By admin 
The preseason AP college football poll was released this week and seemingly everyone except Ohio State fans were mad about it. But few fanbases were more vocally mad than the Alabama Crimson Tide, and while longtime SEC commentator Paul Finebaum usually loves their enthusiasm, he was not impressed this time.
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Appearing on Tuesday’s episode of Get Up on ESPN, Finebaum was highly critical of Alabama fans who called into his show on Monday to complain about Alabama’s No. 13 ranking. He said that Alabama fans have asserted that the team should be ranked in the top 10, but Finebaum feels that they should have been ranked even lower.
“Yesterday it was 101 degrees in Tuscaloosa, but the fans on The Paul Finebaum Show were even hotter and upset with the AP Poll,” Finebaum said. “They could not believe that their beloved Alabama, precious Alabama, was not in the Top 10. I was not surprised. I frankly agree. They should have been lower.”
Finebaum said that Alabama fans still believe that they’re just as good as they were when Nick Saban was their head coach and can’t get over the fact that he’s retired. He believes that the team’s expectations are too inflated for the talent it currently has.
“But the problem at Alabama is one we’ve talked about a long time,” Finebaum said. “They just can’t get over the fact that Nick Saban is no longer the coach. The program doesn’t get the best players, and they’re looking at about a 9-3 season, which is fine if you’re Oklahoma or somebody else, but it doesn’t work at Alabama.”
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Alabama in 2026
The Crimson Tide certainly has some soul-searching to do ahead of the 2026 season. For starters, it’s their first year with nine games against SEC rivals and their second game of the season will be on the road against Kentucky.
But before they even get to the first Saturday in September, head coach Kalen DeBoer needs to settle on his pick at quarterback between Keelon Russell and Austin Mack – two QBs with a combined seven games and 50 passes between them.
That isn’t to say Alabama is doomed at QB. Ty Simpson had the same number of passing attempts when he got the starting job last year and went on lead to Alabama to the SEC title game and a College Football Playoff win.
September has four pretty winnable games (East Carolina, Kentucky, FSU, South Carolina) but October will be the real challenge. They’re on the road against Mississippi State then play Georgia at home, then Tennessee on the road and finally Texas A&M at home for their homecoming game. It’s not unrealistic that Alabama goes 2-2 or even 1-3 during that stretch.
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What will Alabama’s record and ranking be at the end of the season?
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This story was originally published August 18, 2026 at 9:47 AM.