Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer expects to be "challenged" and "tested" next year in SEC

Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer did not have the best first season in charge of the Crimson Tide. They came into the season with the usual high expectations of making the SEC championship game and were widely seen as a safe bet to make the newly expanded 12-team College Football Playoff.

In reality, neither happened, and the Crimson Tide ended their season with a 9-4 record, with three losses to SEC opponents putting them out of playoff contention.

At Senior Bowl practice on Tuesday, DeBoer spoke about the Crimson Tide's nonconference schedule for the 2025 season.

"We’re at eight right now, and so this next year with Florida State as the opener and then a couple of weeks later with Wisconsin, it’s a good, competitive schedule," DeBoer said. "That’s what we want leading into conference play. So that’s the way we want it. We wanna be challenged and be tested going into SEC action."

Normally, Power Four programs use the nonconference games at the beginning of the season to play significantly weaker schools, with potentially one "big" opponent from a fellow Power Four conference in the mix.

However, Alabama is not following this structure for the 2025 season. They plan to use this part of the season to make sure they are fully prepared for what is going to be a tough SEC schedule.

The Crimson Tide open their season against the Florida State Seminoles. The Seminoles had a poor 2024 season but are likely to improve in 2025 and hope to return to the upper tiers of the ACC.

They then have an easier game against UL Monroe, immediately followed by a game against the Big Ten's Wisconsin Badgers. This means Alabama faces two Power Four schools in their nonconference games.

Alabama's SEC schedule

Immediately after the Badgers game, Alabama enters its SEC schedule. It starts with the Crimson Tide facing conference champions, the Georgia Bulldogs, in a game that will likely be important for both teams' playoff chances. A week later, Alabama will seek revenge against the Vanderbilt Commodores, followed by a game against the Missouri Tigers.

Alabama will also have to face the likes of the Tennessee Volunteers, Oklahoma Sooners and LSU Tigers before facing rivals Auburn to finish off its conference schedule.

These are all games that Kalen DeBoer hopes the Crimson Tide can win, and this will help his team make the College Football Playoff.