Story by
The Tuscaloosa News
Why Kalen DeBoer feels Alabama football hasn't 'held back' with strength of schedule
- Story byThe Tuscaloosa News
- Why Kalen DeBoer feels Alabama football hasn't 'held back' with strength of schedule
MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla. — Kalen DeBoer is eager to listen.
When asked about the possibility of an expanded SEC conference game schedule from eight to nine games, the Alabama football coach said he's "open to hearing the conversations" without having many concrete opinions himself.
Advertisement
But there is a question that comes to DeBoer's mind when it comes to the relationship between an expanded conference schedule and strength of schedule.
"Yeah, you kind of wonder what would have happened to other people if they had the chance to play our schedule last year, and it would only get tougher," DeBoer said.
Alabama lost three games in the first regular season of the DeBoer era, falling on the road to Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Oklahoma. The Crimson Tide missed the College Football Playoff and lost to ReliaQuest Bowl against Michigan, securing Alabama's first season with less than 10 wins since 2006.
And heading into 2025, DeBoer doesn't feel Alabama is letting up in terms of strength of schedule with 10 games against Power 4 teams, highlighting non-conference meetings with Florida State and Wisconsin.
Advertisement
"I know we haven't held back at this point on anything when it comes to playing a tough schedule, non-conference wise," DeBoer said.
DeBoer's question moving forward revolves around strength of schedule from conference to conference with the limited number of cross-conference pollination opportunities within the regular season. But for the Alabama coach, that's above his pay grade.
"I'm just going to play the games that we can schedule and adjust accordingly as we change the SEC games if that is the case," DeBoer said.
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Kalen DeBoer feels Alabama football hasn't 'held back' with strength of schedule
