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5 Alabama football games Crimson Tide fans shouldn't overlook in 2024 season
- Story byThe Tuscaloosa News
- 5 Alabama football games Crimson Tide fans shouldn't overlook in 2024 season
Two weeks into the season, Alabama football's 2024 schedule is only getting tougher.
On paper, the Crimson Tide easily secured the first two wins of the Kalen DeBoer era , beating Western Kentucky and South Florida at Bryant-Denny Stadium. But the marquee games still remain for Alabama : the home meeting against potential No. 1 Georgia Sept. 28, the home Iron Bowl against Auburn Nov. 30.
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But for Alabama, there are multiple games left that have the potential to define where the Crimson Tide finishes its season.
Here are five games that could be vital for Alabama in the remainder of the 2024 season.
Alabama football at Wisconsin : 11 a.m., Sept. 14
Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell is shown during the fourth quarter of their game against South Dakota Saturday, September 7 , 2024 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel-USA TODAY NETWORK
Before Alabama faces Georgia Sept. 28, the Crimson Tide must face its toughest non-conference game of the season: Wisconsin in Madison for the first time since 1928.
While quarterback Tyler Van Dyke and the Badgers offense have had trouble scoring, averaging 27.5 points per game against Western Michigan and South Dakota, Wisconsin's defense has allowed three touchdowns in its first two games with opposing offenses averaging 249 total yards.
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Wisconsin has not hosted an SEC opponent at Camp Randall Stadium since Sept. 25, 1971. The atmosphere will be there, something Alabama will have to overcome.
Alabama vs. South Carolina : 11 a.m., Oct. 12
Sep 7, 2024; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer celebrates during the fourth quarter against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
Is South Carolina the kind of team that squeaks by Old Dominion at home? Or are the Gamecocks the kind of team that beats Kentucky handily on the road with a defense that allows fewer than 3 yards per play? Alabama will know what kind of team South Carolina is by Oct. 12 after home meetings with LSU and Ole Miss before making the trip to Tuscaloosa.
But South Carolina has been known to play the role of spoiler, giving No. 1 Georgia a fight in 2023 after winning three ranked games in 2022. Alabama has seen that story before, losing to the No. 19 Gamecocks on the road as the No. 1 team in the country in 2010.
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Alabama has not hosted South Carolina since 2009. Don't look past the stage the Gamecocks could be on in mid-October.
Alabama at Tennessee : Oct. 19
Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) during Tennessee's game against Chattanooga in Neyland Stadium in Knoxville on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.
The "Third Saturday in October" might be the defining game of Alabama's season.
With Nico Iamaleava leading one of the more high-octane offenses in the SEC and a defense that has allowed one touchdown in two games and includes a top NFL prospect in James Pearce Jr., Tennessee seems to be firmly in the hunt for a conference title, especially after a 51-10 neutral-site drubbing of No. 24 NC State.
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Alabama has dominated its recent rivalry with Tennessee, but the Crimson Tide's last loss to the Volunteers came in Knoxville in 2022. DeBoer's first "Third Saturday in October" matchup could be a dogfight.
Alabama vs. Missouri : Oct. 26
Sep 7, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers wide receiver Luther Burden III (3) celebrates in the end zone after scoring a touchdown against the Buffalo Bulls during the first half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium.
Alabama has not seen this iteration of Missouri football .
The Crimson Tide last beat the Tigers on the road in 2020. Missouri has since vaulted into a top-25 team after an 11-win 2023 season that included wins against Kansas State, Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio State.
Heading into Week 3, Missouri is the No. 8 team in the country after beating Murray State and Buffalo 89-0 combined. Missouri has one of the best wide receivers in the SEC in Luther Burden paired with the No. 1 total defense in college football.
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Boston College , which is No. 24 in the latest AP poll, is the only ranked opponent between Missouri and Alabama. But the Crimson Tide will have to be on guard by this new-look Tiger team.
Alabama at Oklahoma : Nov. 23
Syndication: The Oklahoman
Alabama does not have much experience against new SEC foe and perennial powerhouse Oklahoma.
Starting with the 1963 Orange Bowl, the Crimson Tide and the Sooners have played each other six times. But only two meetings were during the regular season: a home-and-home in 2002-03 which Oklahoma swept.
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Before Alabama, Oklahoma's first SEC schedule includes four teams currently ranked in the top 10: Tennessee, Texas , Ole Miss and Missouri. Quarterback Jackson Arnold and the Sooners should be challenged before they host Alabama for the first time since 2002.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 5 Alabama football games Crimson Tide fans shouldn't overlook
