Alabama moved up to No. 10 in this week's AP Poll after knocking off Kentucky on the road in Week 2. Losses by Oregon and Oklahoma ahead of them cleared the way for the Crimson Tide to get into the Top 10.
But that's not the story here.
The story is looking ahead to Alabama's brutal four-game stretch starting on October 10th and running through the first week of November. Kalen DeBoer isn't thinking about that right now, but as fans, we can look ahead. And the road ahead is treacherous. That four-game stretch will come against teams all ranked within the Top 15 of the AP Poll, with two of the matchups happening on the road:
10/10: vs. No. 2 Georgia
10/17: at No. 15 Tennessee
10/24: vs. No. 9 Texas A&M
11/7: at No. 7 LSU
Alabama has to get a whole lot better to survive the upcoming schedule
There isn't a tougher four-game stretch in the country than what Alabama faces starting a month from now. Obviously, they have to take care of business against Florida State, South Carolina, and Mississippi State first, but it's fair to say that the season will be decided in those four games.
Alabama really needs to arrive at it at 5-0. That would give a significant margin for error, meaning that the Crimson Tide could likely survive by going 2-2 during that stretch, assuming it wins the three games on the other side against Vanderbilt, Chattanooga, and Auburn. A 10-2 Alabama is a College Football Playoff team.
There's no guarantee that Alabama gets to 5-0 before facing Georgia, though. None of the next three opponents are pushovers. The road game at Mississippi State on October 3rd continues to look more treacherous with Kamario Taylor's ascension at QB for the Bulldogs.
Then, finding two wins in that four-game stretch won't be easy. Handling business at home includes beating a Georgia team that dominated Alabama in the SEC Championship Game last December. That removed any mental hold that the Crimson Tide had over Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs. A Top 10 Texas A&M at home is also far from a gimme game.
Road games in Knoxville and Baton Rouge will be immensely challenging. If Alabama comes out of that stretch at 2-2, it should be considered a massive win. If they do better than that, then DeBoer should be the frontrunner for National Coach of the Year.
Alabama has to keep getting better week by week to be ready for that quartet of games. DeBoer believes this team has a chance to be special. They'll soon get the chance to show it.
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