1997 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

1997 Alabama Crimson Tide football
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Division	Western Division
1997 record	4–7 (2–6 SEC)
Head coach	Mike DuBose (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Bruce Arians (1st year)
Defensive coordinator	Ellis Johnson (1st year)
Captain	Curtis Alexander
Captain	Paul Pickett
Captain	Rod Rutledge
Captain	Deshea Townsend
Home stadium	Bryant–Denny Stadium (Capacity: 70,123) Legion Field (Capacity: 83,091)
Seasons

1997 SEC football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Eastern Division
#7 Tennessee x†		7	–	1					11	–	2
#4 Florida		6	–	2					10	–	2
#10 Georgia		6	–	2					10	–	2
South Carolina		3	–	5					5	–	6
Kentucky		2	–	6					5	–	6
Vanderbilt		0	–	8					3	–	8
Western Division
#11 Auburn xy		6	–	2					10	–	3
#13 LSU x		6	–	2					9	–	3
#22 Ole Miss		4	–	4					8	–	4
Mississippi State		4	–	4					7	–	4
Alabama		2	–	6					4	–	7
Arkansas		2	–	6					4	–	7
Championship: Tennessee 30, Auburn 29
† – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The 1997 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the college football season of 1997–98. The team's head coach was Mike DuBose, who was entering his first year at Alabama. They played their home games at both Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa and Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama and competed in the West Division of the Southeastern Conference. Alabama would finish with a record of 4–7 record in suffering the program's first losing season since the 1984 season. The loss against Kentucky marked Alabama's first ever overtime game, as overtime rules for college football had gone into effect the previous season.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 30	11:30 a.m.	Houston*	No. 16	Legion Field Birmingham, AL	JPS	W 42–17	81,591
September 11	7:00 p.m.	at Vanderbilt	No. 15	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	ESPN	W 20–0	41,448
September 20	11:30 a.m.	Arkansas	No. 11	Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL	JPS	L 16–17	70,123
September 27	2:00 p.m.	Southern Miss*	No. 21	Legion Field Birmingham, AL	PPV	W 27–14	83,091
October 4	6:00 p.m.	at Kentucky	No. 20	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY	PPV	L 34–40 OT	59,226
October 18	6:00 p.m.	No. 9 Tennessee		Legion Field Birmingham, AL (Third Saturday in October)	ESPN	L 21–38	83,091
October 25	11:30 a.m.	at No. 25 Ole Miss		Vaught–Hemingway Stadium Oxford, MS (rivalry)	JPS	W 29–20	41,548
November 1	1:00 p.m.	Louisiana Tech*		Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL	PPV	L 20–26	70,123
November 8	2:30 p.m.	No. 14 LSU		Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry)	CBS	L 0–27	70,123
November 15	11:30 a.m.	No. 17 Mississippi State		Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry)	JPS	L 20–32	70,123
November 22	6:00 p.m.	at No. 13 Auburn		Jordan–Hare Stadium Auburn, AL (Iron Bowl)	ESPN	L 17–18	85,214
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time