Every schedule is different. While the Alabama Crimson Tide catch some breaks early and later on in their slate, a four-game stretch in the middle part of their season looks incredibly menacing for the time being. Alabama draws Georgia, Tennessee, and Texas A&M to round out October, before playing at LSU right after the bye. If Alabama splits those four, the Crimson Tide will likely make the playoffs.
With that in mind, Alabama does have one of the more daunting schedules among playoff hopefuls.
- Texas Longhorns
- Oklahoma Sooners
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Michigan Wolverines
- Ole Miss Rebels
- LSU Tigers
- Texas A&M Aggies
- Georgia Bulldogs
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- USC Trojans
James Parsk of OnSI may have only had the Crimson Tide slate ranked No. 9 out of 10 in his article. However, the overarching point remains the same. They got to get through this rough patch to have any real shot at the playoffs. Alabama has had Georgia's number for nearly two decades now, but lost the most recent battle. Texas A&M was a playoff team a year ago. Tennessee and LSU are major rivals.
For those who need a bit of a refresher, here is what the Alabama schedule looks like for this season.
Date | Opponent | Location | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
Sept. 5 | East Carolina Pirates | Tuscaloosa, AL | 11:00 a.m. CT |
Sept. 12 | at Kentucky Wildcats | Lexington, KY | 2:30 p.m. CT |
Sept. 19 | Florida State Seminoles | Tuscaloosa, AL | 2:30 p.m. CT |
Sept. 26 | South Carolina Gamecocks | Tuscaloosa, AL | 5:00-7:00 p.m. CT |
Oct. 3 | at Mississippi State Bulldogs | Starkville, MS | 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. CT |
Oct. 10 | Georgia Bulldogs | Tuscaloosa, AL | 5:00-7:00 p.m. CT |
Oct. 17 | at Tennessee Volunteers | Knoxville, TN | 2:30-7:00 p.m. CT |
Oct. 24 | Texas A&M Aggies | Tuscaloosa, AL | 2:30-7:00 p.m. CT |
Oct. 31 | BYE | ||
Nov. 7 | at LSU Tigers | Baton Rouge, LA | 2:30-7:00 p.m. CT |
Nov. 14 | at Vanderbilt Commodores | Nashville, TN | 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. CT |
Nov. 21 | Chattanooga Mocs | Tuscaloosa, AL | 1:00 p.m. CT |
Nov. 28 | Auburn Tigers | Tuscaloosa, AL | 2:30-7:00 p.m. CT |
Dec. 5 | SEC Championship | Atlanta, GA | 3:00 p.m. CT |
The four pivotal games mentioned above will largely define Kalen DeBoer's third season at Alabama. The Crimson Tide are coming off a return trip to the playoffs, as well as a road win over Oklahoma in Norman. Simply put, Alabama's schedule is one of extremes. It must take the winnable ones, but hold steady during the heart of the campaign. Of the four dates in question, LSU feels the most intriguing.
As long as Alabama defeats LSU in Death Valley, the chances of them making the playoffs are strong.
Kalen DeBoer must prove his worth during a critical stretch for Alabama
The ebb and flow on how we feel about the Alabama schedule has been there all offseason. Alabama will not face a ranked team until it hosts Georgia on Oct. 10. South Carolina could be a bit feisty in September, but the Gamecocks were a disaster a year ago. Vanderbilt beat Alabama in Nashville the last time around, but the Commodores are a major pullback candidate after last year's wild success.
In short, there is a gradual build up to Alabama's season, as well as a potential cooling-down period after the LSU game. Although not every team plays up to our expectations, all we can do is forecast right now. If Alabama takes care of business vs. Georgia, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and LSU, the chances of the Crimson Tide winning 10-plus games this fall are quite high. That should be the goal.
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Overall, that LSU game feels like the tipping point for Alabama. A road win over the Tigers will carry some clout for Alabama, especially with it probably knocking Lane Kiffin's program out of the playoff picture. Tennessee has had Alabama's number in Knoxville in recent years, but the Vols look to be a shell of themselves under Josh Heupel. UGA and A&M loom large, but those games will be at home.
Ultimately, DeBoer has the coaching chops to win around three of these games, but maybe not all of them. Conversely, he has proven to be more than capable of dropping a dumb one annually. A loss to a team like Kentucky, Florida State, Mississippi State, or Auburn would put even more pressure on this middle-third of the season. The more wiggle room he has to work with, the better off Alabama will be.
Right now, the pathway toward a 10-2 regular season is very much in play for DeBoer's Crimson Tide.
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