2026 Preseason Media Poll: Where Alabama is Predicted to Finish in SEC

How does the media view the Crimson Tide entering Kalen DeBoer's third season as head coach?

Dec 19, 2025; Norman, OK, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer against the Oklahoma Sooners during the CFP National Playoff First Round at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

2026 SEC Media Days has officially come to a close, as every team in the conference spoke at the podium in Tampa to preview their rosters, discuss their schedule and answer some hard-hitting questions.

One of the traditions of Media Days is the preseason media poll, and the voting has concluded. The SEC released the media's predicted order of finish and Alabama was No. 6. Additionally, the Crimson Tide received the fifth-most votes in the SEC Champion Poll.

SEC Champion Poll

1. Georgia (88 votes)
2. Texas (57)
3. Ole Miss (6)
4. Texas A&M (5)
5. Alabama (3)
6. Oklahoma (2)
7. LSU (2)
8. Kentucky (1)

SEC Predicted Order of Finish

1. Georgia
2. Texas
3. Ole Miss
4. Texas A&M
5. LSU
6. Alabama
7. Oklahoma
8. Tennessee
9. Florida
10. Missouri
11. South Carolina
12. Auburn
13. Vanderbilt
14. Kentucky
15. Mississippi State
16. Arkansas

Here's who the media picked ahead of and behind the Crimson Tide, as Kalen DeBoer prepares for his third season as UA's head coach.

This is the first year of the nine-game conference schedule in the Southeastern Conference, which means it will be even more difficult for every SEC team. It will also be even harder for any team to finish with an unblemished conference record.

Alabama was picked to finish third last season and ended up in a tie for first place, earning a berth in the 2025 SEC Championship game before losing to Georgia. The media has only correctly picked the SEC champion during the preseason 10 times in the last 33 years (dating back to the start of the SEC Championship Game in 1992).

BamaCentral created its own SEC poll before SEC Media Days kicked off. Writers Hunter De Siver, Joe Gaither, Henry Sklar and Katie Windham contributed to the rankings.

BamaCentral 2026 SEC Preseason Poll

(ranking, team, first-place votes, points received)

1. Texas (1)- 60
2. Georgia (2)- 58
3. Ole Miss (1)- 53
4. Texas A&M- 51
T5. Alabama- 50
T5. LSU- 50
7. Oklahoma- 42
8. Tennessee- 34
9. Florida- 32
10. South Carolina- 27
11. Missouri- 22
12. Vanderbilt- 20
13. Auburn- 19
14. Mississippi State- 13
15. Arkansas- 8
16. Kentucky- 5

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