So, you’re looking to find out did Alabama win the football game yesterday, right? Honestly, if you were checking the scores on Friday, January 16, 2026, looking for a gridiron battle, you probably came away a little confused.
Here is the deal.
The Alabama Crimson Tide football team did not play a game yesterday. Their season actually ended a couple of weeks ago in California. If you saw a score pop up for "Alabama" yesterday, you were almost certainly looking at the gymnastics meet where No. 4 Alabama fell to No. 1 Florida in a literal nail-biter, 197.425 to 197.275.
Football-wise? The pads are in storage. The cleats are cleaned off.
Did Alabama win the football game yesterday? Breaking down the postseason
The short answer is no, because they weren't on the field. The long answer involves a cold January afternoon in Pasadena that most Bama fans are trying to forget.
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The last time the Crimson Tide played a meaningful snap of football was on New Year's Day, 2026. They faced off against the No. 1 seeded Indiana Hoosiers in the Rose Bowl, which served as a College Football Playoff Quarterfinal. It wasn't pretty. Indiana absolutely throttled Alabama 38-3.
It was a weird game.
Alabama actually looked solid early on, forcing a three-and-out against Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza. But then the wheels just... fell off. Ty Simpson struggled under relentless pressure, and a mid-game injury forced backup Austin Mack into the fray. Mack provided a tiny spark, leading the drive that resulted in Alabama’s only points—a short field goal—but by then, the Hoosiers were already sprinting toward the finish line.
Why people are still asking about the score
When a team like Alabama isn't in the National Championship hunt in mid-January, it feels like a glitch in the matrix. Usually, by January 16, we're talking about Nick Saban—well, Kalen DeBoer now—prepping for a title game.
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Not this year.
Instead, the football world is currently focused on the upcoming National Championship between Indiana and Miami, scheduled for Monday night, January 19. Alabama fans are currently in "wait until next year" mode, which, let’s be real, is a rare place for them to be.
The 2026 outlook: What is next for the Tide?
If you're wondering about the next time you can actually see a "W" on the football field, you've got a bit of a wait. The 2026 schedule is already out, and it’s a gauntlet.
- September 5, 2026: Alabama kicks off the season at home against East Carolina.
- September 12, 2026: A trip to Lexington to face Kentucky.
- September 19, 2026: A massive non-conference showdown with Florida State in Tuscaloosa.
The 2026 season marks a massive shift for the SEC. We’re moving to a nine-game conference schedule. No more "easy" November weeks before the Iron Bowl (mostly). Alabama will play Auburn, Tennessee, and Mississippi State every single year, but the rest of the schedule will rotate.
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It’s basically a whole new world.
How to track the actual game results
To avoid the confusion of mistaking a gymnastics score or a basketball result for a football win, keep an eye on the official CFP bracket. Since Alabama was eliminated in the quarterfinals, they won't appear in the rankings again until the pre-season polls for 2026 drop late this summer.
Honestly, the "yesterday" score you might have seen was likely that gymnastics heartbreaker in Gainesville. It’s a tough loss for the ladies, especially losing by such a razor-thin margin on the road, but in terms of football, the scoreboard is dark.
Keep your eyes on the transfer portal and the late signing period. That's where the real "wins" are happening for Kalen DeBoer right now. The team is currently focused on rebuilding the trenches after that Indiana blowout, trying to make sure that when someone asks "did Alabama win the football game yesterday" in January 2027, the answer is a resounding yes.
Actionable next steps:
Check the final recruiting rankings for the 2026 class to see how the Tide is addressing the offensive line depth. You can also set a calendar alert for the A-Day spring game, which is typically the first Saturday in April, to get your first look at the 2026 roster in action.