The Alabama Crimson Tide is coming off a tough first year of the Kalen DeBoer era — at least by their own standards.

With a 9-3 regular season record that resulted in missing the first edition of the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, the Tide followed up that bitter result with an embarrassing bowl game loss.

Headed into the second year, there is renewed optimism that Alabama is going to be able to get it together and make a real run under DeBoer.

One of the most prominent college football media figures in fact believes it is more likely than not this season that the Crimson Tide are in the playoff field they missed out on last year.

During an appearance with the Next Round, Josh Pate spoke on Alabama following a recent trip to Tuscaloosa and feels good about the team’s outlook:

“I would expect [Alabama] to be in the College Football Playoff this year.

I would expect them to compete for the SEC Championship this year…” @JoshPateCFB pic.twitter.com/yx7BycQ3sj

— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) May 5, 2025

“Yes I do, I would expect them to be in the playoff this year,” Pate said when asked directly which way he sees it going. “I would expect them to compete for the SEC Championship this year. What I would say is much improved in the consistency department, I think you will have a more dependable result from them week in and week out.”

Pate referenced the roller coaster of performances such as the highest high of beating Georgia before the lowest lows of losing to teams like Vanderbilt and Oklahoma.

One possession games as he pointed out are much more common in today’s game than they were even during the heights of the Saban era, and if Alabama can be better when the game is on the line and overall more consistent, this team will be just fine in 2025.