"Alabama is underrated": Diehard SEC fan Paul Finebaum cuts Kalen DeBoer some slack with bold 2025 predictions

The 2025 season is only weeks away, and the Kalen DeBoer-led Alabama Crimson Tide are coming off a rare campaign in which they failed to win 10 games for the first time since 2007. Alabama now finds itself ranked ninth in the Preseason Coaches Poll, its lowest spot since 2008.

After narrowly missing the College Football Playoff last season, ESPN’s Heather Dinich believes the Tide are getting more credit than they’ve earned and LSU deserves to be ahead.

“It’s Alabama,” Dinich said on Tuesday’s episode of “Get Up” (Timestamp: 3:37). “Why are they getting so much credit? Did they all of a sudden get LSU’s quarterback, Garrett Nussmeier? Because, last I checked, they had some question marks there. I think Kalen DeBoer has some questions to answer.”

Paul Finebaum, longtime SEC voice, reminded her of the Tide’s 42-13 win over LSU in a road game last season.

“I'm stuck in Kalen DeBoer’s guest room right now, and he just told me to remind you what happened last year in Baton Rouge,” Finebaum said. “LSU had a really good team and that same great quarterback, and they went in there and wiped the floors or the stadium, in this case, with the LSU Tigers. “Think about this for a second. Alabama is ranked lower in this poll than at any poll since 2008, that was Nick Saban's second year, and they only became the number one team in the country before losing that year. So ultimately, this looks bad to me. It looks like Alabama is underrated. I frankly think they're better than this.”

Backing up Finebaum, ESPN’s 2025 FPI gives Alabama a 66.2% chance to make the College Football Playoff and a 10.4% chance to win the national title, fourth-best in the nation. LSU, by contrast, sits 12th with a 30.3% playoff chance and 1.8% odds to win the championship.

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Paul Finebaum spoke about the pressure on Kalen DeBoer

In the same episode, Paul Finebaum talked about an ESPN article by Adam Rittenberg that listed Kalen DeBoer among coaches who need to “deliver soon.” Finebaum said that missing the CFP could put DeBoer under immense scrutiny.

“Well, I’ve never spent a winter in Siberia but that’s what it will be like for Kalen DeBoer (if Alabama misses the CFP),” Finebaum said.

However, he added that as long as the season does not fall apart, DeBoer will keep his job.

“I think he will survive unless it is a disastrous miss,” Finebaum said. “If he comes close? Greg Byrne, the athletic director there, very influential, is behind him. It was his big hire. But I think next year will be just a pressure cooker of epic proportions. But, I don’t think this is even a debate. I think Alabama’s already in the playoffs from where I sit.”

Alabama will start its 2025 season on the road against Florida State on Aug. 30.

Edited by Garima