Like Nick Saban, Coach Kalen DeBoer tough to beat off the bye

Under legendary coach Nick Saban, Alabama Football was notoriously difficult to beat in season openers, bowl games, and coming off of bye weeks. Coach Saban might’ve been the greatest of all time at capitalizing on extra time to prepare for an opponent, and his teams almost always came out ready to play. 

Though on a much smaller sample size, Coach Kalen DeBoer is building a similar track record at the FBS level. 

As the head coach of Fresno State in 2021, DeBoer led the Bulldogs to a 9-3 regular season record before accepting the head coach position at Washington. In Fresno State’s two games off a bye week that season, they beat Wyoming 17-0 and San Jose State 40-9. 

The following season, DeBoer was equally impressive against elevated competition. He led Washington to an 11-2 record and was very efficient with extra prep time.

First, the Huskies beat a ranked Oregon State squad 24-21 on a Friday night coming off their bye week. The following week, with an extra day to prepare, Washington upset no. 6 Oregon on the road by a score of 37-34. To cap off that season, DeBoer and the Huskies beat Steve Sarkisian’s Texas Longhorns 27-20 in the Alamo Bowl. 

In 2023, Washington was even better, finishing as the national runner-up with a 14-1 record. The Huskies thrashed Boise State 56-19 on opening day, beat Oregon once again in a top-10 matchup coming off the bye, and took down Texas again in the Sugar Bowl (College Football Playoff semifinal). 

What does this mean for Coach DeBoer’s current Alabama Football team? It’s hard to say. Hopefully, whatever DeBoer was doing during his extra prep time on the West Coast will translate to big-time SEC football. 

To be fair, Alabama’s opponent will certainly be prepared. Coach Kirby Smart is a product of Coach Saban and could make a claim as being the best current coach in the sport with extra prep time. Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs will be ready when they roll into Tuscaloosa, but I fully expect Coach DeBoer to have the Tide well-equipped as well.

This gargantuan matchup could go a long way towards determining who will run the SEC, and perhaps college football, for the foreseeable future. It's only right that these two college football giants meet coming off a bye week when both teams should be well-rested and at their best.