New Alabama Football coach Kalen DeBoer has an early opportunity to win over the Crimson Tide fanbase. A strong performance against Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday afternoon could help reverse the Tide’s recent road struggles and reinforce the belief that DeBoer is the right choice to succeed Nick Saban.
During the height of Saban’s era in Tuscaloosa, Alabama’s road performances were nearly flawless. Although there were occasional close games and surprising losses, Alabama generally dominated teams they were expected to beat, proving themselves capable of winning anywhere, anytime.
Damion Square famously declared years ago, “we runnin’ in they house, we blowing that up, and we going home.” And Alabama repeatedly lived up to that boast.
Whether it was a four-touchdown win over No. 8 Georgia in 2015, a 39-point triumph over No. 9 Tennessee in 2016, a 29-0 rout of No. 3 LSU in 2018, or the utter dominance of the 2020 squad, Alabama seemed immune to the road challenges that typically trouble college football teams.
However, road games are notoriously tough, and Alabama’s recent road performances have mirrored those of other teams. This shift has exposed a crack in the previously impervious Saban-led machine.
In 2021, Alabama narrowly escaped an upset by a 6-7 Florida team and later lost a road game to an 8-win Texas A&M. They also barely won the Iron Bowl against a 6-win Auburn team after four overtimes.
The 2022 season followed a similar pattern. Alabama narrowly defeated Texas with a late field goal, lost to Tennessee on a game-winning field goal, and then suffered an overtime defeat to LSU. Last season, while Alabama went undefeated on the road, their performances included a poor showing against South Florida, a close win over Texas A&M, and a miraculous victory in the Iron Bowl.
From 2011 to 2020, Alabama had an impressive 38-4 record in true road games, a 90% winning rate. Since 2021, their road record stands at 11-3, a 79% winning rate. Although winning 79% of road games is still notable, it highlights a significant dip compared to the previous decade.
Camp Randall Stadium is known for being a tough venue, ranked 7th in difficulty by EA Sports for the new CFB25 video game. However, Madison hasn’t been a stronghold for Wisconsin against ranked non-conference opponents. According to Jesse Temple from The Athletic, Wisconsin is 1-9 against Top-10 teams at home, with their only win dating back to 1974. They haven’t faced a Top-10 non-conference team at Camp Randall since a blowout loss to Miami in 2001.
Wisconsin is 2-0 this season, but both wins were against lesser opponents, Western Michigan and South Dakota. Although the environment will be challenging, Alabama should be able to secure a comfortable win if they are to be considered serious contenders.
With tougher road tests ahead, including trips to Knoxville, Baton Rouge, and Norman, this Saturday’s game will be a key indicator of how Alabama might perform away from home and whether DeBoer has alleviated the road anxieties that plagued the last few Saban-led teams.
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