Alabama head football coach Kalen DeBoer quickly learned that life in the SEC is never easy. And, Paul Finebaum believes it could get worse. The Crimson Tide barely missed the 12-team College Football Playoff in his first season at the helm,

Alabama's 2025 SEC schedule has the Crimson Tide facing the same conference opponents as 2024, but with home/road assignments flipped. In 2025, Alabama will face Vanderbilt, Tennessee, LSU and Oklahoma at Bryant-Denny Stadium with road games against Georgia, South Carolina, Missouri and Auburn.

Year 1 is complete for DeBoer, whose Alabama team finished with a 9-3 record, failing to secure a spot in the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff. Compounding the disappointment, two of Alabama's three defeats came against teams that ended the season with a 6-6 record: the Vanderbilt Commodores and the Oklahoma Sooners .

How did Alabama miss the Playoff in DeBoer's first season? How can the Tide respond? And what does that mean for the future?

Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe projects as one of the first Alabama players off the board. Others figure to have NFL futures as well, from guard Tyler Booker and center Parker Brailsford, to linebacker Jihaad Campbell and safety Malachi Moore.

The college football world is still reacting to the Alabama Crimson Tide being left out of the 12-team College Football Playoff field and some of the blame is being directed at first-year head coach Kalen DeBoer.

Fifteen days ago, Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer preached commitment. The Crimson Tide was stunned, having just finished a 24-3 road loss to Oklahoma, a game intended to be a tune-up before an Iron Bowl that decided Alabama's SEC championship fate, a game that had the Crimson Tide as a multiple-touchdown favorite.

Digressed DeBoer and the Crimson Tide’s crying over the snub, the analyst, he summed up, “Alabama’s got a point but it’s not the point that they raised so I’m not going to give them credit for it.” Adding fuel to the debate was College Football Playoff Chairman Warde Manuel,

Alabama football head coach Kalen DeBoer got honest on the possibility of players opting out of the Crimson Tide’s bowl game against Michigan. The team is dealing with its disappointing exclusion from the College Football Playoff in favor of No.

The playoff ranking saga has turned out nothing short of a melodrama this season. The post Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama Becomes Sacrificial Lamb as CFP Committee’s Ulterior Motive Behind SMU Selection Disclosed appeared first on EssentiallySports.

After being left out of the College Football Playoff, Alabama football faces a crucial bowl game against Michigan. Can Kalen DeBoer’s Crimson Tide finish strong despite frustrations and distractions?