Alabama’s season has reached a point where Saturday feels less like a game and more like a reset button.
The fallout from the Tennessee loss is still hanging over the Crimson Tide, and it’s not just because of the final score. By the time the fourth quarter was over, Alabama had gone from being viewed as a national title contender to a team people are suddenly questioning against almost anybody on the schedule outside Chattanooga. That shift happened fast, and Monday’s press sessions did little to calm the unease.
Ryan Grubb did at least acknowledge that his performance was poor. But that was about the only part of the offensive discussion that offered any relief. Kalen DeBoer backed him, as he had to, and that only bothered some Alabama fans more when DeBoer described Grubb as a great play-caller.
The bigger picture from the Tennessee game wasn’t just about Grubb, though. Kane Wommack took some of the heat, but the criticism really circles back to both Grubb and DeBoer.
Alabama’s defense held up in the first half, and DeBoer’s choice of Wommack’s scheme - one built around keeping everything in front of it - was on display throughout. Wommack admitted Monday that every opponent knows what to expect, and Tennessee spent the second half both pounding away and picking apart the Tide.
His insistence that the scheme is fine when it’s executed properly didn’t do much to win back fans.
That’s why Saturday against the Aggies has taken on such a different feel. Both teams could use a get-well game, but Alabama needs more than that.
A win is enough for the Aggies. For the Crimson Tide, the situation is more complicated.
They need to settle themselves on both sides of the ball, and they still have to do it with an injury-depleted roster. Fans, meanwhile, are worried the coaches will remain stubborn.
The larger conversation now turns to the Playoff picture. Some in national media are giving Alabama only a slim shot at making the field, and there’s also talk that the SEC may only send three teams. Pete Futiak of College Football News predicts exactly that.
If Alabama wins out, 10-2 should be enough to get into the 12-team field. But 9-3? That path does not look promising.
A loss to LSU in Baton Rouge, or any other defeat down the stretch, could turn Kalen DeBoer’s third Alabama season into a failure. It’s not fair to call a 9-3 coach a failure in a vacuum, but at Alabama, in this expanded Playoff era, that’s the standard. And the uncomfortable part is that a worse outcome may be even more likely: the possibility that nothing changes to fix what went wrong.
In Other News...
Alabama Pass Rush Problem Could Follow The Tide Into Texas A&M
The pass rush has become one of the more uncomfortable storylines around Alabama after the Tide managed just one sack in each of their last two games, both losses. Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack has pointed to the same issue showing up again and again, with recent opponents getting the ball out quickly enough to blunt pressure before it can turn into a disruption.
Now the challenge appears to be waiting again with Texas A&M, which could bring a similar approach when it meets Alabama. If the Aggies are able to spread the ball around and keep the quarterback moving through reads fast, the Tide will need to find a way to create heat without relying on a rush that has not consistently gotten home lately. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Faces Growing Pressure To Stop This Slide Fast
Alabama heads into its matchup with Texas A&M carrying an unfamiliar weight after consecutive losses, the programs first back-to-back regular-season defeats since 2007. For a team used to setting the tone in the SEC, the timing could hardly be worse, especially with offensive issues starting up front and showing up in the passing game. The Tide have little margin to let the skid linger.
Texas A&M brings its own questions, but the Aggies have at least shown signs of improvement on defense, which only adds to the challenge Alabama is facing. Both teams need a response to steady their SEC standing, and for Alabama the pressure is about more than one result. It is about whether the slide gets stopped now, before it becomes something harder to shake. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Finally Has A Real Opening For AK Dear
AK Dear has spent most of the 2026 season waiting for his chance, and so far it has been a quiet one. The Alabama running back has only two carries for six yards, a number that reflects how limited his role has been since the season began, even after he arrived with the kind of recruiting buzz that made him one of the more intriguing young players on the roster.
Now the path looks a little more open. With EJ Crowell dealing with a knee injury and Alabama struggling to get much going on the ground, Dear could be in line for a bigger workload when the Crimson Tide face Texas A&M. He flashed promise in his debut season, but his usage has dipped this year, and this matchup may finally give Alabama a better look at what he can do with real touches. [Read more 🡒]