Alabama Football: Constructing perfect 10-game schedule for Tide

Kicking the season off with an incredible rivalry would not only be good for the sport, but Alabama and Auburn fans would love nothing more than seeing this to end the long, drawn-out offseason.

Plus, Alabama would have plenty of time to prepare for arguably their toughest competition of the season. Prepping for an elite quarterback like Bo Nix won’t be easy, but getting the Tigers at home and likely focusing on Auburn for a month would be a major advantage for Alabama.

Mississippi State would be a nice follow-up to a tough rivalry game against Auburn as the Bulldogs are under the direction of first-year head coach Mike Leach and Stanford transfer KJ Costello will get the start at quarterback in a new system.

The Bulldogs could be a surprise team in the SEC this season, but there’s a good chance they’re more likely a 4-5 win team than anything else. This should be the perfect momentum-building win after an Auburn bloodbath in the opener.

The first road game of the year for Alabama should be a cakewalk in this perfect schedule scenario as the 2-0 Tide will face a mediocre Arkansas team in Fayetteville.

Arkansas is under the direction of first-year head coach Sam Pittman and he’s tasked with turning a program around that has been set back years by Chad Morris. This should be an easy win for the loaded Tide.