The Alabama Crimson Tide heads into their bye week this week after a dismantling of the Wisconsin Badgers at home on Saturday afternoon.
It was a massive test sitting at 2-1 with an on-the-road against Georgia in Athens looming.
Based on where the temperature of the fanbase was at following the debacle against Florida State in week one, this isn’t a bad place to be.
Alabama has stacked two dominant wins, with the defense, and, more importantly, the quarterback, delivering commanding performances.
Alabama will still be judged by what happens against Georgia. Compared to what awaits in Athens, the last two opponents might as well have been tune-ups.
For head coach Kalen DeBoer, it’s a precarious moment as he prepares his team for the Bulldogs.
There is a faction of the fanbase — and not an insignificant one — who he lost with the way the team performed from an effort standpoint in Tallahassee.
Those same fans as well as boosters were likely pleased with the performances the last two weeks, but they are withholding judgement until after Georgia.
It’d be fair to say that things are moving in the right direction here, but you just truly cannot know until going up against an opponent who can match from a physicality and athletic perspective where the team is at. Georgia can do more than just that, they can run you out of the building if you aren’t on your game.
The story of the 2025 Crimson Tide team is far from finished, however it remains a mystery how they will be remembered, and in turn quite frankly whether or not DeBoer is going to be here moving forward. It’s perfectly okay to be happy with the progress while also not wanting to go all in on saying ‘this team’s problems are solved’ and that they are a playoff contender once again.
In all likelihood, nobody knows this better than DeBoer.
His team may be more confident than they were after the Seminoles loss, but if they are not prepared for what they’re facing in Athens, that confidence really won’t matter.
So yes, things are moving in the right direction. But whether or not that matters or not as far as this season goes very much remains to be seen.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.
