Does Alabama Football Go Undefeated This Season?

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey and the executive committee announced that each school will play a total of 10 regular-season games in the 2020 football season. The new schedule includes the eight SEC teams that were previously scheduled for this season as well as the two new conference opponents.

According to James Ogletree of Tide 100.9 on Friday, the Southeastern Conference announced Alabama football’s two additional SEC matchups to the 2020 schedule. The Crimson Tide is facing Kentucky in Bryant-Denny Stadium but will be at Faurot Field in Columbia when they take on Missouri.

The order and times of each game are still unknown, however we do know where each game will be played. The Tide’s opponents coming to Tuscaloosa, alphabetically, are Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi State, and Texas A&M. On the road, Alabama will take on Arkansas, LSU, Missouri, Ole Miss, and Tennessee.

But my first reaction when I see this schedule for Alabama’s 2020 season was, “Damn, could we really go undefeated?”

For the last few weeks on our radio show, Tide Tonight, for Tide 100.9, I had been arguing that it would be highly unlikely that any SEC team finish their football season without a loss — but I might’ve spoken a little too soon. It is very possible that the Crimson Tide finishes this SEC gauntlet undefeated. Below, I’ll break down two home and road teams who could get in the way of a perfect 10-0 run.

Home:

Auburn — This game is never a sure win — plain and simple. With a few key returns, including Bo Nix, the Auburn Tigers could bring the same fire from last season. To be fair though, Gus Malzahn and the Tigers finished last season at 9-4 after a loss to the Minnesota Golden Gophers in The Outback Bowl.

Georgia — 2019 was arguably one of Kirby Smart’s best seasons at the reigns in Athens. The Bulldogs finished 12-2 and earned a Sugar Bowl victory over Baylor. Also it’s important to remember that the most recent victory in our rivalry for Georgia last came in 2007 after overtime in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Away:

LSU — Yes, the Bayou Bengals lost a ton of talent to the NFL but, as Alabama fans can respect, LSU is still the reigning CFP National Champion. While in Louisiana, the Crimson Tide however hasn’t lost to LSU during the regular season since 2010. Ed Orgeron may have been college football’s greatest fad last year, but I find it hard to see Coach Saban coming back without a vengeance.

Ole Miss — You read that correctly, I said the Rebels. Every few years, the Rebs seem to muster up a hell of a game for Alabama. With the addition of Lane Kiffin, the winner of two CUSA Championships in the past three seasons, Ole Miss has completely changed the culture around their program. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Rebels find a way to pull out a few upsets in their schedule.

Wins and losses are still hard to calculate at the moment. Without knowing the order and timing of Alabama’s schedule it’s difficult to access where the momentum will be week-to-week. But if Alabama can make it through a few home and road tests, the Tide has a good shot at running the table and going undefeated.

For more content from J.R. and all the talented interns at Tide 100.9, make sure to tune-in for Tide Tonight - MWF 6:00-7:00pm. You can hear all of our radio content on the new Tide 100.9 app!

[gallerytitle="2020 SEC Football Coaches" galleryid="531:614850]