Tide Takes: DeBoer has a chance to make a statement in first real test at Alabama

Every Monday, we present “Tide Takes”, where we’ll get into a different topic on the Crimson Tide, break down the previous game, preview the upcoming game, and everything in between.

The first edition of what many consider the worst two weeks of the year is officially behind us, as the Alabama Crimson Tide’s first bye week has ended, and the focus now shifts to Georgia.

The highly anticipated matchup has been circled on calendars for over a year. The Tide are preparing to host the Bulldogs in what may be the marquee game of the entire regular season, not just this week’s slate of college football.

Not only is it a huge game and a massive opportunity for Alabama to host one of the best teams in the country at home — it’s also a chance for Kalen DeBoer to earn a signature win early in his tenure and begin to put his own stamp on the program.

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Of course it’s a tremendous opportunity for DeBoer, it also comes with tremendous pressure. Famously, DeBoer’s predecessor Nick Saban, while also being the greatest coach in the history of the sport, was 5-1 against Kirby Smart’s Georgia teams.

Saban and the Tide were the only obstacle preventing Georgia from fully taking over college football. This Saturday offers Georgia the opportunity to make a definitive statement, right in Alabama’s own backyard, that Saban is gone, and there’s a new sheriff in town in the SEC.

If DeBoer can make that happen, it would go a long way in winning over any Alabama fans who were skeptical of his hiring. More importantly, it would send a clear message that even though Saban is no longer in Tuscaloosa, the Tide isn’t going anywhere.

Win or lose, it will be a ‘welcome to the SEC’ for DeBoer as he gets an up-close look at the program he will have to fend off in order to keep the Crimson Tide as the envy of the conference.