Alabama has reached October with its season still clean in the most important column, and now the schedule starts to tighten fast.
The Crimson Tide is 4-0 and ranked No. 7, but the next month will ask a lot more questions than the first one did. First up is a trip to No.
16 Mississippi State, which is 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the SEC. That begins a run in which Alabama will face four ranked opponents across its next five games.
That was the shape of the challenge before the season even began. October looked like the toughest month on the calendar because Georgia and Texas A&M were both set to come to Bryant-Denny Stadium, and both were expected to be major hurdles.
Texas A&M, though, has not lived up to the preseason buzz and is sitting at 2-2 and 0-2 in the SEC. Mississippi State, on the other hand, has been better than many expected.
The real question now is what kind of record Alabama can realistically stack up through this stretch. A 3-1 month would leave the Crimson Tide in strong position for the College Football Playoff picture heading into November. If Alabama somehow runs the table, it would be sitting very pretty for the postseason.
The toughest matchup on paper is the Oct. 10 game against No. 2 Georgia.
Alabama has had plenty of regular-season success against the Bulldogs dating back to the Nick Saban era, and Kalen DeBoer is also 2-0 against Georgia in the regular season. Even so, that game stands out as the biggest test of the month.
Tennessee is another serious challenge. The Volunteers just pushed No. 1 Texas to the brink in Neyland Stadium, and Alabama has lost its last two trips to Knoxville.
A perfect October is certainly on the board, especially if quarterback Keelon Russell keeps raising his level of play. Still, that feels like the ceiling rather than the expectation. A 3-1 finish is the most reasonable forecast for Alabama this month.
Oct. 3 at Mississippi State
Oct. 10 vs.
Georgia
Oct. 17 at Tennessee
Oct. 24 vs. Texas A&M
Nov. 7 at LSU
Nov. 14 at Vanderbilt
Nov. 21 vs. Chattanooga
Nov. 28 vs. Auburn
In Other News...
Derek Meadows Is Becoming An Alabama Concern For A Bigger Reason
Derek Meadows season has taken on an odd shape for Alabama, because the sophomore receiver arrived with some interest but has barely found a foothold once the games started. He had three catches for 44 yards in the opener, then went quiet, while Rico Scott has settled into the tertiary receiver spot behind Ryan Coleman-Williams and Lotzeir Brooks. For a passing game that always has room for another trusted target, the absence of any real uptick in Meadows usage has become noticeable.
Alabamas coaching staff has not increased his role, and that leaves Meadows in a tricky place as the season moves along. The competition around him is real, his path to steady snaps is unclear, and the longer he goes without earning more work, the more his future with the program starts to feel like part of the conversation. With other players pushing for touches and speculation already drifting toward a possible transfer, this is becoming more than a depth-chart issue for the Tide. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Faces One Early Kickoff Test Before Mississippi State
Alabamas trip to Starkville comes with one of the more awkward scheduling quirks on the calendar, an 11 a.m. CT kickoff against Mississippi State that will send the Crimson Tide onto the road and into game mode before most stadiums are fully awake. It is the kind of setup that can test a teams routine, especially when travel and an early start are stacked together on the same day.
Bray Hubbard said the Tide are built for that kind of adjustment because their days already begin early with meetings and practice. For a program that leans on structure and pace throughout the week, the short turnaround between arrival and kickoff may be more of a nuisance than a hurdle, but it still adds a layer to a game Alabama will be expected to handle cleanly. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Saban Is Now At The Center Of An Uncomfortable Debate
Nick Sabans post-coaching profile has kept him in the middle of college footballs biggest conversations, and his latest involvement has only sharpened the spotlight. Since retiring after the 2023 season and moving into a broadcaster role with ESPN, the former Alabama coach has remained a powerful voice around the sport, including in his prominent push for the Protect College Sports Act.
Paul Finebaum, though, argued that Sabans presence in that debate may not resonate the way it once did, saying the Hall of Fame coach is out of step with todays players. Finebaum pointed to Georgias Kirby Smart as a sharper fit for the modern college football moment, creating an awkward contrast for a figure whose opinions still carry enormous weight in the sport and especially across the SEC. [Read more 🡒]