Alabama football has its lowest finish in final AP Poll since 2007

For Kalen DeBoer, there have been way too many "this is the first time since 2007" for him and his Alabama football team in 2024.

For the first time since 2007, Alabama lost more than three games in a single season. For the first time since 2007, Alabama failed to reach a double-digit win total.

And now, for the first time since 2007, Alabama's ranking in the final AP Poll sits outside the Top 10.

For 16 consecutive seasons under Nick Saban, Alabama finished no lower than 10th in the AP Poll. The Crimson Tide's 10-3 season in 2010 put them at 10th in the final poll; it finished no lower than that under Saban from there.

At the conclusion of DeBoer's first season, capped off with a disappointing showing in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Michigan, Alabama was ranked No. 17 in the final AP Poll. It is Alabama's worst ranking since finishing the 2007 season unranked in Saban's debut in Tuscaloosa.

Alabama was the fifth-ranked SEC team, behind Texas, Georgia, Tennesee, and Ole Miss.

There's no sugarcoating Alabama's 2024 season. Some programs would be satisfied with a 9-4 campaign and would feel there's momentum to build off of. At Alabama, 9-4 is a disappointment and an outright failure.

If DeBoer didn't realize quick enough that he wasn't in Seattle anymore, he surely does now.