Jumbo Package: Alabama cited as 2nd most hated college football team
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Happy Gump Day, everyone. We are deep into the offseason doldrums now, but here is what we’ve got.
Alabama is the 2nd most hated college football team according to Rotowire. Guess who is first?
The Fighting Irish show up as the top hated team in 8 states — more than any program in the country. Alabama is second with 6. Ohio State is third with 5.
That ordering looks wrong to anyone who’s lived through the SEC’s championship dynasty. But Notre Dame’s villain status works differently than Alabama’s. The Tide are hated intensely by a smaller geographic footprint — basically the rest of the SEC. The Irish are hated broadly, across a corridor stretching from California to Maine, for reasons that have nothing to do with conference standings.
In California, Notre Dame is USC’s defining national rival — the cross-country game in late November shaped Trojan fandom for nearly a century, and that resentment seeped into the largest college football fanbase in the state. In New York, Syracuse fans built up a decade of Big East–era ND grudges, and the Eastern media’s love affair with the Irish has kept the eye-rolling alive since.
Throughout New England — Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont — Notre Dame’s institutional gravity as the Catholic football program creates a strange dynamic where its biggest local fanbases are also where its loudest detractors live.
Notre Dame deserves it. This list seems a bit sketchy though, as it lists Georgia as the most hated team in Alabama. Being that most of the state rolls with the Tide, it’s hard to believe that Auburn or Tennessee don’t top that list.
Hunter De Siver of SI has an ECU primer for you.
Fast forward to 2025, Harrell led the Pirates to a 9-4 record, including a 6-2 performance in American conference play — both of which were the best marks since 2013 — and a second consecutive Military Bowl victory.
East Carolina definitely seems to be on the rise, but its success comes with a price in today’s college sports and NIL-filled world. The Pirates are returning 42 percent of their production from last season, which ranks 110th of 138 FBS teams. 33 percent of the offense is back (122nd in the country) and 50 percent of the defense returned (75th).
The Pirates only have a couple of returning starters, as their quarterback, running back, two offensive linemen, a defensive tackle and two members of the secondary were among those who transferred to bigger programs. Many other starters exhausted their collegiate eligibility, leaving Harrell with a new-look roster for 2026.
Mark Inabinett examined which players from Alabama schools sell the most NFL merch.
Hurts appeared for the first time on the top 50 list for 2021, when he placed 35th. The next year, he rose to No. 5. Hurts topped the list in 2023, then placed third in 2024.
Other players with Alabama football roots to reach the top 50 for 2025 included Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (Pinson Valley, Auburn) at No. 11, Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (Alabama) at No. 16, Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II (Alabama) at No. 33, Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (West Alabama) at No. 39 and Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (Alabama) at No. 46.
A couple of Vawls decide who is overrated and underrated.
No. 15 Alabama
Adams: Ranked about right. Too many questions, including at quarterback, to rank any higher.
Toppmeyer: Underrated. I’m buying into redshirt freshman Keelon Russell’s upside. If I’m wrong, the Tide will be overrated. If I’m right, they’re underrated.
Elijah Haven’s folks are quite impressed with the Alabama program.
The official visit provided another opportunity for the family to evaluate the program, but according to his father, it only confirmed everything they already believed.
“It was amazing and a first-class weekend,” Kwame Haven told Bama247. “The staff, the school, and everybody around the program went above and beyond.”
Rather than showing the family something new, the visit reinforced what had already convinced them to commit.
“They reinforced our initial thoughts of committing there. Alabama is the place to be for Elijah, for sure.”
Last, Big House notes that this has been a historic season for college sports in the state, and an Alabama win in Omaha would be the cherry on top.
So, there weren’t the high-profile successes on the grandest stages of football and basketball. Alabama made the playoff, won a game before getting blown out in the Rose Bowl.
The Crimson Tide made the Sweet 16 of the men’s hoops tournament, but a year after going to the Final Four, Auburn missed the NCAA field and won the NIT.
The totality of the 2025-26 athletic year will be remembered for the off-beat moments.
There was balance in Tuscaloosa and top-end moments for lesser-publicized teams at Auburn and Jacksonville State.
And still room for history in Omaha.
That’s about it for now. Have a great day.
Roll Tide.
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