After narrowly missing each other in the past two postseasons, the Florida State Seminoles and Alabama Crimson Tide appear close to finalizing a 2017 matchup on a neutral gridiron.
The Palm Beach Post first reported rumblings of a potential matchup between the two college football powerhouses in Nov. 2014. Both teams have a recent history of scheduling high-profile season openers on neutral playing field and are now reportedly agreeing to one in 2017 in Atlanta, the Post reported Friday.
The newspaper learned Stan Wilcox, athletic director at Florida State University, told football boosters at a recent board of directors meeting the game was agreed upon in principle. Both sides have yet to sign a contract, but the purses for each school is expected to be between $4 million and $5 million.
The Post indicated the game would be held at the New Atlanta Stadium, the arena currently being constructed for the city's NFL franchise, the Falcons.
Wilcox told ESPN in March the contract for the game would be signed as soon as the summer, but unnamed sources confirmed a written agreement has yet to be signed.
Alabama seemed to be on track to play Florida State in the 2014 National Championship, but the Tide lost to Auburn in the Iron Bowl. The two teams then had the opportunity to play for the national title once again, but Florida State lost to Oregon in the College Football Playoff semifinal.
Florida State played Oklahoma State in Arlington, Texas for their season opener last season and Alabama is slated to open its regular season this year with Wisconsin in the same city.
Both team's head coaches are signed to long term contracts, so they figure to square off against one another in the 2017 opener. Florida State head football coach Jimbo Fisher was once Alabama head football coach Nick Saban's offensive coordinator at LSU from 2000 to 2004.
