Kalen DeBoer's standing as Alabama Crimson Tide head coach would take a big hit with a loss at Kentucky.
The Alabama Crimson Tide took care of business in their season opener, routing East Carolina at home. Now, they will head on the road to play the Kentucky Wildcats in their first SEC battle of the year.
Alabama is favored in this game. It should win this game. However, the Crimson Tide have had some hiccups in these moments under Kalen DeBoer.
Since DeBoer's arrival in 2024, Alabama has gone 3-3 in games where it has been favored on the road, making this matchup at Kroger Field a bit dicey.
The fact that DeBoer's job could very well be hanging in the balance this season (yes, even after his extension) doesn't make this contest any easier.
Would losing at Kentucky cost DeBoer his job? No, but it would do absolutely nothing to assuage the concerns surrounding his standing in Tuscaloosa. In fact, it would significantly hamper it.
DeBoer has gone 21-8 over his first couple of seasons with the Crimson Tide. That's good, but it doesn't match Alabama's expectations.
The Tide went 9-4 in DeBoer's debut campaign, losing to Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl. They made it back to the CFP last year and beat Oklahoma in the first round, only to get hammered by Indiana in the Rose Bowl.
DeBoer is facing intense pressure this fall, and a loss at Kentucky would only magnify the vitriol that still gets hurled his way.
The Wildcats are no pushovers, either. They aren't Georgia or LSU, but they are also quite a bit better than they were last year, and they certainly won't be as easy of an opponent as East Carolina.
Again, Alabama should emerge from Lexington with a victory this Saturday. The Crimson Tide are the better team, but that doesn't mean they don't have to be careful.
Signature wins are a thing for coaches. So are signature losses, and DeBoer already has quite a few of those on his resume. Falling to Kentucky in Week 2 would certainly qualify as another.
I absolutely believe that DeBoer will have his guys ready to play this weekend, and I do believe that Alabama will head into Kentucky and send a message.
But if the Crimson Tide lose this game? Then all hell will break loose in Tuscaloosa. Again.
