Before Alabama ever kicked off in 2026, the outside world had already handed down its verdict. This was supposed to be a bridge year, the kind of season that buys time, not trophies.
Too much turnover. Too many new pieces.
Too many questions about Kalen DeBoer’s first immediate run after the Tide lost 15 combined offensive and defensive starters, watched more than 24 players leave through the transfer portal, returned only 41% of its snaps, and opened the year at No. 13 - its lowest preseason spot since 2008.
The expectations were modest by Alabama standards. Some pegged the Tide for 8-4.
The more common forecast landed at 9-3, maybe 10-2 if everything clicked. Good enough to stay in the conversation, the thinking went, but not good enough to seriously threaten in the SEC or the College Football Playoff.
Five games in, that whole storyline already looks stale.
Alabama is 5-0 for the first time since 2022, and the record is only part of the story. The more important detail is the way this team is winning. The Tide has become a clean example of complementary football: Kane Wommack’s defense isn’t just getting stops, it’s creating possessions, while DeBoer and Ryan Grubb’s offense is cashing those chances in for points.
That formula has powered the undefeated start. Alabama’s defense has piled up 16 sacks and 16 turnovers, and the offense has been flawless in the red zone, going 25-for-25. The result has been a scoring spree that has Alabama putting up at least 45 points in every game this season, the second-longest such streak in program history, behind only the six-game run in 2018.
Saturday in Starkville pushed the message even louder.
Alabama went to Mississippi State and rolled to a 56-23 win over the No. 16 Bulldogs, setting a program record for points in a road game against a ranked opponent.
It was the kind of performance that does more than pad a record. It reinforces what DeBoer keeps seeing from this group.
“I think we are a very strong team physically,” DeBoer said. “When we execute, that’s a lot of it.
I think that’s the difference right now is guys executing, playing confident, trusting each other; then they can cut loose the ability that they have physically to go out there, and whether it’s taking a guy down to the ground or breaking tackles, obviously blocking at the point of attack and just the physicality up front; our guys are taking pride on both sides of the ball with what that looks like. And so, I know it’s become an identity for us.
We talk about it every single day, and those guys are believing. Today, I thought we went out there and cut it loose.”
That’s the shift in the Alabama conversation. The Tide was supposed to spend this season absorbing growing pains and looking ahead. Instead, it has arrived right now, and it has done it with enough force to make itself look like a real national title contender.
The challenge ahead is obvious. Next Saturday brings No.
3 Georgia to Tuscaloosa in primetime, with the entire sport watching. After that comes a trip to Knoxville to face No.
20 Tennessee.
Those games will tell the truth about this 5-0 start. Was it just a hot opening stretch, or the start of something bigger?
Either way, the bridge-year label is gone. Alabama has moved past the waiting game, and now it has to show it was built for exactly this.
In Other News...
Alabama Found Two Reasons To Feel Better Before Georgia
Before Alabama turns its attention to Georgia, there were a couple of encouraging signs worth noting from the latest game. Keelon Russell gave the offense a lift by throwing for 285 yards and three touchdowns while adding a score on the ground, and the run game got meaningful help from a deeper group of backs, including Traeshawn Brown and EJ Crowell.
Xavier Griffin also stood out on the other side of the ball, leading the team in tackles and helping make several key defensive plays. Just as important for a defense looking to steady itself, Alabamas run front was much firmer against Mississippi State, holding the Bulldogs to 18 rushing yards and giving the Tide something concrete to carry into a bigger test. [Read more 🡒]
Bryce Underwoods Struggles Leave Michigan With An Uncomfortable Week 5 Reality
Keelon Russells rise has become one of the more notable developments around Alabamas early-season start, and the quarterbacks recent stretch has only sharpened the attention. After throwing four touchdowns in the spring game and then piling up 10 passing touchdowns and 970 yards over three games, he has helped steady a team that rolled to a 56-23 win and moved to 5-0.
For Alabama, that kind of production matters not just in the standings but in the broader SEC picture, where quarterback play can change the feel of a season quickly. Around the country, other programs were dealing with their own storylines in Week 5, but Russells emergence has given Alabama a promising answer at the position and left the rest of the league watching what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Has A Real Shot To Climb After Saturdays Top 25 Chaos
Saturdays college football slate did Alabama a favor, even before the next AP Top 25 poll gets posted. USC barely survived an upset scare, Ohio State and Missouri both had results worth watching, and a few teams around the country did enough to create the kind of weekend that tends to shake up the middle and upper tiers of the rankings.
For Alabama, the bigger point is simple: the Crimson Tide have a real path to move up if the voters decide the chaos mattered as much as the resumes. The poll will be refreshed soon, and with conference play still unfolding, there is a decent chance the order gets jumbled in a way that opens the door for Alabama to climb if enough teams ahead of it wobble. [Read more 🡒]