CFB expert predicts two losses on Alabama's 2024 schedule

The upcoming 2024 college football season will be interesting for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Not only does the program have to recover from a headline-worthy coaching change, but there was significant roster turnover and the landscape of college football is impacted by serious change.

When legendary head coach Nick Saban announced his decision to retire, the Crimson Tide moved quickly to hire one of the best coaches in the nation, former Washington Huskies lead man, Kalen DeBoer.

Throughout the offseason, experts, analysts, and fans have had a difficult time projecting how Alabama will perform in 2024 with a new coach, a handful of key contributors gone by way of the NFL draft and transfer portal, and with mass conference realignment going into effect.

One college football pundit, Will Backus of CBS Sports predicts the Crimson Tide will lose two games in the upcoming 2024 season: at home against the Georgia Bulldogs and on the road against the Tennessee Volunteers.

“There’s no reason to expect significant drop off from Nick Saban to Kalen DeBoer,” writes Backus. “The Crimson Tide will still be right around the top of the conference and in the College Football Playoff conversation all year long. That being said, Alabama did lose some key players to the transfer portal and have some questions on the roster — including immense turnover at both receiver and in the defensive secondary — that might have them losing some tough games against other premier SEC programs. Ten wins is still more than enough to make a 12-team playoff field, and the Crimson Tide certainly have the capability for more, especially with DeBoer’s track record.”

Expectations are somewhat mitigated for the dynastic program that was still able to reach the final four-team College Football Playoffs despite having an off season. For DeBoer, the pressure is on. While fans aren’t sure what to expect, they do know what they want: to win.

Competing for national championships has become the standard in Tuscaloosa, and Alabama has consistently been in contention to reach the playoffs just about every single year of the format’s decade-long existence.

Losing two games in 2024, as Backus projects, may seem like a sub-standard season for the Crimson Tide. However, it is important to remember that with the playoff field expanding to 12 teams, there’s still a high likelihood that the 10-win resumé would be enough to get them in.

Only time will tell how Alabama will perform in the upcoming season. The nation will get its first glimpse at the post-Saban era on Aug. 31 as the Crimson Tide takes on Western Kentucky at home in Bryant-Denny Stadium to begin the 2024 season.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama football as the 2024 offseason progresses.

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