Alabama gets a Saturday off for the first time this season, and the timing could hardly be better. The Crimson Tide’s open date arrives with Kalen DeBoer’s team trying to nurse injured players back to health while still staying alive in the race for both the College Football Playoff and the SEC championship game.
That means the Tide’s chances this weekend aren’t limited to what happens in Tuscaloosa. A few other scores around the country could help Alabama’s case in a big way. One game could also shape the conversation around the program for reasons that have nothing to do with trophies.
Here’s how Crimson Tide fans should be looking at the slate.
Georgia vs. Florida
Root for: It’s complicated
This one depends on how Alabama fans feel about the SEC championship game. If Georgia loses in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, that could make the path to Atlanta a little smoother for the Crimson Tide. On the other hand, Alabama’s own close loss would look better if Georgia beats a ranked Florida team.
That’s the twist here: the same result can help Alabama in one way and hurt in another. Georgia’s game against Florida, which will be played indoors at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta this year, may end up mattering to the Tide either way.
Texas vs. Mississippi State
Texas is sitting at No. 11 in the AP poll, one spot behind Alabama, so the Longhorns are right in the Tide’s neighborhood. Mississippi State would need a major upset to change that, especially with the Bulldogs on a three-game skid that started with their loss to Alabama and continued against Oklahoma and LSU.
Kamario Taylor is out, which only makes the task tougher for Mississippi State. Still, if the Bulldogs somehow knock off Texas, that would remove a team that could be part of Alabama’s playoff picture down the line.
Ole Miss vs. Auburn
Root for: Auburn
This is the one that will make Alabama fans squirm. Nobody in Tuscaloosa wants to see Auburn win, period. But in this case, a Tigers victory could actually end up helping the Tide.
Ole Miss is in the mix for a playoff spot, too, so an Auburn win would chip away at a team Alabama may be competing with for one of those final CFP places. It would also create the possibility of Auburn building enough momentum to become a better-looking win in the Iron Bowl, especially if the Tigers can climb into the top 25.
Of course, that only matters if Alabama handles the rest of its own business and wins the Iron Bowl.
And then there’s the coaching chatter that surfaced this week. Lincoln Riley is still at Southern Cal, but after a string of rough losses, the national conversation turned to whether USC could move on and look at DeBoer. Former Washington AD Jen Cohen, who brought DeBoer to the Huskies, is now running things in Los Angeles, which is why the speculation has gained traction.
Even so, landing DeBoer may be easier said than done for USC, especially with the Trojans not part of the national championship picture since the Pete Carroll era. Still, the simplest outcome for everyone might be for Riley to stay put. A win over the No. 2 team in the country would certainly help that cause.
In Other News...
Former Alabama Rusher Sparks New Debate After Another Career Twist
Noah Carters path has taken another sharp turn, and it leaves one more question hanging over a career that has already changed directions once. The former Alabama edge rusher, who transferred to Georgia Tech, was removed from the Yellow Jackets football program after appearing in four games this season and still managing three sacks despite dealing with injury issues.
For Alabama fans who watched him leave and then keep producing elsewhere, the latest development adds another layer to an already unusual story. Georgia Tech has not offered an official reason for the dismissal, so for now Carters next step is unclear, and the situation only deepens the debate around a player whose talent has never been in doubt. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Gets A Crucial Break Before A Massive LSU Test
The bye week comes at a good time for Alabama after its recent win over Texas A&M, giving the Crimson Tide a chance to catch its breath and reset before the stretch run. At 6-2 overall and 4-2 in SEC play, Alabama has stayed in the thick of the conference race, but the schedule has not exactly eased up on a team already working through several injuries to key players.
Next up is LSU on Nov. 7, and that matchup looms as one of the biggest on the calendar no matter where either program sits in the standings. For Alabama, the open date is more than just a pause in the schedule. It is a needed window to get healthier, clean up what has shown up over the first eight games and prepare for a rivalry test that could shape the rest of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Recruiting Has An Early Problem Fans Will Notice
Alabamas 2027 recruiting class is off to a slower start than fans are used to seeing, with ESPN currently ranking it 32nd nationally. For a program that measures itself against national title standards, that is a number that stands out, even this far from signing day. The Tide do already have two quarterback commitments in Elijah Haven and Trent Seaborn, both of whom have put up strong high school production and give the class an important foundation.
The bigger concern is what comes next, because Alabama has to keep building around that early quarterback start if it wants to stay in the championship conversation down the road. A class sitting outside the usual elite tier is not where the Crimson Tide want to be, especially with the rest of the country continuing to push hard on the recruiting trail. There is plenty of time to climb, but this is the kind of early marker fans will notice and monitor closely. [Read more 🡒]