Alabama football will be playing at night more than last year.
Schedule releases are always important, but the timing of those games matters more. When you look at bye weeks and order of opponents, you get a better idea of how the season will unfold. Alabama football received another piece of the puzzle for most of their games this year at TV schedules have been updated.
We now officially know what time Alabama’s season opener will be played. At 6 p.m. on September 26, the Tide will be kicking off against Missouri. This is one of many night games for Alabama football this year. We only have times for half of their regular season games, but four of the five are at 5 p.m. or later.
The one night game that will make Crimson Tide fans smile is at home against the Georgia Bulldogs. Even with few fans in the stands, the late-night aspect of this game will help Alabama’s odds of winning. It will also help on the recruiting trail. Prospects likely won’t be able to attend this game, but they will still see on television what a Saturday night in Bryant-Denny Stadium is like.
It will be surreal to not have a packed stadium for Alabama’s biggest home game, and no tailgates will make things feel even weirder. However, fans will simply be happy to have their beloved Crimson Tide on the field in any capacity.
Alabama’s road games against the LSU Tigers will also be at night, although it will be played slightly earlier than their game against the Bulldogs. This would usually be a sign of concern, but the LSU roster is decimated. Between graduates, would-be seniors enrolling in the 2020 NFL Draft and multiple players opting out of the college football season, LSU will struggle to compete in the SEC West.
The Iron Bowl is still up in the air. If both teams are in the mix for the SEC West crown, expect CBS to retain the rights to this game and play it at 2:30.
This season will never be completely normal, but we are at least approaching normalcy with this new information about play times. Alabama football will play games this month, and that’s always good to hear.