FSU Football Opens as Massive Underdog to Alabama in Week 3
FSU Football Opens as Massive Underdog to Alabama in Week 3
The Seminoles are more than a two-touchdown underdog to the Alabama Crimson Tide this upcoming season. Tommy Mire|
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Florida State SeminolesAlabama Crimson TideLast season, the Florida State Seminoles rocked the country after toppling the Alabama Crimson Tide 31-17, entering the game as heavy underdogs at home to kick off the home-and-home series between the two programs.
FSU is no stranger to having the odds stacked against it over the past 10 years, and their road matchup against Alabama this season is no different.
Alabama Favored by More Than Two Touchdowns
Florida State entered the matchup in 2025 at a near two-touchdown disadvantage, and the stakes have gotten higher this time around. Per DraftKings SportsBook, Alabama is currently favored by 15.5 points.
The last time the two teams met, Florida State quarterback Tommy Castellanos led the Seminoles with 152 passing yards and 78 rushing yards with a touchdown, snapping the Crimson Tide's 23-game win streak in season openers.
Florida State's defense held Alabama's rushing attack to under 100 yards while FSU punished the ground game with 230 yards, averaging 4.7 yards per carry, with touchdown runs from Caziah Holmes, Micahi Danzy, Gavin Sawchuk, and Castellanos.
A Massive Early Test Awaits the Seminoles
Florida State will have an opportunity to build momentum before traveling to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, opening the season against New Mexico State before hosting SMU in its ACC opener.
While the 'Noles are heavily favored against New Mexico State, they are slight underdogs against the Mustangs at 2.5 points.
Even if the Seminoles enter Week 3 undefeated, they'll still face one of the toughest environments in college football against a national title contender.
The matchup could serve as an early measuring stick for Florida State head coach Mike Norvell's rebuilt roster, and an upset over Alabama would immediately reshape the national conversation surrounding the program after two consecutive losing seasons.
Florida State failing to win a road game over the last two years only adds more weight to the matchup. The last time FSU won a road test was at Ben Hill Griffen Stadium against the Florida Gators during their 2023 ACC Championship run.
The Seminoles aren't just trying to win games in 2026; they're trying to change the program's perception.
A win against Alabama would instantly change how the rest of the country views Norvell's team and flip the discussion from whether Florida State can return to eligibility to whether it can end the season as an ACC contender.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Published 12 minutes ago
TOMMY MIRETommy Mire joined NoleGameday in 2023 as a writer and editor. He initially worked as lead voice at SBNation's Tomahawk Nation and contributes to football, NFL and recruiting coverage. Connect with Tommy on Twitter at @TommyM3III
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Wimbledon 2026 results: Serena Williams falls to Maya Joint in first singles match in four years
After four years of retirement, 44-year-old Serena Williams made her return to a grand slam singles competition on Tuesday evening on Centre Court at Wimbledon against 20-year-old Australian Maya Joint. The nerves were apparent on both sides, but ultimately Joint was able to prevail in three sets (6-3, 6-7, 6-3) over the legend to spoil her return.
Williams played doubles in two warmup events, but Tuesday' nightcap on Centre Court was her first singles match since 2022. The big question coming in was how quickly could Williams shake off the rust and what did the 23-time grand slam champion have left in the tank after such an extended absence from the court.
Early on she showed positive signs, holding her serve with relative ease in her first three service games and prodding a bit at Joint's serve, producing two break points in the seventh game of the match. However, after failing to convert those opportunities into her first lead of the match, it was Williams who blinked. A pair of double faults in her next service game allowed Joint to snag the first break of the match to go up 5-3, and despite getting pushed to deuce, she held her nerve to hold serve and take the first set 6-3.
The second set was all over the place, as Joint and Williams traded breaks with the momentum swinging wildly back-and-forth. Both players had opportunities to consolidate breaks and take control of the set, but neither could capitalize as the tension built on Centre Court.
Wimbledon 2026 results: Top American men's seed Ben Shelton ousted in opening round by Otto Virtanen Brent Brookhouse
The 11th game of the set, tied at 5-5 with Williams serving, exemplified the wild swings and difficulty both players had at grabbing and maintaining any semblance of control. Joint jumped on top at 0-40 to grab three break points that would've all but won her the match. Williams dug deep and charged back to tie things at deuce, grabbing the advantage three times before finally getting a first serve in to force Joint's return to sail just long.
Joint would manage to hold with ease in her final service game, fittingly sending a chaotic set to a tiebreak. There, the two went back-and-forth on serve until Joint grabbed the first match point at 6-5 with Williams serving, where the legend came up with one of her best serves up the match up the T and then smashed a winner from the net to stay alive. When it was Williams' turn to have a set point up 7-6, she didn't miss the opportunity, forcing Joint into a lengthy rally where the Australian eventually sailed one long.
SERENA FIGHTS BACK TO WIN THE SECOND SET 💥
— ESPN (@espn) June 30, 2026
Third and final set on ESPN and the ESPN App 🍿 pic.twitter.com/BmKcn3B6gO
Joint seemed to be teetering on the brink of a collapse early in the third set. Williams picked up an early break and seemed like she might run away with the match, but as quickly as Williams took control, she just as quickly saw it all slip away. The 20-year-old dug in and found a quick break back to level the set again at 2-2 and shift the pressure back onto Williams to hold her serve.
Williams got broken at love in her next service game, as the failed consolidation of her early break took all the wind out of her sails. Serena would hold in her next service game, but never created the break point opportunity needed in Joint's next two service games to extend the match. Joint would fight through the nerves to serve it out and get her first Wimbledon victory over an all-time great.
Williams will continue her Wimbledon in the doubles competition later this week with her sister Venus, where some of the issues that caused her problems against Joint will be mitigated. She struggled to cover the entire court against Joint, and when the Australian was able to move things out of the middle of the court and push Williams to the edges, she was able to create advantages and winners. Still, the way Williams fought to win the second set was remarkable and the effort she put in to get back on that stage and prove she still had the game to hang was impressive.
Add CBS Sports on GoogleMelissa Gilbert Urges Stage Parents to 'Be Sure' It's What Child Wants in Wake of Daveigh Chase Death
June 30, 2026
Melissa Gilbert said she is “truly heartbroken” by the death of Daveigh Chase and as a former child star herself, is urging parents to think carefully about what their children want when it comes to acting.
Chase died on June 16 at age 35, with the Los Angeles Medical Examiner ruling that she died of AIDS. Chronic polysubstance use, or the repeated use of more than one drug or substance at the during over a period of time, was listed under “other significant conditions.”
Gilbert, who was a child actress herself — famously starring as Laura Ingalls Wilder on Little House on the Prairie — said she worked with a young Chase for “a couple of days” some 20-plus years ago on a pilot.
“This is the Daveigh Chase I knew,” Gilbert wrote in a caption to a photo of Chase as a child in braided pigtails. “I only worked with Daveigh a couple of days but I could see she was bright both in countenance and in mind. She was bubbly, sweet and professional. But there was something else there, a push or need to perform …for her parents.”
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Gilbert said that given her professional background, she has been around many child actors. “As a consequence, I’ve also been around a lot of stage parents. Many child actors grow up just fine, whether they stay in ‘the business’ or not. That is 100% due to really solid, wise parenting. Child stardom, in itself, is not a guarantee of dysfunction,” She said. “However, when a parent or parents lose sight of who THEY are, of what their true responsibility is, and their lives revolve solely around their little star child, well, that’s where the trouble begins.
“It takes strong parenting to handle all that comes with it. The terrible part is, that so few child actors continue on to have careers as actors,” she added. “For most, it goes away, and when that happens it not only devastates the child but it turns the whole family upside down.”
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In light of the tragic cricumstances surrounding Chase’s death, Gilbert cautioned stage parents to be certain that acting is what their child wants. “Today, reading the circumstances of Daveigh’s death, I’m truly heartbroken,” she said. “I certainly understand substance addiction disorder but this sweet girl’s death is so much more. If I had the chance to speak to any parents who were thinking about getting their children in the industry I would tell them to please, please make sure that they are doing it for the right reasons. That they will take the child to an accountant regularly so that he or she knows exactly what he or she is making, and where it is going.
“To be sure it’s something the child really wants. To be sure that that child has a life outside of the industry that is thriving and full of friends and responsibilities and ‘normal’ things,” she concluded. “I would also ask that these parents memorize this sweet girl’s face and her story so that it never happens again.”
Canadian Man Traveled to California and Attacked Female Online Gamer He Became ‘Obsessed’ With
Canadian man Devin Wolfgang Vanderhoef will spend the rest of his life in prison after he traveled to California to attack a woman he became “obsessed” with after they met on an online gaming platform.
The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office announced on Thursday, June 25, that Vanderhoef, 26, was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences following the failed murder plot.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Department said in an initial press release that the incident took place on November 25, 2024, shortly after Vanderhoef and his alleged coconspirator, Darius Avery Whyte, were arrested while trying to travel into Canada through the border.
Prosecutors announced that Vanderhoef was sentenced to “two consecutive life sentences for the willful, deliberate and premeditated attempted murder of two people.” Additionally, he was “sentenced to serve five consecutive years for personally inflicting great bodily injury and personally using a weapon during the commission of the crimes.”
Related: Wade Wilson Admitted to Killing 2 Women: Everything to Know About the Case
Wade Wilson, the convicted murderer who became a viral social media fixation as the “Deadpool Killer,” is back in the spotlight after his crimes were documented in Paramount+’s Handsome Devil: Charming Killer and Netflix’s Worst Ex Ever. Wilson was found guilty in June 2024 of murdering Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz in Cape Coral, Florida, […]The sentencing came after Vanderhoef “confessed that he had been planning the attack for a month before flying to California and that his plan was to ‘actually kill someone.’”
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Department previously revealed that Vanderhoef met his victim through an online gaming platform and he “developed a year’s long obsession with the victim which led to him flying to California from Canada where he resides” to commit the murder.
Vanderhoef allegedly crossed the border with Whyte, 26, and he posed as an Amazon employee when he knocked on the victim’s door.
Police said that the victim’s boyfriend answered the door and found Vanderhoef allegedly holding a package while dressed as a delivery driver.
Vanderhoef allegedly lunged toward the boyfriend and “forced his way in and began stabbing the boyfriend with a knife resulting in multiple critical injuries.”
The woman then “grabbed a sharp metal object” to defend her boyfriend. “While fighting back, the female victim was strangled and stabbed by [Vanderhoef], sustaining moderate injuries,” authorities said. “During the struggle, [Vanderhoef] sustained multiple critical stab wounds.”
Related: Georgia Man Shot Pregnant Girlfriend in Attempt to Kill Their Unborn Baby
A pregnant woman’s life was forever changed when she woke up from a coma to learn that her boyfriend shot her in the head in an attempt to kill their unborn child. Now, he will spend the next six decades behind bars for the crime. The DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office announced that Donald Wooten […]When detectives arrived at the scene, they “discovered that the package that Vandorhoef was carrying when he arrived contained handcuffs, duct tape and knives.”
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Deal Alert! This 44%-Off Throw-On Mini Dress Is Too Good to Leave in Your Cart View DealPolice initially said it was “unknown how these items were intended on being used” by Vanderhoef or Whyte.
“The investigation determined that Whyte was an accomplice of Vandorhoef during this incident and that he had knowledge of what Vandorhoef’s intentions were,” police added.
Whyte eventually pleaded guilty to charges for assault and for being an accessory after the fact to a felony. He was given a probationary sentence and was immediately released from custody since he had already served the time while awaiting his trial. Whyte also testified against Vanderhoef during his trial.
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