So, you're looking for the Crimson Tide. It's Sunday, January 18, 2026, and if you’re staring at your TV guide wondering why the usual "Roll Tide" chants aren't echoing through your living room, there's a very specific reason for that. Honestly, the college football calendar can be a total maze now with the expanded playoffs, but here is the bottom line: Alabama is not playing a game today.
The 2025-26 season for Kalen DeBoer's squad reached its conclusion a couple of weeks ago. While the College Football Playoff National Championship is actually scheduled for tomorrow—Monday, January 19—the Tide won't be taking the field at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Instead, that stage belongs to the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers and the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes.
What happened to the Tide?
Alabama had a wild run this year. They finished the regular season 10-2, which was enough to squeeze them into the 12-team playoff bracket despite a tough 28-7 loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship game back in early December.
Their postseason journey started with a bang. On December 19, 2025, Bama went into Norman and took down Oklahoma 34-24 in a hostile first-round environment. It felt like that old-school Alabama dominance was back. But then came the New Year’s Day hangover. On January 1, 2026, the Tide faced a red-hot Indiana team in the Rose Bowl (which served as a CFP Quarterfinal). It wasn't pretty. Indiana handled them 38-3, ending Alabama's title hopes in the Pasadena sun.
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Where is Alabama game today compared to the rest of the CFP?
Basically, today is the "calm before the storm." Because the National Championship is a Monday night tradition, Sunday is a travel and media day for the two finalists. Here is how the final bracket shook out leading up to today:
- Quarterfinals (Jan 1): Indiana beat Alabama; Oregon beat Arizona.
- Semifinals (Jan 8-9): Miami upset Ole Miss in the Fiesta Bowl, and Indiana crushed Oregon in the Peach Bowl.
- Today (Jan 18): Preparation day. No games.
- Tomorrow (Jan 19): Indiana vs. Miami for the trophy.
If you were hoping to see Bama in a bowl game today, those days are mostly gone. The traditional bowl schedule has been sucked into the playoff vortex, and almost all of them wrap up by the first week of January.
Looking Ahead: The 2026 Schedule
Since the answer to where is Alabama game today is "nowhere," fans are already looking at the 2026 regular season. The SEC is moving to a nine-game conference schedule, and it looks like an absolute gauntlet.
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The 2026 season kicks off on September 5 against East Carolina at Bryant-Denny Stadium. If you’re planning your life around the Tide, keep an eye on October 10—that’s when Georgia comes back to Tuscaloosa. After what happened in the SEC Championship last month, that game is going to be personal.
Why the schedule feels different
It’s kinda weird seeing Indiana and Miami in the final while Bama sits at home, right? The landscape is shifting. DeBoer has kept the Tide relevant, but the "Nick Saban era" level of inevitability has faded into a more competitive, parity-driven SEC.
If you're looking for football to watch right now, you’re mostly looking at the NFL playoffs. The "spotlight" for Crimson Tide stars has shifted to Sundays in the pros, where guys like Bryce Young and Jahmyr Gibbs are likely playing for their respective NFL teams in the Divisional Round this weekend.
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Actionable Steps for Bama Fans
Since there's no game today, here is what you should actually be doing to stay ahead for next season:
- Check the 2026 Portal: With the season over, the transfer portal is the new "game day." Keep an eye on who DeBoer is bringing in to fix that offensive line depth that struggled in the Rose Bowl.
- Tide Pride Updates: If you're looking for season tickets for the 2026 home slate (which includes FSU and Auburn), the waiting lists usually see a lot of movement right after the National Championship ends.
- Watch the Title Game: Tune in tomorrow night. It’s a scouting mission. Indiana is the team that knocked Bama out; seeing how they handle Miami will tell you a lot about the level the Tide needs to reach by next September.
The season might be over, but for a program like Alabama, the "offseason" lasts about twelve minutes before the work for 2026 begins in earnest.