Alabama Football: Pollsters agree Crimson Tide not CFB’s best team

Alabama football fans, kindly remember this post is written as a messenger, not as a creator of a theme. The latest, primary college football polls released after week three are in agreement. The Alabama Crimson Tide is not the nation’s top team.

Voters in the AP Poll decided that last week when Georgia was selected No. 1, followed by the Crimson Tide at No. 2. Now most Coaches Poll voters agree.

Before considering the fairness or accuracy of the rankings, let’s dive down into the details of both polls.

Alabama Football and the SEC in the AP Poll

Georgia took a commanding lead in the AP Poll with 59 first-place votes to just three votes for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Ohio State received a single first-place vote.

Eight SEC football teams were ranked in the Top 25, with four of them being in the top ten. A ninth SEC team (LSU) reached No. 36 status in the ‘others receiving votes’ category.

AP Poll Summary – Sept. 18

• No. 1 – Georgia Bulldogs
• No. 2 – Alabama Crimson Tide
• No. 3 – Ohio State Buckeyes
• No. 4 – Michigan Wolverines
• No. 5 – Clemson Tigers
• No. 6 – Oklahoma Sooners
• No. 7 – Southern Cal Trojans
• No. 8 – Kentucky Wildcats
• No. 9 – Oklahoma State Cowboys
• No. 10 – Arkansas Razorbacks
• No. 11 – Tennessee Vols
• No. 16 – Ole Miss Rebels
• No. 20 – Florida Gators
• No. 23 – Texas A&M Aggies
• The Texas Longhorns dropped one spot to No. 22 after beating UTSA.
• Dropping out of the ‘others receiving votes’ were Mississippi State and Auburn

USA Today Coaches Poll Summary – Sept. 18

• At No. 1 the Georgia Bulldogs exchanged places with the Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 2). The first-place votes gap between the two teams was much smaller in the Coaches Poll. Georgia received 40 first-place votes to 24 votes for the Crimson Tide. As in the AP Poll, Ohio State received one first-place vote.
• No. 3 – Ohio State Buckeyes
• No. 4 – Michigan Wolverines
• No. 5 – Clemson Tigers
• No. 6 – Oklahoma Sooners
• No. 7 – Southern Cal Trojans
• No. 8 – Oklahoma State Cowboys
• No. 9 – Kentucky Wildcats
• No. 10 – Arkansas Razorbacks
• No. 12 – Tennessee Vols
• No. 13 – Ole Miss Rebels
• No. 20 – Texas A&M Aggies
• No. 22 – Florida Gators
• In the ‘others receiving votes’ category, the Mississippi State Bulldogs are No. 41 and the LSU Bengal Tigers are No. 41.

Open for debate is the suggestion the AP Poll votes indicate the gap between Georgia and Alabama is huge. Most Alabama football fans probably agree Georgia deserves to currently be ranked No. 1. I know it is heresy to some, but if I had a vote, I would have picked the Bulldogs No. 1.

Polls, at this point, matter almost nothing. So Alabama football fans have no need to stress.