Ranking the Toughness of Alabama's Remaining Schedule

Eastern Illinois is the only FCS opponent on Alabama's schedule all season. That alone makes it the easiest game remaining, but the Panthers are also off to a 1-2 start. This game will also be the final home game and Senior Day. Alabama should roll to an easy victory.

2. at South Carolina- Oct. 25

There were high expectations for Shane Beamer's ball club heading into the 2025 season after the Gamecocks just missed out on the CFP last year. But South Carolina has been one of the most disappointing teams of the early season. The Gamecocks took Alabama down to the wire in Tuscaloosa last season, but struggled to pull away from Virginia Tech in the opener (who is now 0-3 and just fired its head coach) and got blown out at home by Vanderbilt, 31-7, in Week 3. Alabama hasn't been great on the road, and there is still time for SC to turn things around, but this game now looks a lot more winnable for the Crimson Tide.

3. at Missouri- Oct. 11

Mizzou carried a quarterback competition into the season, but the Tigers have gotten off to a strong 3-0 start, highlighted by a big rivalry win over Kansas. The fact that this is an 11 a.m. road kick has trap game written all over it. Alabama is still a more talented team. However, as last season proved, that doesn't always seem to matter for the Crimson Tide.

4. Vanderbilt- Oct. 4

The 2025 Vanderbilt squad is even better than the one that beat Alabama in Nashville last season. Quarterback Diego Pavia gave the Tide defense fits. For those reasons though, I think this is a game Alabama players have circled on their calendars. It being inside the friendly confines of Bryant-Denny Stadium, where Alabama plays better, is a bonus. The Commodores are a sneaky team to watch though.

5. Tennessee- Oct. 18

Tennessee is one of the teams that would probably fall into the category of "better than expected." It was hard to know what to expect with the Volunteers after the offseason quarterback drama, but Tennessee and Georgia just played an epic battle that is an early contender for game of the year. Even though the Volunteers lost, it proved that they will be able to compete with the top teams in the SEC. However, they will be facing an uphill battle looking for their first victory in Bryant-Denny Stadium since 2003 in another revenge game for the Crimson Tide.

6. Oklahoma- Nov. 15

John Mateer is one of the best quarterbacks in the country. Brent Venables did something to solve his offensive issues from a year ago by grabbing Mateer from the portal and bringing along his offensive coordinator from Washington State, Ben Arbuckle. Oklahoma is 3-0 and carrying one of the SEC's marquee non-conference victories with the 24-13 win over Michigan in Week 2.

7. LSU- Nov. 8

LSU is the highest-ranked team remaining on Alabama's schedule at No. 3. The Tigers and Tide have had some epic clashes over the last two decades, and this year could be another. The Tigers are led on offensive by veteran quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. However, LSU's Week 1 victory at Clemson has lost some of its luster with Clemson's performance in its next two games, so time will tell how talented the Tigers truly are. Regardless, it proved that LSU knows how to compete and win on the road.

8. at Auburn- Nov. 29

Jordan-Hare Stadium has been a house of horrors for Alabama for the last few decades, and the Crimson Tide doesn't play well on the road anyway. Add on to the fact that Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold knows how to beat Alabama. He did it last season at Oklahoma. The Iron Bowl in Auburn is always a tricky game for Alabama. Nick Saban lost there four times and his final two trips to the Plains needed four overtimes and a miracle play on fourth-and-31 to result in two victories. Who knows? DeBoer may be the complete opposite, but until he proves it, this will always be one of Alabama's toughest games.

9. at Georgia- Sept. 27

The Alabama coaches would probably be happy I picked this as the toughest game left because the next game is always supposed to be the most important. Something about going 1-0 every week. In all seriousness, Alabama has had much more success over Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs than any other program. DeBoer was even able to do it last season in Year 1. This game will still be a huge challenge for the Crimson Tide going on the road into a hostile, hungry environment with Georgia as the favored team. Alabama will have to play with a high level of execution to give the Bulldogs' their first home loss since 2019.