Kickoff time, TV designation revealed for Alabama-Texas showdown in Week 2

The kickoff time has been released for one of the biggest games of the college football season. Alabama will host Texas on Saturday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. E.T., it was announced Tuesday morning. The Week 2 showdown will be televised by ESPN.

Alabama and Texas both have high expectations for the 2023 season as both rosters are loaded. They could each be ranked in the top 10 at the time of the matchup.

In ESPN’s post-spring Top 25, Alabama is ranked No. 6, while Texas is ranked No. 10.

The Crimson Tide edged out the Longhorns 20-19 in last year’s classic game in Austin.

Alabama lost several key players off of last year’s team, including the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft in Bryce Young. But Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban is never lacking for talent in Tuscaloosa.

Quinn Ewers is back to lead Texas as its starting quarterback after an up-and-down season in 2022. While Ewers had rough moments at times last season, he was excellent early on against Alabama, before leaving the game with an injury in the first quarter.

Ewers was 9-for-12 passing for 134 yards prior to the injury.

Texas signed the No. 1 player in the On3 Industry rankings this offseason in Arch Manning, but Ewers has already been named the Longhorns starting QB for the 2023 season.

There are plenty of storylines ahead of the Week 2 matchup. In addition to both teams being ranked in the top 10 and featuring loaded roster, there is also history between the two head coaches.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian coached under Saban on two separate occasions, including as the Crimson Tide’s offensive coordinator in 2019 and 2020.

JD PicKell: Texas vs. Alabama will be a ‘narrative’ game

Alabama’s road trip to Texas in 2022 was one of the best games during the college football regular season. The matchup in Tuscaloosa this year could be another classic. On3’s JD PicKell wants everyone to have the right perspective ahead of the matchup.

“The narrative is going to boom so far either way, regardless of the result for either team. I just want to get out ahead of that and tell you it’s gonna be Week 2. So we’re not making statements on either of these teams based on how this game shakes out,” PicKell said.

“Whether Texas wins or Alabama wins, it’d be a big deal, now, for both teams. It’d be a big deal to win this game. But it’s a playoff game. (At least) in the sense that the rest of the slate is so tough for both of these teams. It’s a playoff game in the sense that you lose your mulligan. But the narrative around this game? I just want us to be careful in how we approach it.”