Athlon Sports has released its early outlook for the 2026‑27 college football bowl season, offering a glimpse of where the Alabama Crimson Tide could end up.
The Crimson Tide are slated to open the 2026 season on Sept. 5 against East Carolina at Bryant‑Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., before diving into fall camp on July 30.
SEC Media Days and Coach Kalen DeBoer
Next week, SEC Media Days will kick off in Tampa, Fla., where coach Kalen DeBoer and several Alabama players will address the press on Wednesday, July 22, setting the stage for the upcoming campaign.
Athlon Sports senior editor Steven Lassan predicts that Alabama will meet the SMU Mustangs in the Gator Bowl on Dec. 30 in Jacksonville, Fla., a projection that ties into the program’s recent bowl history.
Bowl History and Context
The Gator Bowl last featured Alabama in 1993, when Gene Stallings’ squad capped a 9‑3‑1 season with a 24‑10 victory over North Carolina. That game marked the Tide’s most recent appearance in Jacksonville.
Alabama and SMU previously met in a bowl game on Christmas Eve 1983, with the Crimson Tide prevailing 28‑7 in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.
Among other non‑CFP SEC teams, Athlon projects Ole Miss to compete in the Citrus Bowl and Florida to travel to Tampa for the ReliaQuest Bowl, underscoring a busy bowl slate for the conference.
If the projections hold, the 2026 schedule will see Alabama face familiar rivals such as Florida State, Georgia and Auburn, while also navigating a challenging slate that includes the traditional Iron Bowl against Auburn.
The early outlook, while speculative, provides fans with a narrative to follow as the Tide prepares for a season that could reshape its bowl trajectory.