The Alabama Crimson Tide earned another victory on Saturday evening by a score of 49-18 over the South Carolina Gamecocks at Bryant-Denny Stadium to get to 4-0, and folks are excited about the No. 7 ranked team in the nation.

It has not been all pretty from the Tide on offense and defense here in the early going, but this very young football team seems to be taking significant steps with every passing week, and on the offensive side of the ball, the potential is beginning to look tantalizing.

Sophomore quarterback Keelon Russell looked shaky in the first half of the SEC opener in week two against Kentucky, but since that moment, he has been absolutely dominant and is getting better with every rep he gets.

Yep. He's the real deal. pic.twitter.com/Nsm0iFHKse

— Michael Brauner (@MBraunerWNSP) September 26, 2026

Man look at Keelon Russell

Eyes always downfield

This is what a good QB looks like. Navigate the pressure don’t just scramble to scramble pic.twitter.com/CHDgaswWhB

— CFBTalkDaily (@CFBTalkDaily) September 27, 2026

3rd and 12 and a bad snap, but Keelon Russell still puts it on the money for the 1st down. pic.twitter.com/nkVbIX0nAP

— JAiHAWKFLY℠ (@JAiHAWKFLY) September 27, 2026

Russell completed 21 of his 27 attempts against South Carolina with 365 yards through the air and four touchdowns with no interceptions, as well as 35 yards and a touchdown on the ground. He is looking more confident, poised, and in control of this offense, and with his development, the unit is absolutely unstoppable right now and only getting better.

Doing it against teams like Florida State and South Carolina is one thing, what Alabama faces over the next month and a half is an entirely different one.

Starting with a short road trip this week to Starkville to take on a ranked Mississippi State team led by an electric quarterback of their own in Kamario Taylor, these next five games are an absolutely brutal stretch of opponents. After this week, Georgia comes to town for an epic clash of two of the best teams in the nation, and beyond that awaits a trip to Knoxville for the Third Saturday in October.

The Tide will then return home for another tough game against Texas A&M before a bye week and then one of the biggest games of the year on the road in Baton Rouge to face Lane Kiffin and the LSU Tigers.

This stretch of five games is going to define the 2026 season for Alabama, and if Russell and the offense are up to the task, this can be a team that will contend for a national title. Right now, it looks like they are, but Russell is about to experience the SEC in a way he has not had to do yet, and how he handles the upcoming gauntlet will show a whole lot about him.