In a live update from Tuscaloosa, Alabama’s head football coach Kalen DeBoer brings a wealth of experience to the table, having won three NAIA championships with Sioux Falls, as well as a Pac-12 Championship and a College Football Playoff National Championship appearance at Washington.
As Colin Gay of The Tuscaloosa News points out, DeBoer has a keen understanding of what it takes to build a championship team—a perspective that could be invaluable for the Crimson Tide in their second season post-Nick Saban. According to Gay, DeBoer recognizes that successful teams have something unique: “They have ‘that it factor.’” This was evident last year when DeBoer helped lead Washington to a national championship, just hours before stepping into his new role at Alabama.
DeBoer has emphasized that his approach is centered around the bigger picture. “From day one, I was focused on the process,” he said, aligning with Saban’s philosophy that champions are made, rather than simply chasing titles. As DeBoer moves into year two at Alabama, he maintains that the expectations and “the process” will remain unchanged—something he firmly believes is essential for long-term success.
Though DeBoer witnessed the dominance of Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan team, which defeated Washington 34-13 in last year’s title game, the Crimson Tide didn’t face any playoff semifinalists in 2024. However, they did encounter Georgia, a second-round team, and Tennessee, a first-round exit. The Tide’s performance was inconsistent, with a nearly disastrous second half against Georgia and a tough road loss to Tennessee where they struggled throughout.
While DeBoer has proven himself in college football, he’s still yet to deliver an SEC championship. With three losses in eight conference games, including a humiliating 24-3 defeat at Oklahoma, his record still falls short of championship expectations.
As DeBoer works to turn his winning philosophy into tangible success, the pressure is mounting. After all, in the SEC, “It Just Means More.”
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Oddsmakers more optimistic about Alabama football in 2025 than the media
As the clock ticks down to next week’s National Championship game between Ohio State and Notre Dame, oddsmakers have already begun projecting the odds for next season’s title contender. Early numbers suggest that, despite recent narratives, Alabama still holds strong favor among betting circles, even if the media sees things differently.
The prevailing storyline in the media has been that the Crimson Tide’s dynasty is officially over. This narrative, fueled by constant roster turnover in today’s college football era, argues that it’s increasingly difficult for any team to sustain a dominant run like Alabama’s in the past.
However, after a solid 9-4 season in Kalen DeBoer’s first year at the helm in Tuscaloosa, the media narrative seems to be shifting too far in the opposite direction. Notably, Andy Staples of On3 excluded Alabama from his Way Too Early Top 10 rankings, released just a couple of weeks ago. Similarly, our sister site, Saturday Blitz, placed the Crimson Tide shockingly low at No. 16 in their early Top 25 for next season.
Despite this, the oddsmakers remain much more optimistic about Alabama’s prospects. According to FanDuel, the Tide hold the sixth-highest odds at +1400 to win the national title, placing them third among SEC teams, trailing only Texas and Georgia. Meanwhile, Bet Online also gives them the sixth-highest odds at +1600, tied with Notre Dame, and again ranking behind Texas and Georgia.
While it may seem surprising not to see Alabama among the top two or three teams for national title odds, the confidence from oddsmakers in Kalen DeBoer’s second year suggests that they are far from ready to count out the Tide.
