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

Like the Crimson Tide, the rest of the college football world is already looking toward next season.
Nov 16, 2024; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer protests a personal foul call against Alabama during the game with Mercer at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News
Nov 16, 2024; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer protests a personal foul call against Alabama during the game with Mercer at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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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

  1. Texas Longhorns
  2. Ohio State Buckeyes
  3. Penn State Nittany Lions
  4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
  5. Oregon Ducks
  6. Clemson Tigers
  7. Georgia Bulldogs
  8. Alabama Crimson Tide
  9. Illinois Fighting Illini
  10. Miami Hurricanes
  11. LSU Tigers
  12. Arizona State Sun Devils
  13. Tennessee Volunteers
  14. South Carolina Gamecocks
  15. BYU Cougars
  16. Florida Gators
  17. Louisville Cardinals
  18. SMU Mustangs
  19. Michigan Wolverines
  20. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
  21. North Carolina Tar Heels
  22. Texas Tech Red Raiders
  23. Indiana Hoosiers
  24. Navy Midshipmen
  25. 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.

Read More: Three Takeaways From Alabama Basketball's Progressive Victory Over Vanderbilt

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Hunter De Siver
HUNTER DE SIVER

Hunter De Siver is the lead basketball writer for BamaCentral and has covered Crimson Tide football since 2024. He previously distributed stories about the NFL and NBA for On SI and was a staff writer for Missouri Tigers On SI and Cowbell Corner. Before that, Hunter generated articles highlighting Crimson Tide products in the NFL and NBA for BamaCentral as an intern in 2022 and 2023. Hunter is a graduate from the University of Alabama, earning a degree in sports media in 2023