Rudolph, Jesus Wilson and Kermit Whitfield. However, the new trio of starters bring more talent and size to the receiving corps. While the unit lacks depth and there isn't a ton of experience, the threesome of Keith Gavin, Nyqwan Murray and Auden Tate has the potential to be as good as any group in the country. Also, redshirt junior Ryan Izzo has emerged as a top-notch tight end and should play a prominent role in FSU's passing game.
Alabama finished the 2016 season with the nation's No. 9 pass efficiency defense. Leading the way was Minkah Fitzpatrick, who earned All-America honors last season, leading the Tide with six interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. Keep in mind that the Tide faced a slate of run-heavy opponents in the SEC, so the pass defense numbers might be skewed a bit high. Also, top-flight quarterbacks were able to post some gaudy numbers against the 'Bama secondary. In fact, opposing signal-callers hit the 400-yard passing mark three times. That, of course, includes Deshaun Watson, who completed 36 of 56 passes (64 percent) for 420 yards and three touchdowns in the Tide's loss to Clemson in the national championship game.
MATCHUP: Relatively speaking, the Alabama secondary was considered somewhat of a weakness last season. That came to fruition in the championship game against Clemson's vaunted air attack. There are still questions about the Tide's defensive backfield, but most around the program expect the group to be improved in 2017. With a second-year starter under center and plenty of talented options to throw to, you might think the 'Noles have a slight advantage here. And if it were strictly Francois and the receivers versus Alabama's secondary, that might be the case. But pass protection also has to come into play. With the questions surrounding FSU's offensive line (see below), you have to expect that Francois will face a good deal of pressure, which will hamper his ability to exploit those matchups.
WINNER: Even
