The 2024 college football season features a handful of games for the Alabama Crimson Tide that will garner national attention. Whether it’s an interesting matchup, a historic rivalry, or an important game with College Football Playoff implications, fans nationwide will be interested in Alabama’s upcoming season.
One of the biggest signs that any game has national intrigue is when the ESPN College GameDay crew comes to town. For the Crimson Tide, hosting College GameDay will be especially interesting because of the program’s recent addition of former Alabama head coach Nick Saban, who will serve as an analyst on the show’s panel.
Recently, Ben Kenney of Badgers Wire put together a week-by-week projection of where College GameDay could broadcast from. Three different Alabama games at various locations were mentioned.
Alabama at Wisconsin
Kenney first includes the Crimson Tide in his Week 3 projection, when Alabama hits the road to take on the Wisconsin Badgers in Big Ten country, Madison, Wisconsin.
“The Week 3 schedule is admittedly a little light. Alabama at Wisconsin would contend with Oregon at Oregon State and Colorado at Colorado State.
“Alabama and Wisconsin is an easy choice. It’s Kalen DeBoer’s first big game as Alabama head coach, on the road at a tough place to play, against a Luke Fickell-led Wisconsin program desperately in need of a signature win.”
This game is between two Power Conference opponents and doesn’t necessarily carry substantial weight in the College Football Playoff race, but it is the first test of Kalen DeBoer as the Crimson Tide’s head coach, as it is a non-Group of Five team and will be the team’s first road game of the season.
Alabama vs. Georgia
The week immediately following Alabama’s road game against Wisconsin is a home matchup against Kirby Smart and the elite Georgia Bulldogs. Smart vs. Saban is a thing of the past and fans will be interested to see how these two powerhouse programs matchup up without Saban on the sidelines.
“This matchup loses a bit of luster if the Crimson Tide lose at Wisconsin and show real signs of weakness. Otherwise, it’s a potential SEC championship preview between the sports’ top two programs.”
DeBoer did an excellent job with the Washington Huskies, which should mean that he stands a strong chance against Georgia, because he is not a novice when it comes to high-profile and high-stake games. This one ticks all the boxes of a game that will receive national interest.
Alabama at LSU
A late-season matchup between Alabama the LSU Tigers has DeBoer coaching in this rivalry game on the road. A daunting environment between two teams that have a good chance of being in the thick of the College Football Playoff race late in 2024.
LSU and Alabama could have legitimate SEC title and College Football Playoff hopes entering this matchup. If so, this rivalry matchup is always a good bet to host the show.
If the two teams suffer early losses, I’d look at Florida State at Notre Dame or Georgia at Ole Miss.
As Kenney mentions, this projection is subject to the performances of the two teams. If both are riding high with strong records and impressive CFP resumés, then College GameDay may feel compelled to broadcast from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. However, if one, or both, of these teams stumble at any point prior to this contest, then there are alternatives that may be of more interest.
At the end of the day, participating in a game that features the presence of ESPN’s College GameDay doesn’t do anything to add to the strength of the program or the team’s chances of reaching the College Football Playoff, but it is associated with success and national intrigue.
Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama football news as the 2024 offseason progresses.
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