If you’ve spent any time in Tuscaloosa lately, you know the vibe has shifted. It’s not the Saban era anymore, but the expectations? Yeah, those didn't go anywhere. Looking back at the crimson tide football scores from this past 2025 season, it was a wild ride that felt like three different seasons packed into one.
We saw moments of absolute brilliance followed by some "wait, what just happened?" performances. Honestly, that’s just life in the expanded SEC.
That Brutal Start and the Georgia Statement
Let’s be real: starting the season with a 31-17 loss to Florida State on August 30th was a gut punch. Fans were already whispering about the "DeBoer era" taking a step back. But then, the Tide basically went on a tear. After dismantling Louisiana-Monroe 73-0 (which, let's be honest, we expected) and handling Wisconsin 38-14, the real test arrived.
Athens. September 27.
Alabama walked into Sanford Stadium as underdogs and walked out with a 24-21 win over Georgia. It was Ty Simpson’s coming-out party. He didn't put up video game numbers, but he managed the game like a pro. That score did more than just add a "W" to the column; it proved that Alabama could still punch the biggest bully in the conference in the mouth.
The Mid-Season Grind: Winning Ugly
There’s a specific kind of stress that comes with winning games you’re "supposed" to win by 30 but only winning by a touchdown.
October was a gauntlet.
- Vanderbilt (Oct 4): 30-14. A bit closer than the experts liked, but a win.
- Missouri (Oct 11): 27-24. This one was terrifying. A late field goal saved the day in Columbia.
- Tennessee (Oct 18): 37-20. The Third Saturday in October actually felt like a rivalry again. Zabien Brown’s 99-yard interception return at the end of the first half was probably the play of the year. It turned a tight game into a celebratory cigar-fest.
By the time the Tide beat LSU 20-9 in early November, they were 8-1 and sitting pretty at No. 4 in the rankings. The defense, led by Deontae Lawson, was finally starting to look like that "Nasty Bama" unit we all remember. They held LSU without a touchdown. Think about that for a second. In modern college football, keeping a Brian Kelly offense out of the end zone is basically a miracle.
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The November Stumble and the Iron Bowl
Everything felt like it was cruising toward a No. 1 seed until Oklahoma came to town on November 15th.
Loss. 23-21.
It was one of those games where the ball just didn't bounce right. Two fumbles and a missed assignment on a late third down cost them. It dropped Alabama to 8-2, and suddenly the "Playoff Lock" talk turned into "Bubble Team" anxiety.
But then came the 90th Iron Bowl.
Playing at Jordan-Hare is always a nightmare, no matter how bad Auburn's record is (and they were 5-7 this year). Trailing 17-6 at one point, Alabama had to claw back. Ty Simpson found Isaiah Horton for three separate touchdowns, including the game-winner on a gutsy 4th-and-2 call with less than four minutes left. Final score: 27-20.
That win didn't just save the season; it sent them to the SEC Championship.
The Postseason: A Tale of Two Oklahomas
The SEC Championship was... well, it was ugly. Georgia got their revenge in Atlanta, winning 28-7. Alabama’s offense looked stuck in the mud.
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Because of that loss, Bama ended up as the No. 9 seed in the first-ever 12-team playoff (well, second year of it, but you get the drift). They had to go back to Norman to face Oklahoma again.
Talk about a redemption arc.
Alabama won 34-24 on December 19th. They fixed the mistakes from the regular season, protected the ball, and let the running game eat. It felt like the Tide were peaking at the exact right moment.
Then came the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day.
Facing No. 1 Indiana sounds weird to say, doesn't it? But Curt Cignetti had those guys playing out of their minds. The crimson tide football scores ended on a sour note here: a 38-3 blowout loss. Fernando Mendoza, the Heisman winner, shredded the secondary. It was a sobering reminder that while Alabama is still elite, the gap between them and the rest of the country has closed significantly.
Breaking Down the 2025 Numbers
If you look at the full season, Alabama finished 11-4.
| Outcome | Key Stat |
|---|---|
| Record | 11-4 (7-1 SEC regular season) |
| Points Per Game | 29.5 (Ranked 50th) |
| Points Allowed | 19.2 (Ranked 20th) |
| Biggest Win | 73-0 vs. ULM |
| Toughest Loss | 38-3 vs. Indiana (Rose Bowl) |
Honestly, the offense struggled more than people expected. Being 50th in the country in scoring isn't exactly the "Bama Standard." But the defense stayed top-20 despite losing a ton of talent to the NFL and the portal last year.
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What This Means for 2026
Kalen DeBoer is now 22-6 over two seasons. That’s good! Most programs would kill for that. But this is Alabama.
The fan base is already looking at the 2026 roster. Ty Simpson is headed to the NFL Draft. The transfer portal is already humming—we’ve already lost 21 guys including defensive end Jordan Renaud.
The biggest takeaway from the 2025 crimson tide football scores is that this team has grit, but they lack the "knockout punch" they used to have. They won a lot of close games (Georgia, Missouri, South Carolina, Auburn) that could have easily gone the other way.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you're tracking the Tide moving forward, keep these three things in mind:
- Monitor the QB Room: With Simpson gone, the battle for the starting spot in spring ball will define the 2026 season. If they don't land a high-level portal guy or have a young gun step up, that 29.5 PPG average might drop even further.
- Watch the Trench Recruiting: Alabama struggled when they couldn't run the ball (they were 3-4 when held under 100 rushing yards). The 2026 recruiting class currently ranks 3rd in the SEC—solid, but they need more "road graders" on the offensive line.
- The "Saban Field" Factor: Alabama actually extended their home winning streak to 17 games this year before the Oklahoma stumble. Saban Field at Bryant-Denny is still one of the hardest places to play, but the mystique isn't quite the "automatic win" it used to be.
The 2025 season was a success by almost any metric, but for a program used to National Championship trophies, an 11-4 finish and a Rose Bowl blowout feels like unfinished business.
Keep an eye on the portal over the next few weeks. That’s where the 2026 scores will actually be decided.