Alabama Hit With Stark Reality Check After 'Disrespectful' Ranking

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The results of the first AP poll of 2026 are in, and the Alabama Crimson Tide came in at No. 13, its lowest ranking in a preseason poll since opening up at No. 24 in 2018.

Naturally, many Alabama fans questioned the ranking. How could the Crimson Tide, who won 11 games and made it to the Rose Bowl last season, possibly be ranking outside the top 10 with such gifted players on both sides of the ball?

Of course, the word "disrespectful" has come up in many conversations, which is pretty par for the course when it comes to these polls.

But was Alabama actually disrespected?

Patrick Dowd of Touchdown Alabama doesn't think so, claiming that the Tide may have more problems than fans want to admit.

"A large part of Alabama’s success last season came from its passing game led by quarterback Ty Simpson. However, Simpson has now departed for the NFL leaving an open competition between Austin Mack and Keelon Russell which remains unresolved at the time of the first rankings," Dowd wrote.

It's not just the quarterback situation, either.

"The Crimson Tide are returning just one starting offensive lineman from 2025," Dowd added. "Intel from the recent scrimmage also suggests that the group has a good amount of work to do in order to right the ship of the offense."

And let's be honest here: it's not like Alabama is the same juggernaut from the Nick Saban years. Let's also remember that there were some who felt Kalen DeBoer's squad didn't even deserve to make the College Football Playoff last winter.

Perhaps the real gut punch is that six SEC teams — including the LSU Tigers, who were an abject disaster last season — are ranked ahead of 'Bama. That also features the Oklahoma Sooners, whom the Crimson Tide defeated in the CFP last year.

Alabama still doesn't know its starting quarterback, and while Mack and Russell are both very talented, their experience is incredibly limited.

The Crimson Tide also just watched as running back AK Dear suffered an ankle injury that will knock him out for six weeks.

There are many reasons to be skeptical about Alabama heading into 2026, including the fact that DeBoer still has a whole lot to prove in Tuscaloosa.

But who knows? Maybe the Crimson Tide will surprise everyone in the end.

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