The Alabama Crimson Tide might be on a bye week, but that doesn’t mean the program can’t pick up a few wins without an opponent on the schedule. Alabama received two important pieces of news on Monday, and both could shape how it handles LSU in two weeks.

The first involves wide receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams and an encouraging update from Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer. The second involves when the Crimson Tide will kick off in Death Valley, and it’s a bigger deal than it might sound.

Kalen DeBoer offers optimistic timeline for Ryan Coleman-Williams

DeBoer spoke in Birmingham during the bye week on Monday, and he addressed Coleman-Williams’ status, per a post from Charlie Potter.

“We’re hopeful that he’ll be ready for the LSU game,” DeBoer said.

DeBoer added more about the group of players working their way back, and he singled out Coleman-Williams.

“Not all of them are exactly on the same timeline, but Ryan in particular, I hope by next week that he’ll be ready to give us quite a bit,” DeBoer said.

That is huge news for Alabama. The expectation was that Coleman-Williams would be out for a considerable amount of time, and certainly through the bye week. DeBoer is now openly hopeful about his return, and he is saying it only a few days removed from Alabama’s most recent win and with the LSU game still two weeks away.

Coaches don’t usually put a target game on a return unless they feel good about where things are trending. DeBoer isn’t promising anything here, and “hopeful” is doing some work in that first quote. Even so, the fact that he named the LSU game specifically, and then said he wants Coleman-Williams ready to “give us quite a bit” by next week, tells you the staff expects him to be more than a spot contributor when he returns.

Alabama avoids a night game in Death Valley

Coleman-Williams’ update wasn’t the only win the Crimson Tide received on Monday. The second came from a scheduling reveal, because Alabama will face LSU in a game that is not at night for the first time in more than a decade and a half.

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Here’s why that matters. Death Valley on a Saturday night is among the toughest environments in the entire sport to play football in. The crowd, the noise, and the atmosphere have swung this rivalry before, and any team would happily take that variable off the table.

I like this for two reasons. For one, a big game follows later that day between Notre Dame and Miami, and it carries massive implications for Alabama and for the rest of the College Football Playoff picture. Alabama fans will get to watch that game after the Tide wrap up their own business in Baton Rouge.

On top of that, Alabama simply doesn’t have to deal with LSU in Death Valley at night. That alone is a major win for a team heading into one of the most hostile road trips on its schedule.

What it means for Alabama heading into LSU

Bye weeks are usually quiet, but this one gave Alabama two reasons for optimism before it ever takes the field again. A potential return for Coleman-Williams would add a key piece back to the lineup, and a game outside the Saturday night spotlight removes one of the biggest advantages LSU holds at home.

Monday was jam-packed for the Crimson Tide, and both developments tilt things a little more in Alabama’s favor as it prepares for a matchup with major playoff stakes. If DeBoer’s timeline holds and Coleman-Williams is ready to contribute, Alabama could walk into Death Valley in about as good a position as it could have asked for.