Alabama football will start the 2026 season in a familiar spot: in the national conversation, but not quite among the very top tier.
The Crimson Tide checked in at No. 13 in the first Associated Press preseason poll for 2026, landing just outside the top 10 and without a first-place vote. It’s the first time Alabama has opened a season outside the top 10 since 2008.
That ranking lines up with the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll, which put Alabama at No. 11. In both cases, the message is the same - Alabama is viewed as a team with College Football Playoff potential, but not yet one of the preseason headliners.
The SEC once again dominates the AP poll, and Alabama is one of nine league teams included. Georgia, Texas, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, LSU, Tennessee and Missouri also made the cut. Florida, South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Auburn all picked up votes.
Alabama began 2025 at No. 8 and finished No. 9 after going 11-4 and losing to eventual CFP national champion Indiana in the CFP quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl.
The Crimson Tide will open the 2026 season against East Carolina, with kickoff set for 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 5 on ABC.
The top of the AP preseason poll is led by Ohio State, which received 40 first-place votes, followed by Oregon with 14. Georgia is third, Notre Dame fourth with six first-place votes, and Texas rounds out the top five. Indiana is sixth with eight first-place votes, Miami is seventh with one, then come Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, LSU, Texas Tech and Alabama.
In Other News...
Alabama Already Faces An EJ Crowell Question It Didn't Want
A lower-body injury has put freshman Alabama running back EJ Crowell on the shelf just as the preseason competition is starting to sharpen, and the timing is less than ideal for a player the Tide have been eager to see in a fuller role. Crowell missed Thursdays scrimmage and Mondays practice, another brief setback in a stop-and-start arrival that has already included injury issues since he got to campus.
Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb has tried to keep the focus on the long view, expressing optimism that Crowell will be back soon and should be ready for the season opener. For Alabama, the hope is simple enough: get the freshman healthy, get him on the field, and find out whether the flashes he has shown when available can translate into something more meaningful once the games begin to count. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama's QB Battle May Be Reaching A Brutal Week For Austin Mack
The quarterback competition at Alabama has reached the point where the calendar may matter almost as much as the reps. Kalen DeBoer has made clear he would like to settle the job soon after the final fall camp scrimmage, with the staff trying to give the offense some much-needed continuity before the season begins. For now, the battle is centered on Austin Mack, a fourth-year player, and Keelon Russell, the sophomore who has worked himself into the thick of it.
Mack has stayed in the mix long enough to keep this from feeling settled, but the next few days could still be decisive in a fight that has already put real pressure on the veteran. Even if the answer does not come immediately, Alabama is clearly heading toward a choice it hopes will steady the entire offense, and the tension around that decision is only going to sharpen as the scrimmage approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Alabamas Quarterback Race Is Starting To Reveal Something Important
Alabamas 10th preseason camp practice offered another glimpse into how the quarterback competition is unfolding, even without the full-on offense-versus-defense setting fans usually crave. With media watching only a portion of the workout in Tuscaloosa, the session leaned heavily on group and individual work, which still gave a useful look at the rotation between Austin Mack and Keelon Russell while the staff kept sorting through battles along the offensive line.
The other notable development was the return of Lotzeir Brooks, who was back on the field and appeared to be fully involved after missing the previous scrimmage. Kalen DeBoer also spent a significant stretch working with the defense, a reminder that camp remains a broad evaluation process rather than a single-position showcase, and this one wrapped up after the seventh period with more questions than answers still hanging in the air. [Read more 🡒]