Historic College Football Program Entering Major Prove It Season

The Alabama Crimson Tide have reached the point where they need to prove they are still among the elite programs in college football.

Alabama Is Searching for the Saban-Level Dominance Again

The Crimson Tide have been the gold standard of the sport for nearly two decades under head coach Nick Saban.

During his 17-year tenure in Tuscaloosa, he was an incredible 206-29 and won six national championships. However, Saban surprisingly announced his retirement following the 2023 season.

He was replaced by Washington Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer, who arrived in Tuscaloosa with a strong reputation after leading the Huskies to the national championship game.

His tenure at Alabama has been solid, but it has yet to reach the championship standard established during the Saban era.

DeBoer Has Shown Progress, But Not Championship Results

The Crimson Tide went 9-4 in Year 1. Three of those four losses came against teams that finished the year with five or more losses. They also didn't make the College Football Playoff. So there was pressure on DeBoer to be better in 2025.

Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Ryan Williams (2) runs after making a catch. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Things started rocky with a terrible loss to the Florida State Seminoles to start the season. However, DeBoer rallied his team, and they finished the year 11-4, with a berth in the SEC Championship Game and the College Football Playoff.

The issue is that the Crimson Tide lost to the Georgia Bulldogs 28-7 in the SEC title game, and they lost to the Indiana Hoosiers 38-3 in the College Football Playoff.

Running Game Remains Biggest Question

So, while they showed improvement, they didn't show they are a legit contender. That's why On3's Chris Low said on "The Paul Finebaum Show" that it's time for the Crimson Tide to show that dominance again.

"I've got to see it to believe it," Low said. "I'm not saying they won't. But Alabama's got to prove to me that they can run the football because they couldn't at all last year... when you've got a run game that sort of still that prove it to me status and a first-year starter at quarterback, that sometimes can be a scary combination."

As Low mentioned, the running game was a major issue last season. The Crimson Tide finished No. 125 in college football last season in rushing at just 104.1 yards per game.

On top of that, they lost four out of five starters on the offensive line. So, it's not clear that the running game will improve that much this upcoming season.

Alabama does not need to return to the Saban era overnight, but it does need to show it can compete with the best team in the country. The quarterback situation will be important, but the offense cannot put everything on a first-year starter's shoulder.

If the Crimson Tide can establish a reliable rushing attack and support their new quarterback, DeBoer can continue building his case that he is the right person to lead Alabama into the future. If not, the questions surrounding the program will only grow louder.

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