Saturday’s Death Valley showdown against LSU is a make-it-or-break-it game for Alabama head football coach Kalen DeBoer and he is already facing pressure to avoid a three-loss calamity in year one. The Crimson Tide are right on the edge of a College Football Playoff berth; sporting the No. 11 rank in the initial CFP Rankings.
Amid this whirlwind ahead of Alabama’s trip to Baton Rouge, analysts are showing a severe lack of faith in DeBoer’s first year as the Crimson Tide’s head coach, severely undermining him.
“I don’t think Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama is man enough to go into Death Valley and win at night,” SEC Unfiltered’s Chris Philly said bluntly before continuing, “From what I’ve seen from them, I don’t believe them. I don’t trust them. I think Kalen DeBoer is a fine football coach but he is not Nick Saban.
“I do not think Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama has the gall, has the stones to go into Death Valley on a Saturday night and do what is necessary to win this football game.”
However, Philly had a reason backing his utter lack of confidence in Alabama: his confidence in LSU taking its long-pending revenge, especially with Nick Saban out of the picture.
“There’s a lot of people when Nick Saban hung it up, we’re keeping tabs that said ‘Alright, it’s time for us to get ours’. That’s kinda how I felt about the game in Knoxville against Tennessee. They said, ‘Hey, you’ve had years and years of futility but Nick Saban ain’t on the side anymore’. It’s a new era of this rivalry. You can write a new chapter starting today. I think LSU understands that assignment as well,” Philly said, explaining.
While it may be good news for Brian Kelly in his third year, it will be nothing less than a nightmare for DeBoer to lose at Tiger Stadium on Saturday.
Alabama’s College Football Playoff hopes die if Crimson Tide lose to LSU
According to the College Football Playoff Rankings released on Tuesday, the Crimson Tide is ranked at No. 11 while the Tigers sit in the bubble at No. 15.
If Alabama beats LSU, they will likely hold their rank, and proceed to the playoffs. On the other hand, if LSU wins, then they will climb up the rankings, mostly replacing Alabama in the top 12 and making a run for the SEC championship game.