It's crazy what a difference a month can make in college football. One month ago, Alabama's season felt like it was on the brink and hanging on by a thread after a disappointing loss to Florida State to open the season. Kalen DeBoer was firmly on the hot seat, questions surrounded Ty Simpson and if he was good enough to be the starting QB, and even making the College Football Playoff felt like a long shot.
Fast forward to now, and Alabama is 3-1 and just earned a signature road victory for its resume by defeating Georgia 24-21 in Athens. DeBoer is off the hot seat (for now), Simpson is not only QB1 for this team, he's also a Heisman Trophy contender, and now the Crimson Tide looks like it's not only on the playoff path, but a real contender to win the National Championship.
That doesn't mean there aren't plenty of flaws to work out, and Alabama's schedule allows for zero time to stop and smell the roses. But the dramatic turnaround since Week 1 in Tallahassee to Week 5 in Athens has been astounding.
The oddsmakers are taking notice.
Following Alabama's win over Georgia, the Tide now has the highest odds to win the SEC, according to FanDuel. Alabama's odds (+260) are slightly higher than preseason favorite Texas (+290). The Crimson Tide and Longhorns are far ahead of everyone else. Georgia comes in at No. 3 at +650 with Ole Miss slightly behind at +700.
FanDuel lists Alabama with the fourth-best odds to make the National Championship Game at +400. That's behind Ohio State (+230), Oregon (+240), and Texas (+390).
Alabama's win over Georgia was massive, but DeBoer, Tide have much to prove still
It was nice to finally see DeBoer and Alabama go on the road, face adversity, and walk away victorious. That had not been the case so far in his tenure as the head coach. But the job is far from finished, and Alabama cannot rest on its success with plenty of landmines remaining on a challenging schedule.
We know DeBoer is a big-game coach. He's now 7-0 head-to-head against Kirby Smart, Dan Lanning, and Steve Sarkisian. He's now 7-1 in his career against opponents ranked inside the AP Top 10. But can he prove, week-to-week, that he can get his team motivated as if every game is a playoff game? Because it is.
The Florida State loss is now a distant memory, but the "1" it provided in the loss column remains and is a stark reminder of what can happen if Alabama doesn't play up to its potential. We've seen it many times during DeBoer's tenure. One year ago in Nashville was perhaps the most ardent example.
That same Vanderbilt team comes to Tuscaloosa this weekend. Perhaps the best thing for Alabama is that the 'Dores are 5-0 and ranked No. 16 in the country. That fact, along with the memory of last season's failure, should be enough to get the team properly motivated.