AJ McCarron, Trent Richardson pick Alabama's toughest month during 2025 season

It started as a poll question for fans to argue over, but former Alabama greats AJ McCarron and Trent Richardson didn’t need much research to decide which month of games will prove to be the toughest for the Crimson Tide in 2025. The famous Alabama alums discussed the topic during last week’s episode of The Dynasty podcast with host Chris Stewart.

The Tide kick off the upcoming regular season with a rare season-opening road game at Florida State, before bookending a pair of home games against Louisiana-Monroe and Wisconsin with what is arguably be Alabama’s biggest game of season at Georgia to close out the month of September. That leads into an October slate that includes revenge game opportunities against Vanderbilt and Tennessee, both of whom upset the TIde at home in 2024, as well as always-difficult road games at Missouri and South Carolina. November begins with three straight home games, the first vs. bitter rival LSU, followed by Oklahoma and a non-conference game against Eastern Illinois, before capping the final month of the regular season in the Iron Bowl at Auburn, never an easy matchup.

But which month will prove to be the most difficult for Alabama to transverse?

“I say October because you’ve got Vandy, which we’ve got to be on a get-back (mentality) … I need my lick back,” Richardson said. “And you’ve got Missouri, but then you’ve got Tennessee. That whole Tennessee trip with Vandy and Tennessee (losing on the road last season), listen, we’ve got to get our lick back. Right now to me, Tennessee is owning Alabama.”

McCarron was in full agreement with Richardson.

“I think it’s for sure October. One, because, it’s basically a five-week stretch without a bye. You get a bye before (going to) Athens the last weekend of September, and then it’s four weeks straight after that. Vandy at home, but at Missouri, which Missouri is a tough place to play,” McCarron said. “You’ve got Tennessee after that, at home, but you don’t know what Tennessee’s quarterback situation is going to be. How are they going to be without Nico (Iamaleava) this year? He was a huge playmaker for them. But they still have a ton of athletes, they’ve done a great job of recruiting. They’re going to be a good team.

“The scariest game out of all of those is the following week – at South Carolina. Myself and Trent both know, (Columbia) is an extremely loud place to play at.”

McCarron is obviously recalling Alabama’s infamous 2010 loss in Columbia, when quarterback Stephen Garcia and the host Gamecocks shocked the reigning national champion and No. 1-ranked Crimson Tide with a devastating 35-21 road upset. Of course, this year’s South Carolina squad is no push over, especially given how well the Gamecocks played Alabama last season in Tuscaloosa, with the Tide needing a last-second interception of quarterback LaNorris Sellers to secure a 27-25 win.

“South Carolina took Bama down to the wire last year, really cost themselves the game. Really had the game won and blew it,” McCarron continued. “So, I think the month of October is by far the toughest stretch. Because after South Carolina, you get another bye going into the LSU game to start November.”

If you include the likely Top-5 road game in Athens, Alabama will face a five-week stretch that could include three Top 25 matchups, with a fourth to start the month of November (against LSU). And as the Tide learned during last year’s October collapse within the unfriendly confines of the state of Tennessee, every SEC road game brings its own unique challenges.

“That’s basically a five-week stretch counting the Georgia game in the last weekend of September,” McCarron concluded. “October’s going to be a gauntlet for them. If they can get through October, I think it’s smooth sailing, at least for the majority of the year.”