The Alabama Crimson Tide is just a few weeks away from putting toe to leather on a brand new football season, and it’s the second year under Kalen DeBoer after the former Washington head coach took over for Nick Saban following the 2023 campaign.

While the DeBoer era got off to a roaring start with yet another victory over the Georgia Bulldogs, things came to a screeching halt the following week against Vanderbilt and would get even worse with losses to Tennessee as well as a dreadful Oklahoma team late to end the College Football Playoff pursuit.

This year, the schedule for Alabama is as brutal as ever – and it’s never been harder in college football to get through a regular season unblemished.

How many losses is of course the ultimate question, because losses are inevitable.

For the Tide, where could the first one come? Here are three possibilities and a prediction:

Week 5: September 27, @ Georgia Bulldogs

Alabama heads to Athens for the first time in over a decade this year with a post-bye week road game against Kirby Smart and his Bulldogs. In last year’s edition, the Tide got off to a dominant 28-0 start in Tuscaloosa, but Georgia came roaring back and it made for an all-time classic Alabama victory when they were able to hold on.

Alabama will have to get through a road game against Florida State as well as ULM and Wisconsin at home, but the heavy chances are that they go to Athens without a blemish.

Simply put, Georgia is still Georgia and facing them on the road in their building is the toughest game on the schedule this year. There is a very real chance of a loss here.

Week 9: October 25, @ South Carolina

The Gamecocks have one of the best quarterbacks in the nation in LaNorris Sellers, and historically speaking, it takes a special quarterbacking performance to take down the Tide. Columbia will be absolutely rocking as one of college football’s most underrated environments and it will be a very hostile place to play.

If Alabama can somehow start out 7-0 before this matchup, a record which would include a home victory over Tennessee, it’s only gonna ramp up the pressure even more so.

Week 10: November 8, vs. LSU

If the Tide is 8-0 headed into the LSU game, they will all but guaranteed be the No. 1 ranked team in the country, but the back end of the schedule might be even harder than the start. After their second bye week, the first game is against the Tigers in Tuscaloosa before trying to avenge a loss against a much improved Oklahoma team the following week and of course the Iron Bowl on the road.

LSU has had more historical success in Bryant-Denny Stadium than they have hosting the Tide, so they will not be overwhelmed. Another quarterback performance which could be phenomenal from Garrett Nussmeier, and the Tigers could absolutely head back home with a victory.

Prediction

For as much as it would sting to lose an early game given what Alabama has waiting for it over the second half, it feels like the Georgia game is going to be an extremely tall task to overcome.

It will be the first SEC start for new quarterback Ty Simpson, and very quickly it will show whether or not he’s ready for it in front of a raucous crowd and an always nasty Kirby Smart defense. It won’t be a blowout, but the Tide take one on the chin in Athens and lose to the Bulldogs for the first time in the regular season since 2007.