What are the Floor and Ceiling for Alabama Football in 2026? Just a Minute

Welcome to BamaCentral’s "Just a Minute," a video series featuring Alabama Crimson Tide on SI's beat writers. Multiple times per week, the writers will group up or film solo to provide their take on a topic concerning the Crimson Tide or the landscape of college sports.

Watch the above video as Alabama Crimson Tide on SI assistant editor and football writer Katie Windham discusses what the floor and ceiling for the Crimson Tide are in 2026.

The 2026 Alabama football season is just over two weeks away as the Crimson Tide heads into Year 3 under head coach Kalen DeBoer. Access is limited, so every bit of commentary that comes out of camp is magnified.

Fact: Alabama is coming off a first-place finish in the SEC and run to the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.

Fact: Alabama only returns three starters on offense, and the coaching staff has not publicly announced a starting quarterback after two scrimmages.

Fact: Alabama has one of the most talented and experienced secondaries in the country.

Question: What is Alabama's floor? What is Alabama's ceiling?

DeBoer received a big contract extension this offseason through 2033 with a $10 million buyout after this season meaning it is highly unlikely he will get fired after this season unless things go disasterously wrong. It is hard for me to picture that scenario.

Alabama has a challenging SEC schedule, but it lays out relatively favorably with the two toughest games at home. I think if everything goes wrong with a lot of injuries and new players not working out, the Crimson Tide's floor is 7-5.

However, if everything goes right, the starting quarterback plays at an elite level, and the offensive line meshes well to produce a competent running game, Alabama has the talent to win a national title. The Crimson Tide should have a strong defense, and it has the talent on offense to be one of the best teams in the country. Alabama made it to the CFP last season despite a lot of question marks, so it's not unreasonable to think it could put the pieces together to win a national championship sthis season.

I am not ready to predict that the Crimson Tide reaches either that floor or ceiling this season, but both there is a wide range of how this season could turn out for Alabama.

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