Following an embarrassing 14-point loss to the then-unranked Florida State Seminoles, the Alabama Crimson Tide has been on a tear, ripping through Weeks 2 and 3 before it started the always daunting task of an SEC schedule.
However, even with the 97-point difference over the last two games, the Crimson Tide is far from slowing down.
Up next, No. 14 Alabama takes on the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs. The entire team, players and staff included, is saying that it refuses to take its foot off the gas pedal.
During an interview with The Next Round, Alabama wide receiver Germie Bernard shared a little bit about the team's mentality, including what offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb is drilling into his players' minds.
"Your process has to get better. [Ryan Grubb] told us a whole story yesterday about this one guy he used to wrestle. It just really stuck out to me," Bernard said. "It’s like, you right. After you get a couple wins, you do start to get a little comfortable. But during this time, we have to get uncomfortable. We have to push ourselves even harder through this process."
Now would be just about the worst time possible for the Crimson Tide to get complacent. The next seven games on Alabama's schedule include six teams that are currently ranked in the Top 25:
Alabama Crimson Tide upcoming schedule
- at No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs, Sept. 27
- vs. No. 20 Vanderbilt Commodores, Oct. 4
- at No. 23 Missouri Tigers, Oct. 11
- vs. No. 15 Tennessee Volunteers, Oct. 18
- at South Carolina Gamecocks, Oct. 25
- vs. No. 3 LSU Tigers, Nov. 8
- vs. No. 11 Oklahoma Sooners, Nov. 15
Not to mention, Alabama has to visit its rival, the No. 22 Auburn Tigers, to cap off the regular season. Simply put, the road ahead is far from easy, and Grubb is entirely correct; a few dominant wins cannot allow the team to relax.
Other than the Gamecocks, the only other unranked matchup that the Crimson Tide has on its remaining regular-season schedule is the non-conference game against the Eastern Illinois Panthers, on Nov. 22.
While the Tide is on a bye in Week 4, the team has to be at its best possible level against the Bulldogs in two weeks' time. Alabama and Georgia are scheduled to kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, Sept. 27. The game will be broadcast on ABC.