Alabama is 4-1 after their latest (30-14) win against Vanderbilt, this Saturday. The Crimson Tide started the season with a devastating loss against Florida State. This brought further scrutiny to the second-year coach, Kalen DeBoer. Alabama only lost four games against unranked teams under Nick Saban’s entire career. DeBoer had already matched it. Fans were criticizing the coaching staff for not maintaining the standard set by Saban. However, the way they have managed to bounced back has surely eased some pressure off of DeBoer’s shoulders. And now he has earned a specific statistical record that even Saban can’t claim.

Ever since DeBoer took over Alabama, he has been facing pressure due to who he follows. Saban spent 17 seasons with Alabama and set a gold standard with the Tide, winning six national titles and amassing 206 career wins. The fans expect excellence. DeBoer had the biggest shoes to fill of any role in college football. But then Sports Analyst Cole Cubelic wrote on X, “Kalen DeBoer is now 13-2 in ranked vs ranked matchups… That is the best win % among coaches with at least 10 such games.” That comes down to DeBoer having an .867 winning percentage. DeBoer holds a record of 17-3 if we take his record against ranked team opponents even if his team wasn’t ranked. This keeps his winning percentage at .842. These stats include his time as a head coach at Fresno State, Washington, and Alabama. Nick Saban, on the other side, has a .74 winning percentage against ranked teams during his tenure at Tuscaloosa.

The two losses mentioned by Cubelic include one in 2023, where DeBoer’s Washington lost to the No. 1 Michigan in the CFP national title game, 34-13. Then, in 2024, Alabama lost to No. 11 Tennessee by 24-17. These are the only losses for DeBoer in the ranked vs ranked match-up. DeBoer has an exceptional record against ranked team opponents, which keeps him among the top coaches in the sport. 

Upcoming ranked opponents for DeBoer

Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama still has four such ranked vs. ranked clashes scheduled for this season. On October 11, the No.8 Alabama will visit the No.14 Missouri Tigers at Faurot Field. Missouri stays undefeated so far, with a 5-0 winning streak. According to FanDuel, Alabama is the 5.5-point favorite vs Eli Drinkwitz and the Tigers. 

The following week, on October 18, Alabama will host the No.12 Tennessee Volunteers at Bryant-Denny Stadium. DeBoer would be looking for a win there. Preferably a more comfortable win than the one Kirby Smart got away with. This will be followed on November 8, when the Crimson Tide will host the No.11 LSU Tigers. Brian Kelly will need to bring his best as his LSU squad is yet to completely get in rhythm. On November 15, they are set to host the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners. Venables’ squad has been hobbled due to the injury to John Mateer. Bama should pick up an easy win here. The Sooners could even drop out of the polls by the time the game comes around.

All these upcoming games will have a significant impact on Alabama’s chances of entering the playoffs. But DeBoer needs to continue maintaining this winning percentage if he wants to carve out his own identity away from the shadow of Saban.