AP Poll voters taking a wait-and-see approach with Kalen DeBoer, Alabama football

Just like the Coaches Poll, voters in the AP Poll are taking more of a wait-and-see approach for Kalen DeBoer and Alabama football as National Championship contenders in 2025. In the preseason AP Poll released on Monday, the Crimson Tide comes in ranked No. 8. It's the lowest preseason AP ranking for Alabama since 2008, and the first time in 17 years that the Crimson Tide will begin a season outside of the AP Top 25.

While Alabama is certainly talented enough to compete for a National Championship this season, the ranking is not all that surprising considering where it finished last season. Alabama turned in a disappointing 9-3 regular season that included losses to a pair of six-loss teams - Vanderbilt and Oklahoma - and capped off the season with a loss to an undermanned Michigan team in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

Alabama opened DeBoer's inaugural season in Tuscaloosa ranked No. 5 in the AP Poll. It finished the season ranked No. 17. It was the first time since 2007 that Alabama finished a season outside of the AP Top 10.

Alabama is in an unfamiliar position entering the 2025 season

Alabama players and fans aren't used to flying under the radar. And maybe it's a bit of a stretch to say the No. 8 team in the country in the preseason is flying under the radar, but when you consider where the Crimson Tide typically starts the season, it qualifies.

Here's where Alabama started the season in the AP Poll during the Nick Saban era and the first season under Kalen DeBoer:

2007: NR
2008: 24
2009: 5
2010: 1
2011: 2
2012: 2
2013: 1
2014: 2
2015: 3
2016: 1
2017: 1
2018: 1
2019: 2
2020: 3
2021: 1
2022: 1
2023: 4
2024: 5

So in 11 of the last 18 years, Alabama opened the season ranked either first or second in the AP Poll, including seven times as preseason No. 1. So yes, for this program, starting a year ranked No. 8 is flying under the radar.

And I think that's just fine for this group. It gives them extra motivation to work toward bringing the standard back to Tuscaloosa and avoiding an unthinkable fifth consecutive season without a National Championship.

This team is talented enough top-to-bottom to win the whole thing, but like everyone, it has its fair share of question marks. If there were more certainty around the quarterback position, then Alabama would probably be ranked in the Top 5 to open the season, despite how last year ended.

But Alabama will enter 2025 with an unproven starter - most likely Ty Simpson - against a difficult schedule that features 10 power-four opponents, including an opening week road game in Tallahassee against a Florida State team hoping for a major bounceback season.

With games against Wisconsin and on the road against Georgia before the first full month of the season is in the books, we'll know if this team is a legitimate contender by the time September ends.