Leave it up to Stewart Mandel of The Athletic to help bring this article to life. In one of the final segments of his latest mailbag, he mentioned that a College Football Playoff national semifinal game between Alabama and LSU would do crazy numbers as a rematch. He nearly went with the Red River Rivlary, but the Lane Kiffin moved the needle for him. Is this the best rematch Alabama could have?
For those who need a bit of a refresher, here is Alabama's schedule for this upcoming college season.
Date | Opponent | Location | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
Sept. 5 | East Carolina Pirates | Tuscaloosa, AL | 11:00 a.m. CT |
Sept. 12 | at Kentucky Wildcats | Lexington, KY | 2:30 p.m. CT |
Sept. 19 | Florida State Seminoles | Tuscaloosa, AL | 2:30 p.m. CT |
Sept. 26 | South Carolina Gamecocks | Tuscaloosa, AL | 5:00-7:00 p.m. CT |
Oct. 3 | at Mississippi State Bulldogs | Starkville, MS | 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. CT |
Oct. 10 | Georgia Bulldogs | Tuscaloosa, AL | 5:00-7:00 p.m. CT |
Oct. 17 | at Tennessee Volunteers | Knoxville, TN | 2:30-7:00 p.m. CT |
Oct. 24 | Texas A&M Aggies | Tuscaloosa, AL | 2:30-7:00 p.m. CT |
Oct. 31 | BYE | ||
Nov. 7 | at LSU Tigers | Baton Rouge, LA | 2:30-7:00 p.m. CT |
Nov. 14 | at Vanderbilt Commodores | Nashville, TN | 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. CT |
Nov. 21 | Chattanooga Mocs | Tuscaloosa, AL | 1:00 p.m. CT |
Nov. 28 | Auburn Tigers | Tuscaloosa, AL | 2:30-7:00 p.m. CT |
Dec. 5 | SEC Championship | Atlanta, GA | 3:00 p.m. CT |
For the sake of simplicity, let's not include anyone new that Alabama could conceivably face in the SEC Championship during this exercise. It could be any of the other 15 teams in this league, including playoff contenders such as Oklahoma, Ole Miss, and Texas. When it comes to Georgia and Texas A&M already on the schedule, there is a non-zero chance that Alabama could play one of them three times.
So let's not beat around the bush. Here are five potential playoff rematches Alabama fans might want.
5. Texas A&M Aggies (Oct. 24: Tuscaloosa, AL)
There are two ways of looking at this SEC game. A potential playoff rematch with Texas A&M could be exactly what Alabama needs, or precisely what it does not need... It is all contingent on how the Oct. 24 matchup in Tuscaloosa shakes out. While Alabama fans would definitely be hoping for a rematch in the event the Crimson Tide stumble at home, they might not want to see Texas A&M again after a win.
Since Texas A&M was a playoff team a year ago, as well as a serious contender to make it back this year, a loss for either SEC team in this game is probably not going to knock them out of the picture. In short, a rematch could be probable, whether it be in Atlanta or in the playoffs. However, it is hard to place the Texas A&M game any higher for Alabama because it likely requires a home loss in SEC play.
Alabama is definitely capable of beating the Aggies once, but beating them twice is stretching it a bit.
4. South Carolina Gamecocks (Sept. 26, Tuscaloosa, AL)
Of the five teams in question, South Carolina is arguably the least likely to make the playoffs. The Gamecocks nearly made it in two seasons ago. Despite having major expectations last fall, Shane Beamer's team never really got going in 2025. With Alabama hosting South Carolina at the end of September, this is the game of great intrigue during the first third of the Crimson Tide's schedule.
Even though Alabama has had the upper hand in its recent meetings with South Carolina, the Gamecocks have played the Crimson Tide down to the wire. In the event that Alabama and South Carolina could potentially face each other in the playoffs, that would largely hinge on Alabama stumbling at home to the Gamecocks. With LaNorris Sellers at quarterback, anything is possible.
Alabama fans would only welcome a rematch with South Carolina in the event they lost in Week 4.
3. Tennessee Volunteers (Oct. 17: Knoxville, TN)
As is the case with the South Carolina possibility, a potential rematch with Tennessee is highly unlikely. Although the Vols made the playoffs two seasons ago, they have been trending down ever since. In a similar vein as the South Carolina game, Tennessee may only be a playoff team in the event the Vols beat Alabama. With how well they have played the Crimson Tide at home, let's not rule it out.
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With this being a traditional rivalry game for Alabama, an encore of The Third Saturday in October coming in December or January easily cracks this list. It does not matter where Alabama plays the Vols; the Crimson Tide love beating Tennessee. Of the handful of rivals Alabama could possibly face in the playoff, Tennessee is perhaps the most intriguing. Let's just not bank on this one manifesting.
It would be a great way to keep sticking it to Tennessee, or avenging a road loss, but this is so unlikely.
2. LSU Tigers (Nov. 7: Baton Rouge, LA)
And we have arrived at the game Mandel mentioned in his mailbag for The Athletic. Alabama getting LSU for a second time would do numbers in the playoff. In fact, we have seen Alabama play LSU for a national championship this century. It was a rematch that Crimson Tide fans thoroughly enjoyed. It could be in the same vein, as this year's regular-season game will be challenging for Alabama at LSU.
To be frank, the winner of this game likely punches its ticket into the Playoff, especially around the time of year when toe meets leather. Conversely, a defeat may put the losing team's playoff chances on life support, or remove them entirely from the equation. It might all come down to how much you believe in both of these teams or not. One should make the playoffs, but two might be pushing it a bit.
That being said, Mandel is absolutely correct in that Alabama vs. LSU part deux would be a spectacle.
1. Georgia Bulldogs (Oct. 10: Tuscaloosa, AL)
It was always going to be Georgia. Who else could it have been? As stated before, there is a non-zero chance Alabama could face the Dawgs thrice this season: Once at home, once in Atlanta, and once in the playoffs. That would be wild! Given the nature of this emerging SEC rivalry, Alabama is more likely to win both games than to drop the pair. A split is possible, but Alabama has had Georgia's number.
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The beautiful part about this potential rematch is that it would still be enticing even if Alabama won the first leg of it. Yes, Alabama getting a second crack at Georgia after somehow falling to the Dawgs at Bryant-Denny would be worthwhile, but it almost goes without saying. A decent chance at handing Georgia multiple losses next season could have Alabama fans licking their chops over that possibility.
Win or lose, Kalen DeBoer has shown he can more than hang when it comes to facing Kirby Smart.
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