First off – I need to apologize. This post went live a couple of weeks ago, but for some reason, it didn’t update to the complete article. Only my rough draft was published and it didn’t feature any analysis whatsoever. So, it’s taken me a bit to get this done, but here we are. The 2020 college football season has been on its last legs for several weeks now. The Big Ten is in full-blown chaos. The Pac-12 is out. The ACC and Big 12 seem to be sitting back and watching how this all plays out. Meanwhile, the SEC has been patient, steady, and now, they’re preparing to move forward with a few tweaks – namely, moving to a conference-only schedule.
That means that all of those precious non-conference rivalry games that usually conclude the season are gone, as are all of the non-conference cupcake games and the season-opening non-conference extravaganza games (still bummed that we had to go without ‘Bama-USC). But, hey – at least we’re still getting college football in some way, shape, or form.
A lot of folks think this could lead to chaos, but in college football, I think it benefits the strongest programs – the Clemsons and Alabamas of the world, where the culture is strong and the system is well installed. Whether or not we have a College Football Playoff or not, if the Alabama Crimson Tide comes out of this schedule unscathed, we’ll be talking about a championship caliber team.
2020 Alabama Schedule
9/26, @ Missouri – As much as I want to complain about opening the season on the road, it’s Mizzou, and it’s a season that is a total rebuild for the Tigers. This should be an easy tune-up for Texas A&M.
10/3, vs. Texas A&M – I’m not gonna lie – as a Tide fan, this one makes me super nervous. It’s early in the season, if Kellen Mond is the good version of himself, then he can cause problems, and overall, the Aggies ought to be pretty good this year. I’m still calling it a win right now, but all I’m saying is…..don’t be surprised if this one’s close.
10/10, @ Ole Miss – This one ought to be interesting – it’s the big REVENGE game (</sarcasm>). But, let’s be real – Year 1 under the Lane Train, I don’t think this squad will be ready to beat ‘Bama.
10/17, vs. Georgia – Like I said, not too sure if we’ll get a CFP or not this year, but if we do, this game could be a de facto playoff game. I’m not as high on Georgia as others are, but this is still going to be a competitive one.
10/24, @ Tennessee – This looks like the perfect storm for the Vols to pull the upset. They’re catching Bama a week after that big Georgia game, it’s in Knoxville…the question is whether or not the Vols are going to have the horses to run with Bama late into the 4th quarter. This one might surprise some folks.
10/31, vs. Mississippi State – Read what I said about Ole Miss? I look at Mike Leach and Mississippi State similarly. Let’s see how that offense translates to the SEC.
11/7 – BYE
11/14, @ LSU – Expect the Tigers to take a major dip off in production in 2020, but the fact that this game is in Death Valley makes it a lot harder for the Tide. This one always feels close, and it always feels important – 2020 should be no different.
11/21, vs. Kentucky – I hate the draw here for ‘Bama. Games against LSU and the Vols on the road, drawing Georgia, and then when you’re adding another SEC team, you get Kentucky in a season that should see them field a pretty good team. I mean, sure – they could’ve drawn Florida, but that’s the only way this schedule is tougher for Alabama. I still think they get this win, but I think it’s one of several games on this schedule that will be harder than they look.
11/28, vs. Auburn – Getting the Iron Bowl at home is a big deal for this team this year. I don’t think the Tigers will be as good as they were in 2019, but they’ll make this one interesting, for sure.
12/5, @ Arkansas – It’s so strange to think that the regular season won’t end in the Iron Bowl this year. Instead, it’ll conclude with the Razorbacks being slaughtered on their own field.
The SEC Championship is set to take place in Atlanta on Saturday, December 19th.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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