It is said that revenge is a dish best served cold. That perspective will not be the mindset of the Alabama Crimson Tide in two games in 2026. The Tide's pursuit of revenge may be tempered by time and focused by calculation, but it will still seethe.
Sound advice is to not dwell on the past and move on to future challenges. But future challenges can include payback opportunities and the Crimson Tide had two in the first five weeks of the 2026 season.
Alabama opens with a respectable East Carolina team that may surprise Crimson Tide fans but not Kalen DeBoer's team. A trip to Lexington to take on a new Kentucky team comes next in the SEC opener. Will Stein has rebuilt the Wildcats through 29 transfer additions, but the Cats will still be unlikely to serious threaten the Crimson Tide. With some growing pains, Alabama will still start 2-0.
Alabama Crimson Tide Paybacks
Payback No. 1 comes for Alabama in Week 3 with the Florida State Seminoles coming to Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide mostly recovered from the 31-17 loss to the Noles last season, but it remains a serious black mark against Kalen DeBoer. DeBoer cannot afford another loss to FSU. Mike Norvell will also be in a bad need for a win. FSU limped to a 5-7 season, dropping seven of nine games after a 3-0 start.
The Crimson Tide's most important payback comes on Oct. 10, when the Georgia Bulldogs come to Tuscaloosa. It almost doesn't matter that Alabama has won 10 of its last 12 games against the Bulldogs. In the last five seasons, Alabama has lost two championships to Georgia. The most recent, the 2025 SEC Championship, was a one-sided beatdown worse than the 28-7 score. The Georgia defense dominated Kalen DeBoer's offense in Atlanta. Alabama was 3-for-14 on third downs, largely the result of a game total of net, minus three yards rushing.
The Crimson Tide has much to prove in October, to the college football world and to itself. Alabama is expected to be the underdog in Tuscaloosa. Carter Bahns of CBS Sports wrote, "If one side has the potential to run away with it, though, it would be Georgia, which boasts more continuity at key positions."
A dream revenge for Alabama Crimson Tide fans would be wins over FSU, Georgia, and a playoff win over the Indiana Hoosiers. But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves.