Alabama’s trip to Mississippi State comes with an unusual wrinkle: no overnight stay in Starkville. Instead, the Crimson Tide will bus in on Saturday morning for the 11 a.m. CT kickoff, a setup Kalen DeBoer said will require his team to be sharp and intentional.
“We got to go on the road and travel that morning, so it’s gonna be a little different- different set up that way, too,” DeBoer told reporters on Tuesday. “Just being intentional.
Challenging our guys. These guys all care.
They care so much. They’ll put the work in.
They’ll be intentional. They’ll bank some, sleep some extra hours to make sure they’re ready to go on Saturday.”
The change is not expected to rattle Alabama much. DeBoer’s practices are already built around mornings, which keeps the adjustment fairly small even with the added bus ride.
Running back Daniel Hill shrugged off the idea that the schedule will matter.
“We practice in the morning,” Hill said. “Every day, early morning, gotta wake up. So it really shouldn’t be a factor for us, and we’ll be ready to go.”
This one carries a little more weight than a routine road game. Alabama is 4-0, Mississippi State is 4-0, and the Bulldogs have Kamario Taylor, one of the SEC’s top quarterbacks through the first month of the season.
It will be Alabama’s second 11 a.m. CT start of the year, though the first came at home against East Carolina. Safety Bray Hubbard said he isn’t spending much time worrying about the timing either.
“What time is it right now?” Hubbard asked assembled media, who told him it was 11:41 a.m. on Tuesday.
“I mean, we’re already done with practice. So we’re kind of used to getting up early and getting everything going.
I don’t really know exactly the whole schedule of what time we’re leaving and stuff… But I mean, we’re here during the week for practice. We usually get here, 6 o’clock, we’re in meetings by 7, so I mean, we’re used to waking up early and having to get our engines going for early practice.
“... We’re usually practicing 9 o’clock.
So yeah, obviously we’ll stay here in Tuscaloosa, but it’s just a quick little bus ride over there. It’s kind of similar to if we were playing at Auburn.
We always would drive from Montgomery over to Auburn, so it’s very similar.”
In Other News...
Kalen DeBoers Starkville Travel Plan Says A Lot About Alabama Prep
Kalen DeBoers travel plan for Alabamas trip to Mississippi State says plenty about how the staff is handling this week. Rather than bus to Starkville on Friday and spend the night there, the Crimson Tide will remain in Tuscaloosa and leave Saturday morning, a setup DeBoer tied to past practice and the availability of the teams preferred accommodations at home.
It also gives a small window into the rhythm Alabama wants heading into the game. The team is set to depart early Saturday and begin practice at 9 a.m. CT, with players typically checking in at 6:45 a.m. CT, a schedule that keeps the focus on routine and preparation right up to kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Faces An O-Line Concern Heading Into Mississippi State
The SECs new injury reporting policy is already putting a little more light on Alabamas health picture as the Crimson Tide head into its conference game against Mississippi State. This weeks report lists right tackle Jayvin James as questionable, a note that matters on a front line where availability can shape everything from protection to play-calling, while other names around the roster are trending toward being available.
Alabamas overall injury list still has some longer-term concerns attached to it, too, with Jeremiah Beaman and Cayden Jones among the players confirmed to miss the 2026 season because of injuries. For a team navigating the grind of SEC play, the immediate question is less about the long view and more about how the Tide lines up at a spot that can change the tone of a game before it even settles in. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Saban Just Took Another Hard Line In The Pay Fight
Nick Saban used a recent appearance on ESPNs First Take to weigh in on the Protect College Sports Act, and the longtime Alabama coach made clear he sees the issue of athlete compensation through a different lens than many of the sports most vocal advocates. The proposal is designed to boost pay for student-athletes while also protecting womens and Olympic sports, and it would add more structure around topics such as transfer rules, eligibility limits and agent fees.
Sabans argument was rooted in the idea that player pay and coach pay operate in separate markets, with him comparing a students scholarship to a professors salary as part of his broader case. The legislation also includes a retention fund for athlete compensation, which puts the debate squarely at the intersection of fairness, roster stability and the future shape of college sports, the same terrain Saban has been challenging for years. [Read more 🡒]