Alabama’s 2024 season was one wild ride. We’re talking about a season that felt like somebody poured hot sauce straight into the Bama playbook. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Not for a program that’s been stacking championships like it’s nothing. But here we are, staring at the worst record they’ve had since 2010, and it’s looking rougher than a pair of knockoff sneakers. And some CFB insiders aren’t optimistic for the 2025 season either. With a brand-new, untested quarterback and a brutal SEC schedule ahead, Kalen DeBoer is literally walking a tightrope between redemption and complete collapse, potentially following Mike Norvell’s Florida State’s disastrous footsteps.
You’ve got folks like Smoke Dixon from ‘The Bama Standard’ out here practically throwing DeBoer’s entire Alabama tenure in jeopardy already. Smoke ain’t even sugarcoating it: “I think this year’s Alabama team could be what Florida State was last year, and this is crazy that they’re both playing early in the season. And here’s why,” he said. And he’s not talking about the good kind of FSU—he’s talking about the complete disaster of 2024 when they went from being 13-0 juggernauts to getting their teeth kicked in by Georgia 63-3 in the Orange Bowl after they got snubbed from the playoffs and since.
After that, Florida State ain’t been the same. Florida State rolled into the 2024 season still smelling like that L. Hopped overseas, smacked Georgia Tech. Came back home, took care of BC. And from there? It was all downhill. And let’s be real, Alabama fans ain’t built to handle that kind of embarrassment. That’s ain’t Alabama football supremacy.
credits: IMAGO
Last season was a horror flick for Alabama. They had Jalen Milroe at QB, doing his own thing. They went 9-4, including that soul-crushing 40-35 loss to Vanderbilt and a sad 24-3 beatdown by Oklahoma. It all ended with a 19-13 loss to Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl. That’s not Alabama football; that’s like watching a Ferrari roll down the highway with a flat tire.
Now, heading into 2025, it’s a straight-up mystery show. No Milroe. No Malachi Moore and no Tyler Booker. Just Kalen DeBoer trying to glue the pieces back together with Ty Simpson, Austin Mack, and freshman Keelon Russell. The problem is, none of these QBs got any actual collegiate starts. It’s like rolling up to an NBA game with a bunch of guys who only balled out at the YMCA.
And then you got Smoke Dixon drawing comparisons to DJ Uiagalelei’s disastrous stint at Florida State last season after Jordan Travis dipped into NFL.“You lose your quarterback the year before, and then you have to go to a new quarterback that’s unproven. We saw DJU for Florida State. We don’t know who we have this year,” Kalen DeBoer got a QB problem at Tuscaloosa just like FSU did in the 2024 season. Look, we ain’t Bama QBs bust, but nobody in that QB room got real reps on their names.
But wait, there’s more. Not only are the Tide looking shaky at quarterback, they’re also facing the meanest conference in all of college football. “Just like Florida State, went through the same predicament of the unknown and became the trickle-down effect of going 2 and 11 last year…I could see Alabama going 11 wins—or they can go two wins. I don’t think there’s nothing in the middle for this team,” Smoke Dixon straight-up declared. It’s like rolling the dice and hoping you don’t crap out.
In simple terms, Smoke Dixon low-key compared Alabama’s 2025 season outlook to Florida State’s disastrous 2024 collapse, drawing attention to the potential for a steep decline. Florida State entered 2024 with high expectations but crashed to a 2–10 record, largely due to coaching suspensions, internal turmoil, and NCAA violations. Similarly, Alabama ended 2024 with a 9–4 record—its worst since 2010—and is now facing uncertainty after Jalen Milroe and Co. left for the NFL, fueling speculation that the Tide could either rebound with an 11-win season or completely unravel like FSU did. With a new quarterback and roster adjustments, Alabama is at a crossroads, and Dixon believes they could either dominate or free-fall, just like Florida State last season.
Alabama’s 2025 season schedule breakdown and expectation
Now, Alabama’s schedule ain’t doing them any favors. The Crimson Tide are kicking things off on August 30 against Florida State at Doak Campbell Stadium. Yeah, you heard that right. The same Florida State team that just went 2-10 last season after all that madness. But it’s a dangerous opener, especially for a team with an untested quarterback.
The home opener is on September 6 against UL Monroe, which should be a gimme. But then it gets spicy. September 13 brings Wisconsin to Tuscaloosa, and you best believe the Badgers ain’t coming down south to make friends. The Tide’s first real test, though? September 27 against Georgia, on the road. Kirby Smart’s got his squad ready to drop hammers, and Alabama’s got to figure out its identity real quick.
Oct 5, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer gestures on the sidelines against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second half at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
October doesn’t get any easier, with Vanderbilt on the 4th, Missouri away on the 11th, and South Carolina away on the 25th. And then November rolls in hot, with LSU and Oklahoma visiting Tuscaloosa on the 8th and 15th, followed by a trip to Auburn on the 29th for the Iron Bowl. Oh, and they’ve got a little breather game against Eastern Illinois on November 22, but let’s be real, if Alabama’s struggling by then, even that could turn into a nightmare.
But here’s the thing. Oddsmakers are setting Alabama’s win total at 8.5—the lowest it’s been in like forever. That’s got folks like Smoke Dixon shaking their heads. Kalen DeBoer’s seat low-key sizzling after missing the playoffs, and he hasn’t even made it to Week 1. You’ve got to wonder if he’s looking over his shoulder every time he walks into the locker room.
The way things are setting up, Kalen DeBoer and Co.’s 2025 season is either gonna be a redemption tour or a full-blown train wreck. There’s no middle ground. They could win 11 games and make everyone eat their words, or they could spiral like FSU did and have folks talking about ‘what went wrong’ for years. Ain’t nobody gonna be bored watching this Alabama team try to climb out of the mess they made last year.
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