Alabama 49-18 South Carolina (Sep 26, 2026) Final Score

Team pages: South Carolina · Alabama

South Carolina2-218

No. 8 Alabama4-049Final

Sat, Sep 26 · Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Ala. · Crowd 100,077

No. 8 Alabama routed South Carolina 49-18.

We had Alabama favored. It won.

Next: South Carolina lost to Kentucky 35-34, Sat Oct 3

Next: Alabama beat Mississippi State 56-23, Sat Oct 3

Top comment in the game thread

Murderball is back on the table, boys!

Q2 2:20 · r/CFB game thread · Sat, Sep 26

How it swung

The turning point: Russell 75-yd TD pass to Brooks, Alabama goes ahead 7-0 (Q1, 5:53). Alabama went from 78% to 93% to win. Fans right then: “That was a 4th and inches play not a 4th and 2 play” r/CFB game thread

Before kickoff, our ratings gave Alabama a 72% chance, and the closing betting line (Alabama was a 12.5-point favorite) put it at 84%.

Pick-six

Alabama · Q2 2:20

FinalAlabama 49-18 South CarolinaAlabama wonMove across the chart, or tap a numbered swing, to see any play.

The play that swung it

1Q1 5:53Russell 75-yd TD pass to Brooks, Alabama goes ahead 7-0Alabama 78% → 93% (+15)

The play that swung it

1Q1 5:53Russell 75-yd TD pass to Brooks, Alabama goes ahead 7-0South Carolina 22% → 7% (−15)

What fans said, play by play

The line in bold above each quote is written by our model from the thread’s comments and the play-by-play.

Q1 6:03South Carolina fans rip Shane Beamer for calling a failed sneak on fourth downIf I see Beamer clapping after a terrible play I’m going to lose itr/CFB game threadThat was a 4th and inches play not a 4th and 2 playr/CFB game thread
Q1 0:00Alabama fans praise Keelon Russell's pocket presence and Ryan Coleman-Williams' gloves after the touchdownRussell looks so good for his age.r/CFB game threadKeelon Russel is so good (x4)r/CFB game thread
Q2 7:22Russell throws deep touchdown to Coleman-Williams as South Carolina fans rage at defenseHow do you keep allowing Coleman-Williams to get behind the defense completely alone? He's the 1 wr that should have eyes and a person near him at all time, make someone else beat…r/CFB game thread
Q2 2:20Alabama fans celebrate murderball as Sellers throws pick-six to MorganQuoted at the top of the page.welcome back joyless murderball, i've missed you dearlyr/CFB game thread
Q3 11:29A player hurdled a defender.like a gazeller/CFB game thread

Alabama’s chance to win after every play.

How to read this chart

Starts from the pregame line (Alabama -12.5), at 78% for Alabama (the play-by-play feed's kickoff number, moved to match the line; our model's and the betting line's own numbers are in “The betting line, and the fans”). Dots are the biggest swings; ticks under the chart are scores. Outlined diamonds mark rare plays. Under the scores, r/CFB comments per minute from fans with a Alabama or South Carolina flair (1,525 and 1,348); both sides share one scale, regulation only. A gold diamond marks a play fans were reacting to.

Watch the plays

The bar and the arrow show Alabama’s chance to win after each play; the logo is the team the play helped.

Every drive

Alabama scored on 6 of its 12 drives; South Carolina on 3 of its 13.

Alabama’s drives are teal, South Carolina’s amber. A line runs from where a drive started to where it ended; a filled dot means it scored.

“Man Keelon has a freak arm”

An Alabama fan

When fans got loud

Busy

The loudest stretch came in the second quarter.

Jump to the loudest stretch

The jump was busy; the crowd was busy.

Two crowds, one game

The words each side’s fans used far more than the other side, from the game thread.

Alabama fans

hit“Oh man I just saw the hit on Dante Moore. The kid that laid that hit shouldn’t play another down this season”

metz“Takeaways: South Carolina should revolt. Russell is a confident team leader for the Tide. Metz is watching tape, and ready to breakout as a star.”

South Carolina fans

beamer“Yes, Beamer, please keep clapping it up at our massively undisciplined team.”

coach“That's Beamer whole problem he's a great recruiter but doesn't actually know how to coach”

fire“Alright boys I had turned it off but I'll fire it back up and take my licks”

secondary“Doesn’t matter. They will probably score a TD before half with how bad our secondary has been”

Both sets of fans kept coming back to: now, ball, back, every.

What it cost

Alabama’s chance to make the playoff rose from 68% to 73%.

Make the playoff

South Carolina · lost12% → ▼9%

Alabama · won68% → ▲73%

Win the conference

South Carolina · lost1% → ▼0%

Alabama · won15% → ▲18%

Win the title

South Carolina · lost1% → ▼0%

Alabama · won9% → 9%

Before the game (September 25, 2026) → after this result, in our model.

Box score

Alabama 49, South Carolina 18

Alabama covered −12.5 by 18.5. The total, 67, went over 53.5.

Team totals	South Carolina	Alabama
Total yards	419	489
Passing	20 of 33, 203 yds	21 of 27, 365 yds
Rushing	40 for 216 yds	30 for 124 yds
First downs	22	20
Third down	3 of 14	5 of 10
Fourth down	3 of 5	0 of 0
Turnovers	2	0
Penalties	7 for 65 yds	4 for 36 yds
Time of possession	29:40	30:20

South Carolina leaders

Passing Lanorris Sellers 18 of 30, 185 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing Matthew Fuller 19 for 112 yds, 1 TD; Lanorris Sellers 13 for 72 yds
Receiving Nyck Harbor 3 for 42 yds, 1 TD; Mazeo Bennett 2 for 28 yds

Alabama leaders

Passing Keelon Russell 21 of 27, 365 yds, 4 TD
Rushing EJ Crowell 6 for 50 yds; Keelon Russell 8 for 35 yds, 1 TD
Receiving Ryan Williams 5 for 98 yds, 2 TD; Lotzeir Brooks 2 for 78 yds, 1 TD

No rain and calm

84° at kickoff · no rain recorded · wind 3 mph from the north, gusts to 9

September game-day temperatures at Bryant-Denny Stadium

Drag along the chart, or step through the game.

First quarter, 14:49 left6:11 p.m.

South Carolina 0, Alabama 0 · Alabama 78% to win

no rain · wind 6 mph from the north · 83°

Fuller 56-yd run

Where this weather comes from

Measured at Tuscaloosa Muni airport, 3.8 miles away. Rain is NOAA's radar-and-gauge estimate at the stadium and wind is an airport reading; neither is measured on the field. Game times come from the play-by-play, good to a minute or two. Source: National Weather Service, through the Iowa Environmental Mesonet; rain radar from NOAA MRMS, through Iowa State University. Field direction from OpenStreetMap contributors.

Before kickoff

Recent games, the series and the betting line below are as they stood going in; the season profile is the season so far.

Recent games

Last three games

South Carolina · 2-1

Rated 16th in our preseason ratings, 22nd now.

2-1 in its last three — but nothing on this résumé beats a top-40 team yet.

L 34-41 vs Mississippi StateTop 25 #75 of 668

lost by 7 as a 3-point favorite

W 45-9 vs Towson #182 of 668

won by 36 as a 44.5-point favorite

W 57-0 vs Kent State #114 of 668

won by 57 as a 35.5-point favorite

Last three games

Alabama · 3-0

Rated 21st in our preseason ratings, 16th now.

Three straight wins, one over ranked or top-40 competition.

W 50-36 vs Florida State #90 of 668

won by 14 as an 18.5-point favorite

W 45-17 @ KentuckyTop 25 #95 of 668

won by 28 as a 9.5-point favorite

W 48-10 vs East Carolina #76 of 668

won by 38 as a 28.5-point favorite

Week by week

Alabama

Wk 1Wvs East Carolina48-10
Wk 2Wat Kentucky45-17
Wk 3Wvs Florida State50-36

South Carolina

Wk 1Wvs Kent State57-0
Wk 2Wvs Towson45-9
Wk 3Lvs Mississippi State34-41

Power rating by week

Alabama is rated 1.1 points ahead as of week 3. Our power rating by week; higher is better.

Matchups

Biggest mismatch: Alabama’s passing EPA against South Carolina, 64 points

Each row ranks the two sides among all teams. The longer the line, the bigger the mismatch.

Alabama’s passing EPA against South Carolina’s defense
Alabama offense, 76th percentile · South Carolina defense, 12th
Alabama’s EPA/play against South Carolina’s defense
Alabama offense, 80th percentile · South Carolina defense, 26th
Alabama’s explosive plays against South Carolina’s defense
Alabama offense, 70th percentile · South Carolina defense, 21st

Season profile, all the rows

Season profile

South CarolinaAlabama

EPA/play, offense

EPA/play, defense

Success rate, offense

Success rate, defense

Explosive-play rate, offense

Explosive-play rate, defense

Rush EPA, offense

Rush EPA, defense

Pass EPA, offense

Pass EPA, defense

The series

Alabama leads the series 15-3

18 meetings since 1937 · Alabama has won the last 3

2025Alabama 29-22
2024Alabama 27-25
2019Alabama 47-23
2010South Carolina 35-21
2009Alabama 20-6

Each line is Alabama’s chance to win through that meeting. Alabama is 2-0 in the meetings since 2018 that were still close in the fourth quarter. Older meetings have no play by play, so no line.

Line, fans and home field

The betting line, and the fans

Alabama fans are feeling it less than most fanbases this week (40th among FBS fanbases), and the other side is no happier.

Alabama favored by 12.5 · Total 53.5

How games like this usually go

Alabama by 12.5, and it went to form

Half of games8 in 10 gamesThis game

The band is where a favorite’s chance ran in the 385 games since 2025 with a favorite of 7.5 to 14.5 points.

The market

The spread moved 1 point toward Alabama.

The total rose 7 points.

The books’ cut: 4.2%, the margin built into the odds

Weather at kickoff

Warm and dry. Feels like 78° at kickoff.

South Carolina at Alabama · Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026 · Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa

78°feels like at kickoff
Dryno rain at kickoff
98weather score, Comfortable
Tiedfor the best of the day's 7 kickoff times

At kickoff, Sept. 26, 2026.

Weather score: 0 to 100, higher is better, for the first 3 hours and 20 minutes of the game. Ideal is 100, Comfortable 90 to 99, Mixed 75 to 89, Rough 50 to 74, Harsh under 50.

Later kickoff times scored higher that Saturday

Games in this time zone used 7 kickoff times that day, local time (kickoffs within 30 minutes of each other count as one). This game, ringed, was tied for the best of the day's seven kickoff times. At Bryant-Denny Stadium that day, a 7 pm or 8 pm kickoff would have scored 100, against 98 at 6 pm.

11 am: 79, Mixed
2:30 pm: 72, Rough
3:15 pm: 77, Mixed
5 pm: 91, Comfortable
6 pm: 98, Comfortable (this game)
7 pm: 100, Ideal
8 pm: 100, Ideal

Weather score at each kickoff time.

Tap a dot to read that kickoff time.

At kickoff, Sept. 26, 2026. Wind is not drawn here; gusts are in each score.

Home field

Alabama is worth +6.1 points (±3.8) more at home than on the road since 2018 — top third of FBS, 84th percentile.

92% at home, 78% on the road against FBS opponents (47-4 home, 32-9 away).

Our model gives every stadium the same flat 2.3-point home edge (why); the books use about 3. Against the closing line this stadium reads +2.6 at home vs. away over 99 games — inside the ±6.0 noise, so the flat number is the honest one here.

Night kickoff — historically worth about half a point more to the home side against the number, and not much more than that. The visitors travel about 380 miles to get here.

The story going in

Bama OC apologizes to fansSep 22, 2026

Where next

Conference standings

Place in the conference, then conference record.

Alabama5th1-0
South Carolina14th0-1

Full SEC standings

No. 8 Alabama routs South Carolina 49-18