Alabama might finally get that consistency under Kalen DeBoer that fans were craving for since last year. Two back-to-back wins against SEC teams show some much needed improvement since that loss against FSU. The tipping point was their massive rivalry win against Georgia. And now after taking revenge on Vanderbilt for last year’s blowout, they are ready to go on the road to face Missouri. Now, even though Eli Drinkwitz’s team has a home field advantage, DeBoer isn’t backing down from the competition. In fact he has seen a pattern for the Crimson and White when it comes to 2025.

The Tigers are standing tall with a 5-0 finish and are yet to be defeated in the league. DeBoer is aware of the test at hand as he talks about it on the Alabama Crimson Tide podcast.  “This is a really good football team, and we haven’t broken them down in detail. That starts tomorrow. But I know that they’ve been gaining momentum the last couple years. Physical. Great running attack. Feels like their quarterback is doing some good things from what I’ve seen. But just well coached, and we know we’re going to be in for a fight again going on the road.”

Tigers QB Beau Pribula has recorded 1,203 yards with 9 TDs and 3 interceptions so far. And on top of that, he is also ranked fourth in the nation in completion percentage at 75.9. But let’s not forget even Ty Simpson is turning up the heat this season, recording 1,478 yards with 13 TDs and just 1 interception. It helps when Bama has key weapons like Ryan Williams, Kevin Riley, and Germie Bernard.

Kalen DeBoer also points out how they are planning on repeating the same pattern with Missouri as they did with other undefeated teams. “We got to do it just like we did last week. Another team that’s undefeated. Every team we’ve faced so far has not had a loss when we face them,” DeBoer said. That’s a straight fact. After playing FSU in the opener, all of their opponents from that point were undefeated. Georgia, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin, or La-Monroe. So, there’s a high chance they might repeat the same against the Tigers.

Even odds are working in Bama’s favor as Circa Sports releases their early game bit where they list Alabama as a 4-point favorite. It is rare for an undefeated team to be the underdogs in their own stadium. Faurot Field is no Happy Valley, but it should give Eli Drinkwitz some edge when it comes to crowd noise. Bama has a 6-2 overall record against Missouri and even won last year’s game with a massive 34-0 difference. They also have a 5 game win streak going on since 2012. When the Tigers last won over the Tide, it was 1975. But if we have learnt one thing from the 2025 season, it is that anything is possible.

Kalen DeBoer’s road ahead

Despite coming off strong against Georgia with a 24-21 win, Kalen DeBoer has a tough set of opponents to face against in the coming weeks. It’s true that winning against Georgia did help with their playoff fate. But now the challenge ahead comes against 4 strong teams: Missouri, Tennessee, LSU, and Oklahoma. Any of these teams can have a great night and beat Alabama. Even ESPN’s Heather Dinich points out the same: “The undefeated Tigers had a bye week to prepare, they’ll have home-field advantage, and they will be the third straight ranked opponent Alabama faces. The Tide at least gets Tennessee, LSU, and Oklahoma at home.”

So, for starters, winning against the Tigers is very important for Kalen DeBoer and his future. Another 9-3 finish could get him to the hot seat real fast. But let’s not forget the quality win against Georgia did add a lot of weight to Alabama’s status in the league. As they are currently 2-0 in the SEC. On top of that, they might be finally finding their momentum under DeBoer. Nick Kelly pointed out on X after Vandy’s game, “Before the Georgia game, Alabama had never been penalized less than the other team under DeBoer. Since then, Tide has had fewer penalties than Georgia and Vanderbilt.”

Let’s not forget that Alabama has won 4 back-to-back games so far after the stunning loss in the season opener. But now it all comes down to winning against all these ranked opponents. Because if they blink, then DeBoer might have to wait another year to get his team into the playoffs.