Alabama heads into its bye week with a familiar advantage under Kalen DeBoer: time off seems to sharpen the Crimson Tide.
The No. 10 Tide are 6-2 overall and 4-2 in SEC play after eight straight weeks against FBS opponents, and they could use the reset. Injuries have piled up on both sides of the ball, and Alabama had more players listed as “out” on the final availability report Saturday than any other SEC team in action.
There is some encouraging news before next Saturday’s trip to face No. 15 LSU. Receiver and team captain Ryan Coleman-Williams is trending in a positive direction to play, and Alabama has been excellent coming off bye weeks with DeBoer in charge.
In DeBoer’s first two seasons at Alabama, the Crimson Tide are 4-0 after bye weeks and have won those games by an average of 12.5 points. Three of those wins came against ranked teams: Georgia and LSU in 2024, then Georgia again in 2025.
The pattern has been clear. Alabama has arrived ready to play after the break, built early leads, and then done enough late to finish the job. Both Georgia games followed that script, with the Tide jumping out front before hanging on through fourth-quarter swings.
The 2024 trip to Baton Rouge against LSU was more one-sided. Alabama took a 21-6 lead into halftime and kept LSU out of the end zone until a garbage-time touchdown with 11 seconds left. Jalen Milroe piled up 185 rushing yards and four touchdowns in the 42-13 win, and the comfortable margin was so secure that previous offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan came down from the coaching booth with several minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Last season’s LSU game was the quietest Alabama has been offensively out of a bye, but the defense handled the heavy lifting in a 20-9 win. LSU never found the end zone, turned it over twice and finished with 232 total yards.
That sets up a major test this week. Alabama goes on the road to face LSU in what is shaping up as a College Football Playoff elimination game, with both teams already carrying two losses. Even with those conference setbacks, LSU still leads the SEC in total offense and total defense.
Lane Kiffin, a former Alabama assistant, is in his first season as LSU’s head coach, and the Tigers spent heavily on his first roster with CFP hopes in Year 1. The matchup also carries added weight because the annual rivalry is set to disappear next season under the SEC’s new permanent opponent format.
DeBoer and his staff have two weeks to get Alabama ready for the top-15 showdown, and the recent bye-week results suggest the Tide have reason to feel good about where they stand.
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Former Alabama Assistant Just Addressed Those Power Four Rumors
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Alabama Has Two Rising Playmakers Fans Need To Watch Closely
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The football side has seen its own rise in production, with Scott turning in a career-high receiving performance and Gibbs contributing as both a runner and receiver. Williams also found the end zone twice for the Lions, another reminder that Alabama fans have plenty of reasons to keep tabs on players whose best stretches may still be ahead of them, even if the bigger questions around consistency are still waiting to be answered. [Read more 🡒]