No. 1 Alabama defense smothers No. 3 Florida State 24-7

ATLANTA -- Sparkling confetti rained on Alabama during a celebration in the middle of Atlanta's glitzy new stadium. The top-ranked Crimson Tide hopes to return in January for an even bigger party. Dominating on defense and taking advantage of an awful special teams showing by No. 3 Florida State, the Crimson Tide got started on what has become its annual quest for the national title with a 24-7 beatdown of the Seminoles on Saturday night at $1.5 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium. "It's good to get a win, but we have a lot of work to do," Alabama coach Nick Saban said, before adding ominously for the rest of the nation: "We'll get better." The new stadium, filled to the rafters with 76,330 fans split almost evenly between the schools, hosted one of the most anticipated opening games in college football history . At the end of the season, it will be the site of the national championship game.