Alabama football fan guide to Tideâs huge game vs. Texas

Is this the biggest game of the season in Tuscaloosa? Biggest in college football?

After narrowly escaping Austin with 20-19 win last year, Alabama hosts Texas in Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday, and every ESPN pregame show in existence will be here to hype you up for it.

We’ve got all the info you need to make it through a whirlwind weekend in Tuscaloosa, so plan ahead and be safe. And oh yeah, Roll Tide.

Reminder: There are a few Bryant-Denny Stadium change you should know about for 2023, including the field upgrade, shaker bins, concession updates, locker room tours and more.

Here’s what you need to know about gameday at the Capstone this season. For even more information, visit the helpful UA Gameday website.

READ: Alabama football bucket list: 25 things every Crimson Tide fan should do once

WALK OF CHAMPIONS: 4 p.m.

GATES OPEN: 4 p.m.

ELEPHANT STOMP: 5 p.m.

PREGAME FLYOVER/KICKOFF: 6 p.m.

TV: ESPN

ESPN COLLEGE GAMEDAY

“GameDay” will broadcast from Denny Chimes (8-11 a.m. central on ESPN and ESPNU), while SEC Nation will air from Wade Hall (9-11 a.m. on SEC Network). You can bet the crowd will deliver the energy (and hilarious signs) with the show returning for the first time since the Iron Bowl in 2020. Alabama ranks second only to Ohio State as the school that has hosted the famed ESPN pregame show the most times, now with 55 total appearances (as one of the two participating programs featured) and 17 of them in Tuscaloosa.

The stage will be set up on the lawn by Denny Chimes. The show airs from 8-11 a.m. with live “SportsCenter” hits beginning at 6 a.m. Admission is free to fans of all ages.

Country stars Dan + Shay will perform live from the set. Host Rece Davis returns along with analysts Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, Desmond Howard and Pat McAfee. Pete Thamel, reporters Jen Lada and Jess Sims and newcomer ‘Stanford Steve’ Coughlin will also join the broadcast.

READ: Who should be the ESPN College GameDay guest picker for Alabama-Texas?

Alabama Auburn Fans Iron Bowl 2022 — Alabama and Auburn fans gather at the “SEC Nation” set ahead of the Iron Bowl in Tuscaloosa Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022. (Ben Flanagan / AL.com)

SEC NATION

The SEC Network’s weekly pregame show will hit campus on Saturday at 9-11 a.m. Catch host Laura Rutledge along with Paul Finebaum, Tim Tebow and Roman Harper as they navigate another jam-packed college football Saturday this weekend.

The stage will be set up on the lawn of Wade Hall (across University Boulevard). The show airs from 9-11 a.m. Admission is free to fans of all ages.

SEC Nation Texas A&M 2018 — Laura Rutledge and Paul Finebaum. “SEC Nation” returned to Tuscaloosa for the first of two times in 2018, ahead of the Texas A&M game. (Ben Flanagan / AL.com)

THE PAUL FINEBAUM SHOW

The Paul Finebaum show will also broadcast from Wade Hall on Friday at 2-6 p.m.

MARTY & MCGEE

Marty Smith and Ryan McGee will also return to host the SEC Network’s “Marty & McGee” starting at 8 a.m. in front of Wade Hall, near the “SEC Nation” set.

THE PAT MCAFEE SHOW

The Pat McAfee show will roll into Tuscaloosa to broadcast his daily talk show. McAfee is, of course, in town as an analyst on ESPN’s “College GameDay,” but he’ll bring his pals AJ Hawk, Boston Connor, Ty Schmit and others for his incredibly popular midday show, broadcasting at 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. from the “GameDay” set near Denny Chimes on the University of Alabama campus. McAfee announced Thursday the show will welcome Nick Saban for an interview during the broadcast at 1 p.m.

WEATHER

Friday: Sunny skies with a high near 88, followed by mostly clear skies and an overnight low around 67.

Saturday: Sunny skies with a high near 88, followed by mostly clear skies and an overnight low around 65.

Sunday: Sunny skies with a high near 88, followed by clear skies and an overnight low around 67.

— The National Weather Service

THE GAME! | PREDICTION

Jalen Milroe exceeded expectations last week, even making history as the first Alabama quarterback to throw for three touchdowns and run for two more in the same game. But above all, he looked sharp passing and limited mistakes — maybe the two biggest question marks about him taking over for Heisman-winner Bryce Young.

In fact, Alabama looked impressive across the board. Consider the opponent, sure, but they only had two penalties, did not turn the ball over, forced two turnovers and appeared to improve overall blocking and tackling. For a tune-up game, it’s what you want to see.

That doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement, and Alabama finished the game with a couple of injuries including defensive backs Malachi Moore and Jaylen Key. Nick Saban said both have practiced this week, but it remains unclear how close they will get to 100 percent for Saturday. Either way, the Tide will need them against Steve Sarkisian’s offense led by talented quarterback Quinn Ewers, who started out hot against Bama last year before an injury sidelined him for the rest of the game and created yet another big what-if in Alabama-Texas lore.

Both teams have elite talent up and down their rosters, but what will separate them Saturday evening? If Milroe can continue to play mostly mistake-free football and make plays with with his arm and legs, that should give the Texas defense plenty of fits. And if Alabama can apply enough pressure to Ewers (and cover the Longhorns’ dangerous receivers), the Tide should prevail.

Prediction: Alabama 30 – Texas 20

READ: 8 ways Alabama football home games will change for fans in 2023

CHAMPIONS LANE

An extension of Crimson Tide Sports Marketing’s pregame entertainment, “Champions Lane” is a new free feature that will be located to the northwest of Bryant-Denny Stadium on the lawn behind the Tuska statue and will include food trucks, a sound stage with live music, lounge with casual seating, LED videoboards for fans to watch other college football games in action, Crimson Tide student-athlete autograph tent and more. See the map below.

Taylor Hicks, winner of “American Idol’s” fifth season, will take the stage Saturday on Champions Lane following the Walk of Champions at approximately 4 p.m. Admission is free.

LOCKER ROOM TOURS / SOUVENIR TICKETS

Fans can now purchase behind-the-scenes locker room tours on Fridays before home games for $25 per person. Alabama ticketing went fully paperless during COVID in 2020, and now UA says fans can buy a souvenir printed game ticket ($15 each). They say you can inquire about both via the Crimson Tide Access program.

SHAKER BINS

Fans will find shaker bins throughout the concourses of Bryant-Denny Stadium, allowing them to pick up a complimentary shaker upon entry to use for the game and return on the way out.

HONORARY CAPTAIN AUTOGRAPH SESSIONS

For home games, honorary captains will sign autographs at the Bryant Museum starting five hours before kickoff. They will then move to The Authentic (Alabama’s player-merchandise store), located at Gate 34 on the south end of Bryant-Denny, for another autograph session 3.5 hours prior to kickoff, which will last an hour.

This week, fans can see Dont’a Hightower and Marcell Dareus. Along with their session at Bryant Museum from 1-2 p.m., Dareus will appear at The Authentic store (Gate 34) at 2:30 p.m., and Hightower will appear at the T-Mobile tent at Champions Lane at 3:15 p.m.

CASH-FREE

All points of sale at Alabama athletics events for concessions and retail went cashless. Fans with cash can exchange for a Fancard in $20 increments in the stadium’s Fan Card Gift Card station.

Each location will have a team member to assist guests who require this service. UA said Fancards are a preloaded Mastercard with no activation fees. These can not only be used at stadium concessions but also anywhere Mastercard is accepted.

CONCESSIONS

Concession stands are located throughout the concourses of Bryant-Denny Stadium. Reminder: All concession transactions are cashless.

Alabama announced that five of Bryant-Denny’s highest-volume concession stands were converted to grab and go markets where fans can grab items and proceed to check out faster. Automated self-checkout kiosks will be available at several concession stands throughout the stadium, allowing fans the ability to choose the method they prefer. The site also says multiple beverage and popcorn vending options have also been added “for ease and quickness.”

Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne also tweeted in August he would soon share price reductions on concession food and drink soon, but these are not listed online yet. Fans who attended the MTSU game noticed a few reductions including Denny Dogs costing $3.99, but also some increases including beers both domestic ($10.49) and premium ($11.49), each up about a buck from last year. Souvenir sodas/cups are still $9.99.

TAILGATING

Free Quad tailgating is located on the west side of the Quad. Reservations are not required. Quad tailgate supply drop-off is located on Colonial Dr. and is open during the following times: Friday at 6-8 p.m. and Saturday at 7 a.m. until noon. View the Quad drop-off map. The UA Gameday Info tent is located at the corner of 9th Avenue and University Boulevard. Fans are permitted 15 minutes to unload equipment and exit Colonial Dr.

Quad tailgate supply drop-off is located on Colonial Dr. and is open during the following times:

Friday 6-8 p.m.
Gameday 7 a.m. until noon

MOBILE TICKETING

In 2020, ticketing and parking went mobile-only, providing a safe fan experience with quick and convenient entry on gameday during the pandemic. UA said mobile ticketing reduces the risk of lost, stolen or counterfeit tickets while providing the ability to easily manage, transfer or sell your tickets anytime from your smartphone, so the system will remain in effect.

You can manage their tickets on their smartphone via the Alabama Crimson Tide mobile app or online at RollTide.com/MyAccount. UA encourages fans to download their tickets before gameday. Prior to reaching the Bryant-Denny gates, fans can open their digital wallet on their smartphone, select their game tickets or parking passes, and hold their smartphone near the scanner for entry.

Alabama announced an enhancement to mobile ticketing this year called ALL-IN-1, a smart ticket that simplifies the digital wallet experience. They provided these instructions:

All season tickets, season meal passes, and season parking passes are eligible for ALL-IN-1.
Add each ALL-IN-1 ticket once per seat to your digital wallet.
After the game, ALL-IN-1 pass automatically updates to the next event in the season.
The ALL-IN-1 pass will update if tickets are transferred, and you can still transfer and manage eligible tickets from My Account.

Visit the Alabama mobile ticketing page to learn more.

TICKET TRANSFER/DONATION

UA says season ticketholders may transfer their tickets to another customer by logging into their account and selecting the specific events to transfer under the My Account page. Ticket transfers are now free. You may transfer your tickets up until kickoff.

You can also electronically donate your season tickets back to Alabama Athletics. The tickets will then be donated to those fans who don’t normally receive an opportunity to attend an Alabama athletics event. Ticket donation is free. You may donate your tickets up until 48 hours prior to any event.

STADIUM ENTRY / CLEAR BAG POLICY

Bryant-Denny Stadium has a 360-degree security perimeter. UA encourages fans to queue at the first public security checkpoints located around the stadium. Once inside the security perimeter, navigate to the gate indicated on your ticket. There are six public security checkpoints located around the stadium, which allow guests to navigate to any ticketed gate after clearing security.

UA has walk-through metal detectors at all gates of Bryant-Denny Stadium. Fans do not need to remove shoes or belts to walk through the metal detectors.

Alabama also enforces a clear bag policy in the interest of public safety and to expedite entry into Bryant-Denny Stadium. The only non-clear plastic bag fans can bring into Bryant-Denny is a small clutch purse no larger than 4 1/2 inches-by-6 1/2 inches. If any larger, the bags must be clear and plastic. Fans can also bring in one-gallon clear plastic freezer bags, similar to Ziploc bags you buy at the grocery store. Learn more about the clear bag policy.

COOLING STATIONS

It’s hot in Alabama this time of year — really hot. So UA wants to help you stay cool on gamedays. Cooling stations will include water monsters, fans, shaded seating, sunscreen and first aid staff are located at the locations featured on this map.

Water Monsters featuring 150-gallon tanks of cold filtered water are located throughout Bryant-Denny Stadium to assist fans in staying cool and hydrated. Fans are permitted to bring empty, non-glass, bottles/cups inside to fill up at the various water stations. Small cups will also be provided next to the canister.

TRAFFIC

UA has provided four clearly defined routes designed to provide fans with the most time-efficient ways to and from campus. Read their pregame and postgame traffic maps.

The Cottondale and 216 routes are best for fans traveling from Birmingham and parking on the east side of campus.

The I-359 route is best for fans traveling from Birmingham or west of Tuscaloosa and parking downtown or on the west side of campus.

The McFarland route is best for fans traveling from Birmingham and parking on the east side of campus.

Construction on I-20/59 is complete. There are now three lanes through exit 73, McFarland Blvd.

Construction on Lurleen B. Wallace Blvd. north and south is complete. There are now three lanes through downtown for fans utilizing the I-359/Downtown Tuscaloosa route.

Core campus roadblocks are established 4 hours prior to kickoff
Core campus roadblocks will be enforced at 2:30 p.m.
Campus roadblocks do not affect public parking areas
Fans are encouraged to use the McFarland Route to campus
Rideshare pickup/drop-off is available at two locations on campus

PARKING

UA parking lots open at 7 a.m. Crimson Ride shuttles are free from the east campus parking areas. Begins at 7 a.m., concludes 90 minutes post-game. For more parking information, visit the UA Gameday website.

Public parking is $35 per game.
Accessible parking spaces are available in public parking lots.
Lots open at 7 a.m. on gameday.
Free shuttle service from public parking is provided to & from the Quad. All shuttles are accessible.
Shuttle service begins at 7 a.m. on Gameday and concludes 90 minutes postgame.