ESPN projects Alabama football to make a deep College Football Playoff run

2024 was nothing short of a disappointment for Alabama football in year one under Kalen DeBoer. The Crimson Tide went 9-4 with three of their four losses coming against teams with at least five losses and in games they were double-digit favorites.

A lot of pundits have already written the Crimson Tide off in 2025. Some expect an even worse season in DeBoer's second in Tuscaloosa. Missing the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff for a second consecutive year would not sit well with the decision-makers around the football program and DeBoer would likely enter 2026 on the hottest seat in the country if that's the case.

ESPN, specifically Bill Connelly, still believe in Alabama. It makes sense, considering Connelly's SP+ rankings had Alabama as the fourth best team in college football in 2024 in spite of the four losses. With the Crimson Tide returning a ton of talent on the defensive side of the ball, and plenty of talented skill position players, Alabama just needs consistent quarterback play to be a real contender next year.

Connelly released his College Football Playoff bracket projection for 2025 this week. It should be noted that Connelly is just having fun and is using some of Mark Schlabach's Way Too Early Top 25. He hasn't yet put together his preseason SP+ Top 25 so this is just for fun. But it is refreshing to see an expert who still believes in the Crimson Tide.

Connelly's projection has Alabama as the No. 5 seed, meaning the Tide would host a playoff game at Bryant-Denny Stadium. He has Alabama matching up with No. 12 Boise State. Alabama would then move on to face No. 4 Louisville, who is the projected ACC champion in this scenario. He has Alabama beating Louisville and advancing to face No. 1 Georgia in the Semifinals.

That's where the run ends for DeBoer and company as Connelly projects Georgia to knock off Alabama and advance to the title game. You can see the entire bracket below:

While it's usually national championship or bust in Tuscaloosa, making the playoff as the No. 5 seed and advancing to the semifinals would be a major step forward for Alabama under DeBoer's leadership and likely set the Crimson Tide up as one of the preseason favorites in 2026.