There's perhaps not a coach in the country more in need of a statement win this weekend than Kalen DeBoer. He'll have a big opportunity to get it, too.
Alabama takes on Georgia in Athens in a game that would erase the season-opening loss to Florida State if the Crimson Tide is able to win. All would be forgiven, at least for now, if Alabama can go into Sanford Stadium and pull out the upset.
Alabama's lifeless performance in the season opener against Florida State remains in the back of the minds of Tide fans everywhere. It was just the latest example of Alabama looking unprepared and overwhelmed away from home under DeBoer. That trend has to stop, and quickly, or DeBoer will not be long for the job in Tuscaloosa.
It's clear that DeBoer feels that sense of urgency. He's coaching differently. He's dressing differently. His demeanor and temperament are a complete 180 from his usual self. He feels the pressure. So far, he's responded well.
But wins over UL Monroe and Wisconsin do little to move the needle. Beating Georgia on the road would spin it, though.
If there wasn't enough pressure on DeBoer already, ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky just added to it. In an interview on The Next Round, Orlovsky stated the coach who could least afford a loss this weekend was DeBoer:
"I just think going on the road and losing again after being 2-5 on the road and the way that they have looked - and obviously the College Football Playoff, it doesn't knock them out, but it feels like it does - so I think it's a big one for Bama," Orlovsky said.
One point of correction, not that it makes a huge difference, but Alabama is 2-4 on the road under DeBoer. That fifth loss was at a neutral site vs. Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Still, 2-5 away from Bryant-Denny is not good, and DeBoer certainly understands he has to be better than that moving forward to keep his job.
The conversation around Kalen DeBoer depending on a win vs. loss to Georgia
If Alabama beats Georgia on Saturday night, then DeBoer is off the hot seat. For now. Alabama fans will flush the Florida State loss out of their minds and accept another win over Georgia as repayment. That will only last until the next Tide loss, but it will certainly provide some breathing room for DeBoer.
It would also immediately put Alabama back in the Top 10 in the polls and they would be in everyone's projected playoff field on Sunday and Monday.
A loss isn't completely back-breaking, as long as it's close. A road game against Georgia is difficult for anyone, and DeBoer's seat really shouldn't be any hotter than it already is if Alabama loses a close game in Athens. The Tide probably wouldn't see much of a tumble in the national polls, and would still be very much alive in the playoff race, just without any further margin for error.
A lifeless blowout would be a different story. Alabama can't come out with the same focus and intensity it did in Tallahassee and expect to be competitive. The game will be a rout if that's the case, and it would serve further doubt about DeBoer's future and this team's ability to remain competitive in the SEC.