Alabama Crimson Tide football coach Kalen DeBoer is no longer college football’s punchline. That shared honor goes to the Texas Longhorns and Penn State Nittany Lions after their losses to the Florida Gators and UCLA Bruins, respectively, on Saturday.
Alabama is respectable again after a 30-14 win over the Vanderbilt Commodores at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday, one that followed a 24-21 win over the Georgia Bulldogs Between the Hedges last weekend. But that doesn’t mean their ticket to the College Football Playoff is punched.
On one hand, the Florida State Seminoles made things harder for the Tide with their 28-22 loss to the Miami Hurricanes at “The Doak.” FSU started chipping away at Alabama’s resume with a 46-38 double-overtime loss to the Virginia Cavaliers in Charlottesville the week before.
On the other hand, the Crimson Tide still has a tough schedule ahead, with several losable games left to play.
ESPN’s Heather Dinich believes Alabama’s next matchup, a trip to Columbia, Missouri, next weekend for a date with the Mizzou Tigers, is their toughest one remaining. Meanwhile, there are still dates with the Tennessee Volunteers, LSU Tigers, and Oklahoma Sooners in Tuscaloosa.
“The undefeated Tigers had a bye week to prepare, they'll have home-field advantage, and they will be the third straight ranked opponent Alabama faces. The Tide at least get Tennessee, LSU and Oklahoma at home,” Dinich wrote.
DeBoer is not out of the woods yet. Not even close. Another 9-3 finish, or God forbid worse, will light his seat on fire. Fans have been yearning for the Nick Saban days, when the “Bama Standard” was the standard in college football. No one would take the Crimson Tide over the Ohio State Buckeyes right now on a neutral field. Or even at Saban Field.
Not only that, but there are other landmines on Alabama’s schedule that Dinich didn’t mention. Though the South Carolina Gamecocks and Auburn Tigers have already collected multiple losses, both could be dangerous by the time they play the Tide.
For South Carolina, LaNorris Sellers could be back at full strength and fully in rhythm by late October. Sellers suffered a concussion against the Vanderbilt Commodores last month and only started to look more like himself last weekend during a 35-13 win over the Kentucky Wildcats.
Meanwhile, Auburn could be in better shape after a potential change in leadership. While Hugh Freeze’s offense isn’t getting the most out of his former 5-star quarterback and all-SEC receiving corps, a potential replacement may have a better chance. DJ Durkin, the Tigers’ potential interim head coach-in-waiting, has been inspirational to the nation’s No. 33 defense in stop rate. Perhaps his voice could resonate more than Freeze’s has in the locker room.
Bottom line for the Tide: beating Vanderbilt doesn’t mean this team is back. It just means the work to restore the “Bama Standard” has just begun.