Alabama is set to kick off its 2028 football season with a matchup against Georgia State on September 2, as announced by the school on Monday. This addition brings Alabama's schedule to 13 known games for the year, hinting that one of its three other non-conference clashes-against Ohio State on September 9, UT-Martin on September 16, or at Oklahoma State on September 23-will need to be rescheduled or canceled. No further schedule changes were revealed by the school on Monday.
In 2028, Alabama will face nine SEC opponents, marking the third season under the new conference format set to start this fall. The Crimson Tide will hit the road for games against Georgia, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas A&M. Meanwhile, their home SEC battles will feature Auburn, Kentucky, LSU, and Vanderbilt.
Alabama's athletics director, Greg Byrne, emphasized last year the importance of maintaining seven home games, which would require scheduling three non-conference home games for 2028.
Historically, Alabama holds a 2-0 record against Georgia State, a program that launched its football team in 2010. The last time these teams met was in 2013, although a planned 2020 game was canceled due to the pandemic-induced shift to a conference-only schedule.