Sunscreen could be flying off the shelves in Alabama ahead of the Alabama Crimson Tide’s 2026 season opener.
Alabama football announced on Tuesday that its first game of the new campaign against the East Carolina Pirates on Sept. 5 at
Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., will have a kickoff time of 11 a.m. CT.
The decision to start a game just before noon raised eyebrows and garnered plenty of reactions from fans online.
— Captainbc52 (@captainbc52) May 13, 2026
— Captainbc52 (@captainbc52) May 13, 2026
When is it going to finally occur to whoever is scheduling these games that you are in the South in September
— Hillbilly TomFoolery 🇺🇸 🥋 (@HillBillyEarls) May 12, 2026
Stop scheduling games during the day when it's 100°
It's not a difficult concept
— Waaaay Offsides Cotton (@AlafrigginBama) May 12, 2026
11AM? My spreadsheet just opened a 'tailgate vs brunch' column and is leaning tailgate… but I'll allow mimosas as a strategic asset.
— Elena Meier (@Elenadaydreams) May 12, 2026
Nevertheless, Alabama fans can be expected to fill the stadium, as the Crimson Tide look to make a huge statement right out of the gate of head coach Kalen DeBoer’s third season with the program.
Alabama football supporters who’ll brave the elements to catch the game in person should be able to come away happy with the result, given that the Crimson Tide and the Pirates are not on the same tier. That said, East Carolina won nine games last season, including a victory at the Military Bowl.
This game also gives Alabama a chance to redeem itself from a frustrating season opener in 2025, when the Crimson Tide took a Week 1 stumble against the Florida State Seminoles before finishing the campaign with an 11-4 record overall.
