Where Does Alabama Rank in the Preseason AP Poll?

Alabama has work to do this season after the preseason AP Poll was released on Monday morning, with the Crimson Tide sitting outside the top 10 for the first time since 2008, when Alabama entered the season No. 24.

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AP Top 25 Preseason Poll

1. Ohio State
2. Oregon
3. Georgia
4. Notre Dame
5. Texas
6. Indiana
7. Miami (FL)
8. Texas A&M
9. Ole Miss
10. Oklahoma
11. LSU
12. Texas Tech
13. Alabama
14. BYU*
14. USC*
16. Michigan
17. Washington
18. Penn State
19. SMU
20. Tennessee
21. Utah
22. Iowa
23. Houston
24. Louisville
25. Missouri

Others receiving votes: Clemson, Florida, Boise State, Arizona, TCU, Navy, South Carolina, Illinois, Oklahoma State, Vanderbilt, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Minnesota, UNLV, New Mexico, Georgia Tech, Louisiana, James Madison, Auburn, Memphis, California, Liberty, Western Michigan, Tulane, Virginia

The No. 13 ranking for Alabama ends an 18-year streak of beginning the season ranked inside the top 10 to start the season.

Ranked Teams by Conference

SEC: 9
Big 10: 8
Big 12: 4
ACC: 3
Independent: 1 (Notre Dame)

Much like the preseason coaches poll, the SEC leads the way with 9 preseason-ranked teams.

Alabama's first game of the 2026 season is scheduled for Saturday, September 5, when the Crimson Tide hosts the East Carolina Pirates. Kickoff is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. CT.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.