Where Alabama Football Ranks After Dominating East Carolina

The Crimson Tide rolled the Pirates in an emphatic Week 1 victory.

Sep 5, 2026; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Yhonzae Pierre (0) celebrates his interception return for a touchdown with teammate Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Justin Hill (8) during the second quarter against the East Carolina Pirates at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Leong-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Alabama Crimson Tide got the 2026 football season off to a strong start on Saturday by dominating East Carolina in a 48-10 home victory. Alabama controlled the trenches, rushing for 227 yards and five touchdowns, and limiting the Pirates to just two yards on the ground in the win.

The Crimson Tide opened the season ranked No. 13 in the AP Top 25 Poll and No. 11 in the US LBM Coaches Poll. Alabama dropped to No. 12 in the Coaches Poll, but rose one spot to No. 12 in The AP Top 25 Poll after taking down East Carolina in the season opener.

The Southeastern Conference featured 10 teams in this week's Coaches Poll and nine teams in the AP Top 25 Poll. LSU had the highest jump, moving up eight spots in the Coaches Poll and three spots in the AP Top 25 Poll after defeating Clemson in their season opener.

Alabama has four opponents on its schedule currently ranked in both polls. Georgia clocks in at No. 2 in both polls, LSU is No. 8 in both polls, Texas A&M is No. 9 in the Coaches Poll and No. 10 in the AP Top 25 and Tennesee is No. 18 in both polls.

The Crimson Tide has its first road test of the season this week as the program opens SEC play in Lexington against the Kentucky Wildcats.

2026 US LBM Coaches Poll - Week 1

Rank	Team	Record	Points	First Place Votes
1.	Ohio State	1-0	1801	50
2.	Georgia	1-0	1672	7
3.	Texas	1-0	1600	1
4.	Notre Dame	1-0	1558	4
5.	Indiana	1-0	1537	11
6.	Oregon	1-0	1524	1
7.	Miami (FL)	1-0	1477
8.	LSU	1-0	1279
9.	Texas A&M	1-0	1204
10.	Oklahoma	1-0	1184
11.	Ole Miss	1-0	1141
12.	Alabama	1-0	1059
13.	Texas Tech	1-0	955
14.	Southern Cal	2-0	919
15.	BYU	1-0	838
16.	Penn State	1-0	612
17.	SMU	1-0	517
18.	Tennessee	1-0	513
19.	Washington	1-0	432
20.	Utah	1-0	415
21.	Iowa	1-0	411
22.	Houston	1-0	236
23.	Missouri	1-0	231
24.	Michigan	1-0	164
25.	Virginia	1-0	157
25.	Florida	1-0	157

Schools Dropped Out

No. 23 Clemson

Others Receiving Votes

Louisville 125; Illinois 45; Boise State 43; Arizona 42; South Carolina 36; Memphis 24; Auburn 19; Vanderbilt 17; Pittsburgh 14; Virginia Tech 11; Nebraska 11; Arizona State 11; Minnesota 9; Western Michigan 7; New Mexico 7; North Dakota State 6; Kansas State 6; Navy 5; UCLA 4; Duke 4; UNLV 3; Clemson 3; San Diego State 2; North Carolina 2; Colorado 1;

AP Top 25 Poll - Week 1

Rank	Team	Record	Points	First Place Votes
1.	Ohio State	1-0	1684	46
2.	Georgia	1-0	1532
3.	Notre Dame	1-0	1512	4
4.	Texas	1-0	1462	2
5.	Indiana	1-0	1428	8
6.	Oregon	1-0	1422	3
7.	Miami (FL)	1-0	1405	1
8.	LSU	1-0	1315	5
9.	Ole Miss	1-0	1154
10.	Texas A&M	1-0	1079
11.	Oklahoma	1-0	1039
12.	Alabama	1-0	910
13.	Texas Tech	1-0	900
14.	Southern Cal	2-0	861
15.	BYU	1-0	840
16.	Penn State	1-0	621
17.	SMU	1-0	501
18.	Tennessee	1-0	491
19.	Washington	1-0	489
20.	Utah	1-0	381
21.	Iowa	1-0	369
22.	Houston	1-0	214
23.	Missouri	1-0	182
24.	Louisville	1-0	163
25.	Virginia	1-0	89

Others receiving votes:

Boise State 86, Florida 83, Michigan 69, Arizona 33, Memphis 23, South Carolina 19, Western Michigan 12, Pittsburgh 11, Navy 10, UCLA 7, Virginia Tech 6, Illinois 6, James Madison 4, Minnesota 4, Colorado 3, Auburn 2, Arizona State 2, Vanderbilt 2

Alabama's 2026 Season in the Polls

• Preseason: No. 13 in AP Top 25, No. 11 in Coaches Poll
• After Week 1 (East Carolina Win): No. 12 in AP Top 25, No. 12 in Coaches Poll

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