Where Alabama Ranks in Polls After Beating Kentucky

Alabama entered its first SEC and road game of the 2026 season against Kentucky ranked No. 12 in both the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll.

After trailing 17-13 at halftime in Lexington on Saturday afternoon, the Crimson Tide exploded in the second half and scored 32 unanswered points to win 45-17.

Following the victory, Alabama moved up to No. 10 in both the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll on Sunday.

AP Top 25 – Week 2

Rank	Team	Record	Points	First Place Votes
1.	Texas	2-0	1,678	56
2.	Georgia	2-0	1,551	3
3.	Notre Dame	2-0	1,531	1
4.	Indiana	2-0	1,466	3
5.	Miami (Fla.)	2-0	1,452	4
6.	Ohio State	1-1	1,407	0
7.	LSU	2-0	1,334	1
8.	Ole Miss	2-0	1,216	0
9.	Texas A&M	2-0	1,165	0
10.	Alabama	2-0	1,068	0
11.	BYU	2-0	966	0
12.	USC	3-0	944	0
13.	Texas Tech	2-0	910	0
14.	Penn State	2-0	692	0
15.	Tennessee	2-0	676	0
16.	SMU	2-0	636	0
17.	Utah	2-0	558	0
18.	Iowa	2-0	391	0
19.	Michigan	2-0	382	0
20.	Missouri	2-0	344	0
21.	Oregon	1-1	324	0
22.	Houston	2-0	292	0
23.	Louisville	1-1	244	0
24.	Oklahoma	1-1	222	0
25.	Virginia	2-0	182	0

Others Receiving Votes: Washington 172, Florida 83, Boise State 57, Oklahoma State 36, Western Michigan 35, Tulsa 18, Mississippi State 17, South Carolina 15, Virginia Tech 11, UCLA 9, James Madison 6, Arizona 5, North Dakota State 3, Pittsburgh 1, Kansas State 1

Coaches Poll – Week 2

Rank	Team	Record	Points	First Place Votes
1.	Texas	2-0	1804	42
2.	Georgia	2-0	1732	15
3.	Notre Dame	2-0	1639	4
4.	Indiana	2-0	1611	10
5.	Miami (Fla.)	2-0	1549	2
6.	Ohio State	1-1	1480	0
7.	LSU	2-0	1405	1
8.	Texas A&M	2-0	1311	0
9.	Ole Miss	2-0	1228	0
10.	Alabama	2-0	1206	0
11.	USC	3-0	1023	0
12.	Texas Tech	2-0	977	0
13.	BYU	2-0	975	0
14.	Tennessee	2-0	679	0
15.	Penn State	2-0	676	0
16.	SMU	2-0	605	0
17.	Utah	2-0	590	0
18.	Oregon	1-1	564	0
19.	Michigan	2-0	426	0
20.	Iowa	2-0	423	0
21.	Oklahoma	1-1	395	0
22.	Missouri	2-0	340	0
23.	Houston	2-0	290	0
24.	Washington	2-0	268	0
25.	Virginia	2-0	249	0

Schools Dropped Out: No. 25 Florida

Others Receiving Votes: Florida 183; Louisville 160; Boise State 44; Kansas State 24; South Carolina 23; Mississippi State 20; Vanderbilt 19; Duke 19; Nebraska 18; Pittsburgh 16; Oklahoma State 16; Auburn 15; Western Michigan 10; Virginia Tech 9; UCLA 8; Tulsa 7; North Dakota State 5; New Mexico 4; Clemson 3; Wake Forest 1; Arizona 1.

The Crimson Tide entered the season at No. 13 in the AP Top 25 and No. 11 in the Coaches Poll. This was the first time since 2008 that the Crimson Tide wasn't in the initial top 10.

Alabama was in an unfamiliar spot entering the 2026 season, as it was also picked fifth in the SEC Preseason Poll. On Aug. 5, head coach Kalen DeBoer was asked during the press conference if his players are paying attention to the doubts from outside the program.

DeBoer's answer: "Yeah, we are definitely aware."

It's been a solid first two weeks for Alabama, and multiple the teams that were in front of them in the polls lost on Saturday. No. 1 Ohio State blew a big lead to No. 4 Texas, No. 6 Oregon was upset by Oklahoma State and No. 11 Oklahoma fell to Michigan.

The Crimson Tide aims for a 3-0 start to the season at home on Sept. 19 against Florida State. While Alabama probably won't admit it, this will be a bit of a revenge game, as the Seminoles took down UA in the 2025 season opener in Tallahassee.

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
After Week 2 (Kentucky Win): No. 10 in AP Top 25, No. 10 in Coaches Poll

Check Out What Kalen DeBoer Said After Beating Kentucky!

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