Alabama’s first game of the 2026 season did more than put a 48-10 win on the board. It also changed the conversation around the Crimson Tide almost immediately.
After beating East Carolina in Week 1, Kalen DeBoer’s team shot up six places in ESPN’s power rankings and landed in the top 10. That rise came after Alabama controlled the game from start to finish, out-gaining the Pirates 487-162 and holding them to only five first downs.
A big part of the buzz centered on quarterback Keelon Russell, who made a strong first start. ESPN’s Andrea Adelson pointed to the way he handled the moment and how his legs opened things up for Alabama’s offense:
Russell showed exactly why his coaches have raved about his natural playmaking ability. [He] threw for 249 yards… but it was [his] ability to take off and run that helped the Crimson Tide open up their ground game. Russell led Alabama with 86 yards on 13 carries - some on designed runs, some on scrambles - and the Crimson Tide finished with 227 yards rushing, a huge step in fixing their biggest flaw from a year ago.
That ground production stood out because Alabama struggled there all last season, averaging 104.1 rushing yards per game in 2025, the second-lowest mark in the SEC. The 227 yards against East Carolina offered a promising opening, but the next test comes fast.
Alabama will face Kentucky this weekend, and that matchup should give the clearest answer yet on whether the Tide have truly cleaned up their running-game issues. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. E.T. on Saturday on ABC.
In Other News...
LSUs SEC Fight Could Shift The Balance Alabama Lives With
The SECs legal fight with LSU has taken another turn, and it is the kind of conference business that rarely stays contained to one school. The league has amended its federal court lawsuit and is preparing to meet about possible punishment tied to LSUs institutional control and the football program, a dispute that puts the conferences authority and its willingness to enforce it back in the spotlight.
For Alabama, any league-wide shakeup involving LSU matters because it can alter the balance of a conference the Crimson Tide lives in every week. The SEC has also alleged that LSUs executive officers do not have meaningful control over coach Lane Kiffin and the football program, and the most extreme option on the table would require a two-thirds vote to terminate LSUs membership. Whether it gets anywhere near that point is still the unresolved part, but the fact it is being discussed says plenty about how serious the conflict has become. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Faces An Early SEC Test It Can't Afford To Sleepwalk Through
Alabama got through its Week 1 tune-up against East Carolina, but the rhythm of the season changes fast now that SEC play arrives. The Crimson Tides first conference test comes against Kentucky, a team that brings a different look than the usual early-September opponent and one that has already spent the offseason reshaping itself on the sideline and at quarterback.
Will Stein is in place as the Wildcats new head coach, and Kentucky also added a transfer quarterback who was impressive in the opener. That combination is enough to make this more than a routine league game for Alabama, which cannot afford to treat it like a soft landing after the nonconference schedule. The Tide will need to be sharp from the start if they want to avoid turning an early SEC roadblock into something bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Just Sent A Confusing Early Message In The Polls
The first full college football polls of the regular season offered an early read on where the sports powers stand, and Alabama got a mixed one. Ohio State stayed No. 1 in both the AP and Coaches polls, LSU surged to No. 8 after a convincing win over Clemson, and Michigans split showing in the rankings underscored how quickly the first month can reshape a rsum.
For Alabama, the picture was less clean. The Crimson Tide climbed to No. 12 in the AP poll after handling East Carolina, but the Coaches poll told a different story by placing them one spot lower. It is still early, of course, but the discrepancy is the kind of small signal that tends to matter in September, especially for a program used to being evaluated with very little margin for error. [Read more 🡒]