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The Florida State Seminoles upset the #8 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in Tallahassee on Saturday in a game that has many in the College Football world saying the Noles “are back.” Alabama on the other hand are decidedly not back and former Heisman Award winner Johnny Manziel had something to say about Bama.
The huge upset win came after FSU went 2-10 last season following an undefeated 13-0 regular season in 2023 that culminated with the College Football Playoffs selection committee opting to leave FSU out of the Playoffs after quarterback Jordan Travis got injured prior to the ACC Championship.
Everyone knows what happened next, most of FSU’s starters sat out for the blowout bowl loss to Georgia. They then opened their 2024 season in Dublin against Georgia Tech and lost… Then kept on losing as the season spiraled. But Mike Norvell appears to have turned the program around in short order and secured a statement win over Alabama in Week 1.
Johnny Manziel’s Take On The Alabama Crimson Tide’s Downfall
Kalen DeBoer is an incredible coach but if anyone anywhere expected him to fill the shoes of Nick Saban they were sorely mistaken. You cannot replace the greatest college football coach of all time and not expect there to be some difficult adjustments along the way.
But if Johnny Manziel aka ‘Johnny Football’ is to be believed, those ‘difficult adjustments’ include Alabama having lost any and all fear factor in the yes of their opponents. Speaking with Shannon Sharpe and Chad Ochocinco Johnson, Manziel said “The one thing that I will say that I think… in the past, you walk in, face an Alabama team, you’ve probably got a little fear.”
Johnny went on to say “This is ‘Bama, the team that’s been a dynasty. You’ve got a little fear. That fear aspect of what Alabama is is completely gone. And nobody’s scared of them boys. Not Vandy, not Kentucky, not nobody.”
Here’s that segment on video:
Johnny Manziel spittin facts saying nobody fears Alabama anymore 💯
🎥: @NightcapShow_ pic.twitter.com/ycpGilqICd
— Shannonnn sharpes Burner (PARODY Account) (@shannonsharpeee) August 31, 2025
On the one hand, implying that all fear of the Alabama Crimson Tide is gone because of an upset loss by Florida State, a team that was undefeated two seasons ago in the regular season, is a giant leap. But if you watched the clip, Chad Johnson and Shannon Sharpe appear to agree with Johnny Manziel as they nod along in agreement.
There was a time when fans saying “we want Bama” meant they wanted their team to face the best of the best. That phrase these might imply something entirely different these days.