Paul Finebaum describes what success looks like for Kalen DeBoer in Year 1 at Alabama

All eyes will be on Kalen DeBoer as he tries to follow up Nick Saban at Alabama. It’s a high-pressure job and, as such, Paul Finebaum suggests that he succeeds at their level early on in Tuscaloosa.

Finebaum joined on during ‘McElroy and Cubelic In The Morning’ on Monday. In that conversation, he spoke about what year-one success will look like for the Crimson Tide’s new head coach. Simply put, the expectation is for the program to contend. To him, that means another playoff appearance for them this fall.

“Playoffs,” said a chuckling Finebaum. “I mean there’s no getting around it.”

“Alabama fans don’t accept, ‘Well, we had a good season but…,'” Finebaum said. “That’s not the standard at Alabama.”

Alabama made eight appearance in the College Football Playoff over it’s decade in the four-team model. That included six appearance in the national championship with three wins to add to their other dozen titles in history.

In order for DeBoer to make the playoff, albeit easier with eight more berths up for grabs, Finebaum says it’s going to come down to how successful that the Tide are early on. The noise from the fanbase will get loud if they start slow, especially if it kills their playoff hopes before they even truly get into their conference schedule.

“I think really early on is where he has to be careful because everything is going to be magnified as we’re looking at Nick Saban on our television screens on Saturday morning getting ready for an Alabama game,” Finebaum explained. “The game that I think, that I didn’t really think about much until this morning? I was looking at the Alabama schedule. The game at Wisconsin in the first couple weeks of the season should be a win but that’s a dangerous place. I’ve never been there on a Saturday night but I’ve seen enough games from Camp Randall. That’s one that he has to win.”

“I think the Georgia game is not as critical. Much will be made out of that but that’s a game that I think that Georgia may end up being a slight favorite,” Finebaum said. “Then negotiating those road games, the ones that got away from Nick Saban two years ago.”

Some of the expectations for Alabama can become over the top when you base it off what they have been rather than what they can be. Still, contention is the barometer that we measure them with and, because of that, Finebaum says DeBoer’s first season, even if he does win double-digit games, is going to come down to a selection in the 12-team playoff come this December.

“We had a guy on the other day that said that 10-2 or 11-1 would be a tragedy. I think that’s absurd,” said Finebaum. “I think 10-2 would be a very acceptable record his first year. But I do think if he doesn’t make the playoffs? He will be judged very harshly.”