They played their home games at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and were led by twelfth-year head coach Nick Saban.

The Tide opened the year with a dominant victory over Louisville in the Camping World Kickoff played in Orlando, Florida.

[2] The Crimson Tide were led on offense by sophomore quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who won the starting job over two-year starter Jalen Hurts.

Tagovailoa set the NCAA FBS record for passing efficiency rating (199.4),[a][3] was a consensus first-team All-American, and finished second in voting for the Heisman Trophy behind Oklahoma's Kyler Murray.

Hurts, despite losing the starting role, received praise for sticking with the team and helping to mount a comeback in the SEC Championship Game when Tagovailoa went down with an ankle injury.

Alabama did not play SEC East opponents Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina and Vanderbilt in the 2018 regular season.