Can't Wait For Saturday Blowout CFP loss figures to fire up Crimson Tide

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Jul. 29—

Once again, I will represent the state of Illinois on The Associated Press AP Top 25 panel. It is an honor and one of my favorite parts of the job I have been doing for 38 years.

Of course, some of you won't like how I rank the teams each week and that's cool. We are all entitled to our opinions. I will take any criticism you want to deliver. If you make a convincing argument, I will change my mind.

The poll starts with a preseason Top 25 that will be released Aug. 17. To get the poll talk going, I'm going to use this space over the next month and a half to count down my Top 40.

Why 40? Because that is number of teams I usually track closely during the year, give or take a team or two.

Who is unveiled today …

— After getting throttled in its College Football Playoff opener against Indiana, my guess is the Crimson Tide will be especially motivated. I sure would be. The fact that the Hoosiers rolled to the title won't matter in Tuscaloosa. Alabama is not supposed to lose to Indiana unless the ball is round.

Remember, Alabama beat Georgia during the regular season before dropping the rematch in the SEC title game. The win against the Bulldogs put Alabama in the CFP.

— While not everyone is thrilled with his first two seasons, Kalen DeBoer is still considered a top coach. Based more on his work at Washington than his time at Alabama. Smart football people would advise the school to be patient. DeBoer wouldn't last long on the open market and there were some who thought he might leave Alabama after his second season. Cooler heads prevailed.

— The quarterback position remains up in the air. But whoever wins the job gets to throw to Ryan Coleman-Williams, one of the top receiver talents in the SEC.

His numbers dropped in 2025. More motivation going forward.

Oct. 10 vs. Georgia. Will the game set up the winner for a berth in the SEC title game? Better get there before it goes away. One of only two matchups against returning CFP for Alabama, which also travels to Texas A&M. It is a schedule set for a return to the playoffs.

18. Penn State Big Ten

19. Texas Tech Big 12

20. Missouri SEC

21. Utah Big 12

22. SMU ACC

23. Louisville ACC

24. Iowa Big Ten

25. Tennessee SEC

26. Boise State Pac-12

27. TCU Big 12

28. Clemson ACC

29. Florida SEC

30. Illinois Big Ten

31. South Carolina SEC

32. Arizona Big 12

33. Virginia Tech ACC

34. Auburn SEC

35. Kansaas State Big 12

36. Georgia Tech ACC

37. Pitt ACC

38. Arizona State Big 12

39. Virginia ACC

40. UCLA Big Ten

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