Where Alabama Lands in Sports Illustrated’s Way-Too-Early College Football Top 25

The Alabama Crimson Tide's football season came to a disappointing conclusion with a loss to Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl. The Crimson Tide finished the year with fewer than 10 wins for the first time since 2007.
The final AP Poll was released on Tuesday after the Ohio State Buckeyes defeated Notre Dame in the national championship. Alabama finished the season ranked No. 17 after losing the bowl game, its lowest final ranking since 2007.
Like the Crimson Tide, the rest of the college football world is already looking toward next season. Plenty of news outlets have come out with their way-too-early rankings for 2025 and Sports Illustrated released its top-25 list for next season on Wednesday morning.
Sports Illustrated placed Alabama at No. 8 in its rankings, which is a higher spot than most outlets put Alabama in. For example, The Athletic and CBS Sports each have Alabama at No. 14 and ESPN placed the Crimson Tide at No. 12.
"Kalen DeBoer will have a fascinating offseason as he navigates the pressure of a disappointing season while trying to move forward with a program that is built far more in his image," Sports Illustrated's Bryan Fischer, Mike McDaniel, Pat Forde and Zach Koons wrote. "Much will be made around the forthcoming quarterback battle (Ty Simpson? Austin Mack? Talented freshman Keelon Russell?), but this remains one of the more talented rosters in the sport with the depth to contend across the board. Outside of playing Georgia and Auburn on the road, the schedule is also very manageable with LSU and Tennessee among those coming to Tuscaloosa."
Sports Illustrated’s Way-Too-Early College Football Top 25
- Texas Longhorns
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Penn State Nittany Lions
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Oregon Ducks
- Clemson Tigers
- Georgia Bulldogs
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Illinois Fighting Illini
- Miami Hurricanes
- LSU Tigers
- Arizona State Sun Devils
- Tennessee Volunteers
- South Carolina Gamecocks
- BYU Cougars
- Florida Gators
- Louisville Cardinals
- SMU Mustangs
- Michigan Wolverines
- Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
- North Carolina Tar Heels
- Texas Tech Red Raiders
- Indiana Hoosiers
- Navy Midshipmen
- Auburn Tigers
Alabama is ranked third among the eight SEC teams on Sports Illustrated's list, as Texas (No. 1) and Georgia (No. 7) sit above the Crimson Tide.