After an expected 3-0 start to the 2026 college football season, the Alabama Crimson Tide are squarely in the College Football Playoff hunt entering their Week 4 SEC matchup against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Alabama (3-0 overall, 1-0 conference) enters the week ranked 34th nationally in total offense with an average of 465.7 yards per game. The Crimson Tide are also 34th in total defense with 842 yards allowed, or 280.7 per contest.
First-year starting quarterback Keelon Russell has been as good as advertised and is 35th nationally and 19th among Power Four QBs in passing yards with 784. Russell is coming off his best performance yet in the Tide's 50-36 win over Florida State. He threw for 320 yards and three touchdowns
and had a 57-yard TD run.
Alabama's 47.7 points per game average ranks seventh nationally. Defensively, the Tide's 21 points allowed is 64th in the nation.
Alabama is No. 8 in this week's US LBM Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25.
Here's where national outlets currently see Alabama in the playoff hunt after the first three weeks of 2026.
ESPN sees common opponent for Alabama football in CFP
ESPN analysts Mark Schlabach and Kyle Bonagura both have the Crimson Tide earning an at-large berth in the playoff with a matchup against the BYU Cougars. The only difference of opinion is where the game will be played.
Bonagura sees Alabama hosting BYU at Bryant-Denny Stadium in the No. 8 vs. 9 seed matchup on Saturday, Dec. 19. Schlabach sees the game taking place at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah.
Bonagura has the Crimson Tide advancing to the quarterfinal round of the playoffs for a matchup against projected No. 1 seed Notre Dame at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
Where Alabama sits in national title odds after win vs. Florida State
— Roll Tide Wire (@RollTideWire) September 21, 2026
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Reshuffled College Football Playoff predictions from USA TODAY Sports has Alabama visiting SEC school
In what would be a similar scenario as last year's first-round playoff matchup at Oklahoma, USA TODAY Sports' latest CFP predictions see the Crimson Tide facing another SEC team on the road in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
USA TODAY analyst Erick Smith sees Alabama earning an at-large berth as the No. 9 seed and facing the Ole Miss Rebels at Vaught Hemingway Stadium in Oxford on Dec. 18 or 19.
Alabama and Ole Miss haven't met since September 2023 during Nick Saban's final season as coach. The Rebels are off to a 3-0 start after winning a thriller over Lane Kiffin and LSU, 32-24, in Oxford. Ole Miss is ranked No. 4 in the AP Top 25.
The New York Times predicts Alabama's College Football Playoff fate
Another Alabama-BYU playoff projection comes from Scott Dochterman of The Athletic (subscription required for full access), The New York Times' sports hub.
As the No. 8 vs. 9 seed matchup, the winner of Alabama-BYU would meet projected No. 1 seed Georgia in one of the four quarterfinal sites: most likely the Peach Bowl.
BYU is 3-0 and ranked No. 9 in this week's Coaches Poll.
Alabama football enters CBS Sports' projected CFP field for first time
Longtime college football analyst and author John Talty has the Crimson Tide as the No. 9 seed in CBS Sports' updated playoff outlook. It's the first time this season Alabama has been included in the outlet's 12-team College Football Playoff field.
Talty projects a matchup between Alabama and the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Galaxy Stadium in Lubbock.
He said of the Crimson Tide:
"Alabama has started slow in its last two games, but has found a way to turn it on in the second half for double-digit wins. Is that the mark of a resilient team or one that is going to get burned when the competition gets tougher? We'll get our answer soon once Alabama starts a five-game stretch at Mississippi State, Georgia, at Tennessee, Texas A&M and at LSU."
Texas Tech is 3-0 and is ranked No. 10 in the Coaches Poll.
Sports Illustrated snubs Alabama with updated College Football Playoff prediction
One outlet that doesn't see the Crimson Tide reaching the 12-team playoff is Sports Illustrated and longtime college football analyst Bryan Fischer.
Fischer favors LSU, BYU and USC among teams earning at-large playoff berths over Alabama entering Week 4.
Sports Illustrated sees the Tide meeting Penn State in the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 2 in Orlando.
Alabama football schedule 2026
ESPN predicts the winner of Alabama football vs. South Carolina
— Roll Tide Wire (@RollTideWire) September 23, 2026
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Alabama will face the South Carolina Gamecocks at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Week 4 of the 2026 college football season. Kickoff is 6 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on ESPN.
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, 6 p.m., ESPN
- Oct. 3: at Mississippi State Bulldogs, 11 a.m. or 11:45 a.m., ABC, ESPN or SEC Network
- Oct. 10: vs. Georgia Bulldogs, prime time
- Oct. 17: at Tennessee Volunteers, TBA
- 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: 3-0 overall, 1-0 SEC.
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This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: National media predict Alabama football's CFP fate entering Week 4
