ESPN's college football power rankings have the Alabama Crimson Tide in a higher spot than either the AP Top 25 or US LBM Coaches Poll.
Alabama (5-0 overall, 3-0 SEC), which is No. 6 in this week's AP Top 25 and No. 7 in the US LBM Coaches Poll, soundly defeated previously 16th-ranked Mississippi State, 56-23, at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville behind four Keelon Russell touchdowns.
Three of Russell's scores came through the air. He fired a 15-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Coleman-Williams on the Crimson Tide's first series and added two touchdown passes to Rico Scott. Russell finished 16 of 22 for 285 yards. He ran for a 17-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter.
Alabama's defense forced four turnovers, including a 30-yard interception
return for touchdown by cornerback Dijon Lee to build a 14-0 lead barely six minutes in.
Caleb Woodson added an interception in the third quarter after Alabama had taken a 35-17 lead. The Crimson Tide registered five sacks and had nine tackles for loss.
Alabama up, Notre Dame down in latest ESPN college football power rankings
After spending two weeks in the back half of the top 10 of ESPN's rankings, the Crimson Tide moved into the top five with their convincing win over the Bulldogs.
Alabama is up to No. 4 in ESPN's latest power rankings, one spot below the Miami Hurricanes and one spot ahead of Notre Dame, which fell two spots from last week.
ESPN's Alex Scarborough said of Alabama:
"Welcome to the Heisman Trophy race, Keelon Russell. Mississippi State's Kamario Taylor was supposed to be the SEC's top Heisman Trophy contender, but Russell snatched that honor with a four-touchdown performance (three passing, one rushing) as the Crimson Tide dominated the Bulldogs in Starkville. It's not just Russell, though. The defense, while a little leaky when it comes to big plays, has been opportunistic with four defensive touchdowns in five games. And the running game has come alive with an average of 186.4 yards."
The four teams Alabama jumped in ESPN's power rankings were Notre Dame, Ohio State, Indiana, and Florida.
The Crimson Tide previously ranked No. 10 in ESPN's power rankings after Week 1, No. 11 after Week 2, and No. 8 after Weeks 3 and 4.
Joel Klatt names QB comparison for Alabama football's Keelon Russell
— Roll Tide Wire (@RollTideWire) October 6, 2026
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Alabama football schedule 2026
Alabama takes on second-ranked Georgia Bulldogs (5-0, 3-0) in Week 6 of the 2026 college football season at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Kickoff is 6:30 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on ABC. Additionally, an alternate "SkyCast" presentation of the game can be seen on SEC Network.
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, 6:30 p.m., ABC
- Oct. 17: at Tennessee Volunteers, 2:30 p.m., ABC, ESPN or SEC Network
- Oct. 24: vs. Texas A&M Aggies, TBA
- 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: 5-0, 3-0 SEC.
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This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Alabama football makes big move in ESPN power rankings entering Week 6
