Keelon Russell made some dynamic throws in the second half, Rico Scott had a career day at wide receiver, and the Alabama Crimson Tide rallied in the fourth quarter for a 31-20 win over the Texas A&M Aggies at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Week 8 of the 2026 college football season Saturday.
Trailing 20-17 entering the fourth quarter, Russell threw touchdown passes to tight ends Marshall Pritchett and Kaleb Edwards as Alabama (6-2, 4-2 SEC) defeated the Aggies (4-4, 1-4) to avoid what would have been a disastrous third straight loss.
Russell was 9 of 11 for 150 yards in the second half and had three touchdown passes on the afternoon, finishing 19 of 30 overall for 311 yards. Scott had six catches for a career-high 156 yards, including receptions of 36,
48 and 40 yards.
After a field goal gave Texas A&M a 20-17 lead on its first possession of the second half, Alabama's defense buckled down. Marcel Reed fumbled on fourth-and-1 with 1:38 to play in the third quarter, and the Crimson Tide forced three consecutive three-and-outs to close the game.
Alabama has a bye in Week 9 before facing Lane Kiffin and the LSU Tigers on Nov. 7 in Baton Rouge. In the meantime, here's where the Crimson Tide rank in the new US LBM Coaches Poll after their win over the Aggies, and after several teams who were ranked ahead of Kalen DeBoer's team lost Saturday.
SEC Power Rankings: New No. 1 atop conference following Week 8 upsets
— Roll Tide Wire (@RollTideWire) October 25, 2026
📸 Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel, USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co https://t.co/UIyyOD2Abz pic.twitter.com/PQiBBp3gTJ
Did Alabama football rise in new Coaches Poll after rallying past Texas A&M?
Alabama is ranked No. 10 in the Week 9 US LBM Coaches Poll, up three spots from last week. The Crimson Tide are ranked one spot below the BYU Cougars (6-1), and are one spot ahead of the Texas Longhorns (5-2).
Texas and Arch Manning saw the biggest rise of any team in the rankings, climbing seven spots after a 34-27 win over previously seventh-ranked Ole Miss (5-2).
Alabama is the third highest-ranked SEC team in the Coaches Poll being No. 3 Georgia (6-1) and No. 8 Kentucky (7-1). The Wildcats rose four spots from last week.
The Iowa Hawkeyes (5-2) and Southern California (6-2) suffered the biggest drop of any ranked team from a week ago, falling 10 spots each. Previously unbeaten Texas Tech (6-1) fell nine spots.
Bad weekend for two Big 12 contenders cause SEC teams to enter Coaches Poll top-10 rankings
With three top-10 teams falling on Saturday, including No. 2 BYU and No. 4 Texas Tech, the Coaches Poll saw another shakeup near the top of the rankings. Two SEC teams entered the top 10 while nine of the league's 16 teams remain ranked in this week's poll, the most of any conference.
Here's a look at the full top 25 rankings in the US LBM Coaches Poll heading into Week 9.
Schools Dropped Out
No. 25 Oregon
Others Receiving Votes
Oklahoma State 120; Wisconsin 114; Cincinnati 49; New Mexico 43; Minnesota 35; UTSA 34; Nebraska 27; Virginia Tech 16; Oregon State 15; South Carolina 12; Duke 12; Oregon 5; Auburn 4; North Texas 2; Michigan 2; UCF 1; Oklahoma 1; James Madison 1;
What Texas A&M coach Mike Elko said about Alabama football after loss
— Roll Tide Wire (@RollTideWire) October 25, 2026
📸 Gary Cosby Jr., USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co https://t.co/aRGU6vA6Zf pic.twitter.com/M0ELWMIGFR
Alabama football schedule 2026
All times Central.
- Sept. 5: vs. East Carolina Pirates (W, 48-10)
- Sept. 12: at Kentucky Wildcats (W, 45-17)
- Sept. 19: vs. Florida State Seminoles (W, 50-36)
- Sept. 26: vs. South Carolina Gamecocks (W, 49-18)
- Oct. 3: at Mississippi State Bulldogs (W, 56-23)
- Oct. 10: vs. Georgia Bulldogs (L, 20-17)
- Oct. 17: at Tennessee Volunteers (L, 26-10)
- Oct. 24: vs. Texas A&M Aggies (W, 31-20)
- Nov. 7: at LSU Tigers, TBA
- Nov. 14: at Vanderbilt Commodores, TBA
- Nov. 21: vs. Chattanooga Mocs, 1 p.m., SEC Network+
- Nov. 28: vs. Auburn Tigers, TBA
Record: 6-2 overall, 4-2 SEC.
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This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: How far did Alabama rise in US LBM Coaches Poll after Texas A&M win?
