Kalen DeBoer won't lack for ammunition to motivate his Alabama football team this fall. On Monday, the Associated Press gave him even more.
Alabama came in at No. 13 in the preseason AP Poll, two spots lower than it was ranked in the Coaches Poll a couple of weeks ago. It's the lowest preseason ranking for the Crimson Tide since 2008, which was Nick Saban's second season in Tuscaloosa. That team started at No. 24 before finishing the regular season at 12-0.
BREAKING: Preseason College Football AP Poll🚨https://t.co/JL3USE6MnT pic.twitter.com/wImUOmUUg5
— On3 (@On3) August 17, 2026
The AP believes Alabama will be on the outside looking in for the College Football Playoff race in 2026. I think it's fair to call the Crimson Tide underrated based on the talent level and how much national writers seem to be undervaluing the work DeBoer and his staff did in the Transfer Portal.
There's an argument to be made for nine teams to be ahead of Alabama, but three others are baffling.
In no world should these 3 teams be ahead of Alabama in the AP Poll
3. Texas Tech
One of two teams that are ranked ahead of Alabama in the AP Poll but lower in the Coaches Poll. Texas Tech enters the season as the Big 12 favorite, but that has more to do with how weak the Big 12 is rather than how strong the Red Raiders are.
With Brendan Sorsby no longer on the roster, Texas Tech has a major question mark at QB. Will Hammond gave them some quality snaps last season before tearing his ACL, but has he really proven enough to make anyone think this team is better than Alabama?
The next points Texas Tech scores in the College Football Playoff will be the first in program history.
2. LSU
The other team ranked ahead of Alabama in the AP Poll despite being behind in the Coaches Poll. LSU's athletic department invested heavily in Lane Kiffin's roster for next season, but it might be premature to expect an easy transition in Baton Rouge.
Kiffin hasn't coached a program with genuine expectations since USC, and the former Alabama OC is good for a head-scratching loss almost every year.
There's also genuine concern about whether Arizona State transfer QB Sam Leavitt can withstand the rigors of a nine-game SEC schedule after dealing with numerous injuries throughout his career.
1. Oklahoma
Did everyone blank and forget how Oklahoma's season ended last year? Alabama marched into Norman and overcame a 17-0 deficit to defeat the Sooners 34-24, earning the first road playoff win in College Football Playoff history.
That's despite John Mateer being healthy, which has a lot to do with the optimism surrounding Brent Venables and Oklahoma for 2026.
Perhaps the Sooners will be good again this season. It's certainly possible. But ranking them ahead of Alabama at this point seems silly, considering the on-field results in the last meeting and the optimism currently emanating from Tuscaloosa.
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