Alabama\u2019s Week 1 performance was one to forget for Crimson Tide fans.<\/p>\n
But one notable sports personality thinks their loss on the road to Florida State is more an indictment of Alabama\u2019s conference.<\/p>\n
In the middle of the Crimson Tide\u2019s 31-17 loss in Tallahassee, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy called out the SEC.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told everybody who would listen FSU was easy money. The SEC is a joke,\u201d Portnoy posted on X<\/a> hours after his duties for Fox\u2019s \u201cBig Noon Kickoff\u201d before the Ohio State-Texas game<\/a>.<\/p>\n In June, Florida State quarterback Tommy Castellanos \u2014 who transferred from Boston College \u2014 made plenty of headlines when he took a direct shot at Alabama.<\/p>\n Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson (15) reacts after a play against the Florida State Seminoles during the second half at Doak S. Campbell Stadium on Aug 30, 2025. Melina Myers-Imagn Images<\/p>\n \u201cThey don\u2019t have Nick Saban to save them,\u201d he said. \u201cI just don\u2019t see them stopping me.\u201d<\/p>\n That proved to be true, as Castellanos passed for 152 yards and ran for 78 more with one touchdown as Kalen DeBoer\u2019s Crimson Tide did not play like the eighth-ranked team in the nation. <\/p>\n After a 9-4 season in his first year as head coach, DeBoer\u2019s second campaign started with a Week 1 loss \u2014 the first time Alabama dropped its opener since 2001.<\/p>\n That led to plenty of talking heads and pundits sounding the alarm, and among those was ESPN\u2019s take master Stephen A. Smith. <\/p>\n Florida State Seminoles quarterback Tommy Castellanos (1) stiff arms Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Justin Jefferson (10) during the second half at Doak S. Campbell Stadium on Saturday. Melina Myers-Imagn Images<\/p>\n Dave Portnoy speaks at Fox\u2019s \u201cBig Noon Kickoff\u201d broadcast outside of Ohio Stadium prior to the start of the Ohio State Buckeyes game against the Texas Longhorns in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025. Aaron Josefczyk\/UPI\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry folks. I really am. But it just seems to be as if the days of Nick Saban\u2019s @AlabamaFTBL is looooonnngggg gone,\u201d Smith wrote on X<\/a> toward the end of the game, echoing Castellanos. \u201cSacks surrendered. Dropped passes. A QB who\u2019s not a real scrambler\/runner, and doesn\u2019t appear to have a strong enough arm to throw on the run. Maybe this turnover by Lucas of @FloridaState, but I doubt it.\u201d<\/p>\n Junior quarterback Ty Simpson threw for 254 yards and two touchdowns, averaging just 5.9 yards per completion.<\/p>\n Alabama never really established the run game, either, rushing for just 74 yards on 29 carries.<\/p>\n