re: Iron Bow will probably define DeBoer’s tenure here

Mike I don’t like 9-3 being a new normal, but in a 16-team SEC that now includes two perennial national powers who have long been in our zip code as far as status and in the NIL/portal era where players have zero loyalty to a school, a coach or fans and are mercenaries for the highest bidder, and some schools that don’t have our tradition but have bigger checkbooks than we do can either sign or lure away the kind of talent we used to land easily, is it a realistic normal?

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DeBoer isn’t intense and doesn’t demand excellence?

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Have you seen his teams in letdown situations? That was one of the biggest knocks on him at Washington.

From the opening press conference I’ve been concerned if he has the intensity and work ethic it takes to win week to week in the SEC, where there are zero weeks off. I know he can win a big game and he’s good after a bye week where he has plenty of prep time, but can he keep guys focused enough on down weeks or work hard enough to overcome a preparation disadvantage that Bama has at least 2 times every year (we’re 1-3 in those situations under DeBoer).

I think the FSU loss created such a stir that he got woken up and tried to change styles a bit, but over enough time it fades and if you aren’t an intense person by nature, that level of intensity wears you down. When you are Bama and every team prepares their best for you, coupled with at least 2 preparation disadvantages every year, you generally can’t afford to lose a game like FSU. If we beat AU and find a way to win at least 1 more (SECCG or Playoff game), then it will be a decently successful season. However, we lose a lot on defense next year, tho. This was supposed to be our year.

I don’t know if it’s a lack of intensity, too much pressure, or what but we’ve had a chance in pretty much every game since UGA to put our foot down and take full control of it and we wilt. Our second half performances all year have been subpar.

Not asking for blowouts but we don’t have a MTAQ mentality.

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asses kicked two years in a row by Oklahoma

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I’ll push back a little and say that OU had a preparation advantage in both games, and this year’s game was nothing like last year’s.

Honestly, I expected OU to be a loss at the beginning of the year. It’s the FSU game that is currently the issue. You just can’t lose that game. Beat AU, and it won’t matter much. Lose, and he will have a scorching hot seat coming into next year.

Kirby played for the national championship in his second season. He lost to Alabama on the second and 26 play in overtime as we all remember. This Alabama team has no chance of playing for the national championship.

Kirby was in the CFP NCG in year two with Georgia and would have been in an expanded playoff in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. Ryan Day is in a similar boat.

Bottom line, if we drop the Iron Bowl then Kalen DeBoer's seat should be red hot going into 2026. He's getting paid too much money to be going 9-3 every year.

If we lose to Auburn and miss the playoff again, DeBoer will have to make dramatic changes on his staff, particularly on offense, to keep his job.

The fan base will turn on him if we miss the playoff again. As hard as it may be to pay out a huge amount of money for severance, it would hurt the university even more to keep him if he’s underperforming what he’s getting paid to do. He’s getting paid way too much money to be going 9-3 every year.

Maybe I should rephrase. If we lose to Auburn and miss the playoff again, he likely won’t get fired. But there will absolutely be staff changes and an expectation to make the playoff in 2026. If things go south next season then things will get real.

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This Alabama team has no chance of playing for the national championship

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Wrong. We have a better chance than 90% of the teams in college football.