After beating Georgia to open SEC play in 2024, Alabama climbed to the No. 1 spot in the AP Poll. In that moment, it felt as though the worry about a potential drop-off after Nick Saban’s retirement was nonsense and that Kalen DeBoer would keep the program rolling. Then, it happened. DeBoer and the Crimson Tide rolled into Nashville and lost to unranked Vanderbilt and Diego Pavia 40-35.
That was the first of four losses to unranked opponents that DeBoer has suffered as the head coach of the Crimson Tide, and it led to a 9-4 finish for Alabama last season.