The Alabama Crimson Tide are way in the back of the line for the College Football Playoff's top contenders for the 2026/2027 as things stand right now. As in, there are 12 to 13 teams seen as more legitimate contenders right now.
USA Today's Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams "drafted" the Texas Longhorns, Ohio State Buckeyes, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Miami Hurricanes, LSU Tigers, Georgia Bulldogs, Indiana Hoosiers, Texas Tech Red Raiders, Oregon Ducks, Texas A&M Aggies, USC Trojans, and even the Utah Utes, the latter of which had a bit of an asterisk for being a "shot in the dark," while drafting their top six national championship contenders.
The Crimson Tide weren't completely excluded from the conversation. The pair listed Alabama and the Ole Miss Rebels in the "also considered" category, after all. Then again, is that good enough for the Bama fanbase?
That's rhetorical. Of course it's not.
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Kalen DeBoer has made Alabama irrelevant
Adams may have said Utah was a "shot in the dark," but that pick was still ultimately deemed more acceptable to include than UAT. This is a Utes team that will have a new coach and isn't backed by the SEC machine, to boot.
Kalen DeBoer has made the Crimson Tide irrelevant. Alabama's rise and fall has never been more evident than being able to name three hands worth of contenders before giving them an honorable mention.
Of course, it's February, and plenty can change between now and the 2026 season's kickoff. Still, the Crimson Tide are typically at the forefront of the conversation as it pertains to who can realistically win it all. The NIL/rev-share era was supposed to add more contenders, but we're watching a program collapse and remove itself from the conversation in real time.
They don't know who the starting quarterback will be in Tuscaloosa. Ryan Williams is back, but if it's the version who disappeared and essentially ran routes for cardio down the stretch of the 2025 season, it won't make a difference. The defense lost several difference-makers in the trenches and in the middle.
It's never been more over for Alabama.