Preseason top 25 polls are, to say the least, not always indicative of where a team ranked at the beginning of a college football season will end the year.
Last year was a great example. The Penn State Nittany Lions, Clemson Tigers and LSU all began the season ranked in the top 10. Penn State was as high as No. 2 in the AP Top 25 poll and Clemson was No. 4 in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll. Those two teams met in the Pinstripe Bowl instead of, say, the Peach Bowl.
Even preseason No. 1 Texas suffered three losses and missed the College Football Playoff entirely. On the other end, Indiana debuted at No. 20 before becoming college football's 2025 Death Star en route to a 16-0 season and the Hoosiers' first national championship.
Fast forward to
August, and Alabama football finds itself neither at the top of the rankings or in the back half. The Crimson Tide are ranked No. 11 in the Coaches Poll and were No. 13 in Monday preseason AP Top 25 poll.
On Tuesday, veteran college football reporter Ralph D. Russo of The Athletic (subscription required for full access) described how the 2026 season could go wrong for every team ranked in this year's preseason AP Top 25.
For Alabama, Russo explains:
"Here's the doomsday scenario for Kalen DeBoer: Whichever inexperienced quarterback emerges as the starter between Keelon Russell and Austin Mack has his development stunted by an offensive line that has a lot to prove and still can't pave the way for a consistently productive running game."
Alabama's offensive line took the brunt of the criticism for the Tide's struggles in the run game last season. Alabama ranked near the bottom of the SEC in rushing yards per game (104.1) and yards per carry (3.4), and quarterback Ty Simpson was sacked 28 times.
The O-line allowed 32 sacks overall, which ranked as the fourth most in the SEC last season, per StatMuse. Alabama's 2026 unit will feature only one returning player in former five-star recruit Michael Carroll, who spent time at both guard and tackle positions last season and made six starts while appearing in 14 games.
Alabama football coach sets timetable for quarterback decision
— Roll Tide Wire (@RollTideWire) August 18, 2026
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Alabama football coach talks offensive line battles during fall camp
With less than three weeks remaining until the season opener, Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said Monday at fall camp that the team was close to setting its offensive line.
The Tide added six players to their O-line via the transfer portal, including former Mississippi State tackle Jayvin James, former Texas interior lineman Nick Brooks, Ole Miss' Ethan Fields, and Racin Delgatty from Cal Poly.
Alabama also brought in a new offensive line coach in Adrian Klemm, who has both a college and NFL pedigree.
"We're close," Grubb said. "There's still a couple of battles going on, and you want to give a guy like Will Sanders... he's had a really good couple of days, and he hasn't been able to fully be out here. They had to reevaluate him for a little bit, so he missed a little bit of time. Got back out there, and I really feel like he had the last couple of days where he got back out there and felt comfortable.
"It's the first time I've seen Will doing that in a while. So, I think there's guys like him and then Nick (Brooks) and Jayvin. Those guys have really started to turn that into a real battle."
Alabama opens the season against East Carolina on Sept. 5 at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Kickoff is 11 a.m. CT. The game will be televised on ABC.
5 Alabama sophomores set to breakout during second season with Tide
— Roll Tide Wire (@RollTideWire) August 18, 2026
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Alabama football schedule 2026
- Sept. 5: vs. East Carolina, 11 a.m., ABC
- Sept. 12: at Kentucky, 2:30 p.m., ABC
- Sept. 19: vs. Florida State, 2:30 p.m., ABC
- Sept. 26: vs. South Carolina, prime time
- Oct. 3: at Mississippi State, early window
- Oct. 10: vs. Georgia, prime time
- Oct. 17: at Tennessee, TBA
- Oct. 24: vs. Texas A&M, TBA
- Nov. 7: at LSU, TBA
- Nov. 14: at Vanderbilt, TBA
- Nov. 21: vs. Chattanooga, 1 p.m., SEC Network+
- Nov. 28: vs. Auburn, TBA
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This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: The doomsday scenario for Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer in 2026
