Alabama heads into Baton Rouge next Saturday with the kind of game that can bend a season in a hurry, and Kalen DeBoer is right in the middle of it.
The Crimson Tide are staring at LSU in a matchup that carries enormous weight for both sides, and a third loss would all but knock Alabama out of the College Football Playoff picture. The 24-team format leaves a sliver of room, but not much. Even if Alabama gets this one, LSU still comes to Bryant-Denny next month, so the path ahead does not get any simpler.
That’s what makes the question so sharp: how big is this game for DeBoer?
For now, the good news for Alabama is that they are still being discussed in playoff terms this late in the 2026 season. Even with a couple of losses, the Tide are still alive in the hunt for a national championship, and that alone says plenty about where they stand.
There’s also the backdrop in Baton Rouge. Death Valley is as tough a road environment as there is, but night game or not, it has not been a place that has consistently stopped Alabama.
LSU has beaten the Tide only twice since 2008. DeBoer’s lone trip there as Alabama’s coach ended in a 29-point win.
This time, though, the setup is different. The game will not kick off at night in Tiger Stadium for the first time since 2010, to the shock of the college football world and dismay of Lane Kiffin. His Tigers are coming off a big win over Auburn and bringing momentum into a rivalry game that clearly matters a great deal to him, especially against a team he has never beaten.
For Alabama, the math is simple. The Tide need to find a way out of a hostile building with a win, because the season is now sitting on that edge. And if they do end up needing the Iron Bowl to save them, that would make for a very uneasy finish - though at least this one won’t be played in Jordan-Hare.
In Other News...
Alabama Still Has One Noah Rogers Decision Hanging Over The Offense
Noah Rogers has been back in the mix since Week 4, but Alabama still has not fully unlocked what it wants from the NC State transfer. A knee injury in spring practice slowed his rollout, and while the staff has clearly been interested in finding more room for him on offense, the challenge has been fitting him into an already crowded rotation without pulling someone else off the field.
Kalen DeBoer has said the Tide would like to involve Rogers more, which leaves this as more than a simple health update. It is a usage question now, and one that will keep lingering as Alabama sorts out how to balance its personnel. Elsewhere around the program, sophomore guard Amari Allen is entering the year with some real buzz after being named preseason All-SEC first team by league coaches following a strong freshman season and a solid preseason showing. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Heads To LSU With DeBoer Taking A Very Different Approach
The Alabama-LSU matchup on Nov. 7 already carried plenty of weight, but Lane Kiffin helped sharpen the edge by calling out the SECs decision to put the game in an afternoon window and suggesting the schedule favors LSU. His comments added another layer to a rivalry that rarely needs much help getting attention, especially with both programs entering a stretch where every move feels magnified.
Kalen DeBoer, meanwhile, has taken a noticeably different tack in the buildup, keeping the focus on Alabama rather than joining the public back-and-forth. With LSU dealing with injuries and the stakes obvious for the Crimson Tide, the game sets up as one of those November tests that can reshape the conversation around Alabama almost immediately, depending on how it plays out. [Read more 🡒]
Kalen DeBoer Just Landed In An Alabama Scenario Fans Will Hate
Kalen DeBoer is already getting pulled into the kind of rumor mill Alabama fans never want to see around a coach who is still settling in. After signing a long-term deal with the Crimson Tide, DeBoer has nevertheless surfaced as a name to watch if USC ever decides to make a change with Lincoln Riley, whose tenure in Los Angeles has yet to produce a national championship or a College Football Playoff berth.
For Alabama, the concern is obvious: whenever a coach starts showing up on another blue-bloods wish list, the speculation follows. DeBoers contract was built to give the Tide stability, but the USC angle keeps his name in circulation for a job that would be hard for any coach to ignore, and it leaves Alabama fans waiting to see whether the noise fades or grows louder. [Read more 🡒]