As Alabama’s athletic department weighs a difficult scheduling decision that could scrap a blockbuster series with Ohio State, the Buckeyes’ camp isn’t waiting quietly. They delivered a provocative public message that adds a new layer of pressure to the Crimson Tide’s choice. Despite the tough decision, Alabama’s AD is giving hope for their series against the two teams.

“I see us adhering to the policy of playing nine SEC games and one Power 4 non-conference game,” Alabama AD Greg Byrne said in an interview with The Tuscaloosa News on Monday. “What that looks like is still being worked on.”

Byrne could have simply said the series is done, a clean cancellation that would have ended the conversation entirely. Instead, his “still being worked on” comment is an operative signal here. It’s deliberately non-committal, which in Athletic Director language is as close to a lifeline as you’ll get. That ambiguity is exactly where Ohio State fans, and Alabama’s own, can find a reason for optimism.

Alabama is still figuring out the non-conference game schedule, as it is planning to go with the SEC rule of playing nine SEC games and one Power Four non-conference game. Now, Alabama has scheduled Ohio State for their 2027 and 2028 home-and-home series, but with the SEC moving to a nine-game schedule, they must cancel one of them.

As Kalen DeBoer’s team has four non-conference teams: Georgia State, Ohio State, UT Martin, and Oklahoma State that are scheduled to play that year, with just three spots remaining, Alabama must drop one of them.

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Some people might think cancelling a tough game like Ohio State would be a smart decision, but this matchup will also draw a lot of revenue for the team. The numbers tell the story clearly. When Ohio hosted Texas, a high-profile conference matchup, the Buckeyes generated roughly $19 million in ticket sales alone. By contrast, a standard game against a Group of Five opponent brings in just $7-9 million. That gap is hard to ignore when Alabama is already navigating a financially complex scheduling landscape.

It will also give players the experience of big games. But looking from the strength-of-schedule perspective, this can be a tough road for the team. Byrne knows pretty well that playing against a tough non-conference opponent will not help them in the playoffs, and Steve Sarkisian’s Texas playoff snub is one of the classic examples of it.

Texas lost against Florida, Ohio State, and Georgia, all strong teams, and sure, two of them were SEC opponents, but let’s not forget they also played the ninth hardest schedule and had a close game against the Bucks with a 14-7 finish, but even that wasn’t considered in the playoffs. This history of being penalized for a tough schedule is exactly why Alabama’s athletic department is carefully reviewing its entire non-conference philosophy.

“We have been talking about strength of schedule and impact and what we continue to see,” Byrne said. “This College Football Playoff often puts teams in buckets: one-loss bucket, two-loss bucket, three-loss bucket. And not all schedules over the course of the season are equal.”

Ohio State’s camp isn’t waiting quietly. While Alabama deliberates, Buckeyes’ Athletic Director Ross Bjork decided to turn up the pressure publicly, and he didn’t mince words. During an interview, Bjork made it unmistakably clear that Ohio State has no intention of letting the series quietly disappear, and his message carried a sharp edge.

“We expect (the two-game series) to be played,” Bjork said to the Columbus Dispatch. “We should never be afraid to play anybody. We’re Ohio State. People probably should be afraid to play us, right?”

The team is already facing a tough schedule in the future as they are scheduling non-conference games against Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, Minnesota, and Virginia Tech, in addition to Ohio State and Oklahoma State. So, it will be interesting to see which team is the one that Bama drops.

Kalen DeBoer in the hot seat

One of the reasons why scheduling Ohio State against Alabama is a major topic of discussion is their unpredictable losses. Last year, Kalen DeBoer’s team lost against FSU, a team that went 2-10 in 2024. They even lost against Vanderbilt in 2024 after 40 long years, making it clear how another top-tier opponent could jeopardize their playoff chances.

Those inconsistencies are putting pressure on Kalen DeBoer. It’s not like he didn’t do anything for the team last year; he took Alabama to the playoffs, but now fans are looking for stability. So, to make sure they don’t fall short in the 2026 season, the team has to fix its run game.

This scheduling gamble is amplified by glaring on-field struggles, particularly a run game that was one of the worst in college football last season. Averaging a paltry 104.1 yards, the ground attack vanished entirely in big moments, like the 16 total rushing yards against Georgia, raising serious questions about whether this team is built to survive an even tougher schedule.