Alabama’s move to No. 10 in the new AP Poll was the headline coming out of Week 2, but the ranking only really matters because of what it sets up next.
The Crimson Tide climbed after beating Kentucky on the road, helped by losses from Oregon and Oklahoma ahead of them. That nudged Alabama into the Top 10, but the bigger picture is what waits on the schedule starting October 10th.
That stretch is nasty.
Alabama will play four straight games against AP Top 15 teams, and two of them come away from home:
10/10: vs. No. 2 Georgia
10/17: at No. 15 Tennessee
10/24: vs. No. 9 Texas A&M
11/7: at No. 7 LSU
There may not be a tougher four-game run anywhere in the country. Kalen DeBoer isn’t focused on it yet, but from the fan side, it’s impossible not to look ahead and see how sharp the margin is. Before that gauntlet arrives, Alabama still has to get through Florida State, South Carolina, and Mississippi State.
And that’s the key: the Tide need to be sitting at 5-0 when Georgia comes to town.
If they get there, the cushion changes everything. A 2-2 finish in that stretch could still leave Alabama in strong shape, especially if it handles Vanderbilt, Chattanooga, and Auburn on the other side. At that point, 10-2 would be enough to keep the Crimson Tide in the College Football Playoff conversation.
But 5-0 is far from guaranteed.
Mississippi State on October 3rd is no longer looking like a comfortable stop, especially with Kamario Taylor’s rise at quarterback for the Bulldogs. After that, Alabama has to survive a run that includes a Georgia team that beat the Crimson Tide badly in last December’s SEC Championship Game, a Texas A&M team ranked No. 9, and back-to-back road trips to Knoxville and Baton Rouge.
There’s no easy path through that kind of slate. If Alabama manages to come out of it 2-2, that would be a major result. Anything better, and DeBoer’s case for National Coach of the Year starts looking awfully strong.
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The SECs early-season grip on the sport tightened again in the latest Super 16 poll, and it is hard to miss the leagues footprint at the top. Texas and Georgia sit first and second for the first time in nearly two years, while the conference placed seven teams in the rankings overall, all of them coming off Week 2 victories. For Alabama, the climb back from an uneven start has already begun to look more convincing after its comeback win over Kentucky.
Texas rally against Ohio State got the headlines, but the broader picture is what matters in Tuscaloosa and across the league. The SEC is already setting the pace nationally, and with so many of its teams winning early, the margin for error figures to shrink fast once conference play begins to sort out the contenders from the rest. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Had An Unexpected Game Problem While Trying To Settle Keelon Russell
A third-quarter helmet communication outage briefly turned Alabamas matchup with Kentucky into a test of poise rather than play design, cutting off the usual link between quarterback Keelon Russell and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. For a young quarterback still settling into the rhythm of the offense, it was the kind of in-game hiccup that can expose timing issues fast, but Alabama had the advantage of being prepared for exactly that sort of problem.
Russell said the team practices for those situations, and the Crimson Tide handled it by shifting to sideline commands and keeping the offense moving. Alabama still pulled away for a 45-17 win, but the sequence offered a small reminder that even in a comfortable result, the details around communication can matter just as much as the snaps themselves. [Read more 🡒]
Jireh Edwards Just Gave Alabama Fans A Reason To Watch Him Closely
Jireh Edwards wasted little time giving Alabama a glimpse of why he arrived with such high expectations. The freshman safety was back on the field just 19 days after surgery for a broken arm and still managed to contribute in Alabamas 45-17 win over Kentucky, a quick return that stood out even in a loaded defense. It was also another sign that Edwards has already worked his way into playing time, despite joining a deep safety room as a five-star recruit.
For a young defensive back, the bigger takeaway may be what his return said about how quickly he has earned the trust of the staff and his teammates. Kalen DeBoer and others praised Edwards for both his toughness and the way he performed after such a short recovery window, and that kind of early impression tends to travel fast inside a program. Alabama still has plenty of depth at safety, but Edwards has already made himself worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]