An Alabama Football win over Indiana would shock the college football world, including some Crimson Tide fans. A Rose Bowl upset would make a strong statement that Alabama has not only survived the transition from Nick Saban but also that it has quickly become a legitimate championship contender under Kalen DeBoer. Even a Rose Bowl loss would not derail an upward trajectory for the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Different situations for two Alabama Football rivals
Other SEC football programs are spiraling downward rapidly. The two SEC football programs that are most alarming their fans are old Alabama football rivals: Auburn and Tennessee. The Vols made a short trip to Nashville for a bowl game against Illinois. Tennessee lost 30-28, to finish 8-5 on the season. The All for Tennessee site provided a terse summation: "Good riddance, 2025."
The same site expresses confidence that the addition of Jim Knowles as Defensive Coordinator will cure the Vols' ills. Knowles is an outstanding coach, but what if Tim Banks was not Tennessee's biggest problem? What if other SEC teams have figured out how to take away some of Josh Heupel's offense?
The 2022 season was Heupel's second in Knoxville, and the Vols were 11-2. In conference games, the Vols were the SEC's No. 1, averaging 43.4 points per game. They have not been the same since. The scoring average was 24.4 points in the 2023 season, 25 points in the 2024 season, and 34.3 points in 2025. Tennessee fans should be worried that 34.3 points is nearly equal to Heupel's first season of 34.8 points, when the Vols were 7-6. Worse is that in the 2025 season, the Vols did not beat a single ranked team.
Tennessee's situation may be shaky, but the Vols are solid compared to what is rapidly crumbling on The Plains. Before Auburn hired Alex Golesh, fans of the Tigers were anticipating a reversal of Auburn's misfortunes under Hugh Freeze. Anticipation turned to dread with 27 transfer portal exits (and counting); the most notable being former 5-stars, Deuce Knight and Cam Coleman. Making it worse is that Auburn's 2026 class is ranked No. 34 and 14th among SEC teams.
Fly War Eagle offers little hope for the 2026 season, describing Auburn as "a once-powerful program now an afterthought that can’t get out of its own way."
Note: Stats provided by cfbstats.com and Sport Reference