The Alabama Crimson Tide visit the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026 at 3:30 p.m. ET from Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky.
Alabama moved to 1-0 by beating East Carolina 48-10, and Kentucky is also 1-0 by way of a 45-13 win over Youngstown State. Alabama's offense carried the opener. The Crimson Tide passed for 260 yards and rushed for 227 as they scored 48 points while allowing 10.
Kentucky matched that production. The Wildcats passed for 301 yards and rushed for 205 as they scored 45 points while allowing 13. The Crimson Tide are 10.5-point favorites over the Wildcats at DraftKings, with a total of 49.5 and a moneyline of -420 for the Crimson Tide and +314 for the Wildcats.
Below, we'll give you all the details you need to know about how to watch this game. How to Watch Alabama vs. Kentucky Players to Watch A true road environment awaits Keelon Russell in just the second start of his career.
The sophomore authored one of the best debuts in program history in the opener, completing 18 of 30 passes for 256 yards and adding 86 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground in a 48-10 win over East Carolina, good for 342 total yards of offense. Saturday brings his first taste of hostile SEC road noise, at a Kroger Field crowd eager to rattle a first-time road starter early. If Russell handles Lexington the way he handled East Carolina, Alabama's offense should have no trouble keeping pace with Kentucky's fast start.
Kentucky's new era already has a face, and it belongs to a Notre Dame transfer making just his second start in Lexington. Kenny Minchey went 18 of 27 for 301 yards and four touchdowns without an interception in the season-opening win over Youngstown State, a debut that put him among a short list of quarterbacks nationally to clear those marks in a season opener. Now comes the real test: a No.
13 Alabama defense that has won its last ten SEC openers. How Minchey handles pressure from an SEC-caliber front will say plenty about whether Will Stein's rebuild is ahead of schedule. Alabama needs a receiver capable of winning one-on-one matchups against a Kentucky secondary still adjusting to a new coaching staff, and Ryan Coleman-Williams looked the part in the opener, catching five passes for 130 yards against East Carolina.
Now a junior, he built his reputation as a freshman with a game-winning touchdown catch against Georgia, and his combination of speed and physicality on the perimeter figures to stress a Wildcats defense breaking in new pieces under Will Stein. If Coleman-Williams gets loose again on the road, Alabama's passing attack should have the answers it needs in a tough SEC opener. Kentucky's remade backfield delivered right away, and Texas transfer CJ Baxter was in the middle of it, scoring two rushing touchdowns in the 45-13 win over Youngstown State.
The Wildcats will lean on their ground game to control tempo and wear down an Alabama front seven anchored by veteran linebacker Deontae Lawson, hoping to keep the crowd at Kroger Field engaged deep into the fourth quarter. Baxter's ability to finish runs near the goal line gives Kentucky a reliable complement to Kenny Minchey through the air. A productive day for Baxter could be the difference in Kentucky's first real test of the Will Stein era.
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