Kalen DeBoer has taken on one of the most challenging task in recent memory in replacing Nick Saban as the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide football program. It doesn't take a college football junkie to understand the significance of the situation.
Coach Saban had one of the most legendary careers in college football history collecting seven national titles, including six at Alabama since 2007. The standard in Tuscaloosa is set for Coach DeBoer.
So what will a successful year one look like for Coach DeBoer at Alabama? Is winning 10 games enough? Does he need to make the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta? A birth in the new 12-team College Football Playoff? Win a National Championship?
Well, unfortunately, the answers are more complicated than the questions. So the best way I know how to come to a conclusion is to simply look at the schedule.
From my best estimate there are six games on Alabama's schedule that you can, for all intents and purposes pencil in as wins for the Crimson Tide. Home games against Western Kentucky, South Florida, South Carolina, Mercer, and Auburn are all games the Tide should manage at home. A road game in Nashville against the Vanderbilt Commodores should also come pretty easy for Alabama.
That leaves six games for Coach DeBoer to make his mark in Tuscaloosa.
- Wisconsin (Away)
- Georgia (Home)
- Tennessee (Away)
- Missouri (Home)
- LSU (Away)
- Oklahoma (Away)
As you can see, Coach DeBoer will not be easing his way into his new job. Those six matchups, four of which are on the road, is about as daunting as any team has in the country. How he navigates those matchups will determine the amount of success he will have in year one. If we are speaking candidly, you can't go 3-3 and expect fans to like it.
I firmly believe that 10-2 is the magic number for Coach DeBoer and the Tide this season. That record will earn you a spot in the CFP where Alabama fans feel that belong on annual basis.
It's easy to use records as an indicator of success and at the end of the day winning matters, but for Coach DeBoer at Alabama, winning games simply isn't enough, championships are what Tide fans want and expect.