Alabama football
has all kinds of obstacles that stand between them and entry into the College Football Playoff this season. The Crimson Tide’s rivals are among the hurdles.
First up will be Tennessee on Oct. 18 at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Then, LSU comes to town on Nov. 8. Finally, Alabama will close the regular season with a game against Auburn on Nov. 29 at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Which of those three games will be the toughest? With a little more than a month until the 2025 season starts, here’s a look at the threat each rival poses.
Tennessee: Home (Oct. 18)
The Vols have to replace some of their top talent from a season ago, such as running back Dylan Sampson as well as three defensive linemen. All of those players went somewhere between the first and fourth rounds of the NFL Draft.
It won’t be easy to replace Sampson, considering he provided much of Tennessee’s offensive production. The SEC offensive player of the year rushed for 22 touchdowns and 1,491 yards in 2024. It remains to be seen how well DeSean Bishop, transfer Star Thomas and company fare in replacing Sampson.
Tennessee might need its running game to be reliable considering the uncertainty at quarterback. The
Vols lost Nico Iamaleava in a highly publicized departure
at quarterback. Joey Aguilar was brought in from UCLA to compete in succeeding Iamaleava. The move had to be made, but Tennessee didn’t necessarily improve at quarterback.
Despite the losses on the defensive line, the Vols figure to still be solid up front. Bryson Eason should lead the group tasked with replacing James Pearce, Omari Thomas, Omarr Norman-Lott and Elijah Simmons.
LSU: Home (Nov. 8)
This is the year Brian Kelly must make a serious pursuit at a national championship. And he and his staff have been swinging big in trying to make that happen. The Tigers revamped their roster with
the No. 1 transfer portal class in 2025
, per 247Sports.
That’s in addition to returning key pieces such as quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, receiver Aaron Anderson and linebacker Whit Weeks, among others. The return of Nussmeier is most significant of all. The son of the former Alabama offensive coordinator could end up being the best quarterback in the SEC this season.
There are question spots, though. Offensive line is one of the biggest. LSU lost four offensive linemen, all of whom went to the NFL. That’s no small loss at a position where continuity is of the utmost importance.
Auburn: Away (Nov. 29)
Can
coach Hugh Freeze figure it out this season
? The past two seasons have been underwhelming. Now, he must deliver or he could be out of a job.
He will rely on Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold at quarterback, who is also looking to revive his career. He beat Alabama in 2024, but Arnold was largely a disappointment in Norman a season ago. He will have a talented cast of receivers to whom he can throw, including Cam Coleman and Georgia Tech transfer Eric Singleton. Auburn might have the best receiving corps in the conference. The offensive line figures to be good, too. If the defense that returns six starters can take the next step, the Tigers could give some teams problems. But it all probably comes down to quarterback play.
The pick: LSU
There’s enough uncertainty surrounding Tennessee and Auburn to where it doesn’t make sense to label either Alabama’s biggest threat just yet. Of course, it’s never easy to go play in Jordan-Hare if you’re the Crimson Tide. But nonetheless, LSU could be an SEC and national-title contender. Auburn and Tennessee don’t yet look to be on that level.
Plus, LSU has a certainty at the most important position: quarterback. Neither Auburn or Tennessee have signal callers who are expected to be among the best in the conference or country.
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Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group.
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