This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/usffan on 2025-08-15 13:04:28+00:00.
The cumulative link to the preseason rankings can be found here.
Alabama (high = 2, low = 13) enters the countdown at #8 in the nation and the #3 SEC team in these aggregated rankings. 2024 marked the end of quite an era for the Crimson Tide. It was the first season since 2007 that Nick Saban wasn’t coaching the team, who retired somewhat surprisingly on January 10 with an astonishing record in Tuscaloosa of 201-29. Not so coincidentally, 2024 also ended up being the first season since 2007 that Alabama failed to reach at least 10 wins, finishing 9-4 after getting beaten by Michigan in the Outback Reliaquest Bowl to close out Kalen DeBoer’s first season. Quite a few folks felt that Alabama should have been one of the at-large teams in the CFP in 2024, will they accomplish that (or more) in 2025?
Roster outlook
Everybody’s favorite stat (returning production) suggests that the Tide should be in good shape, ranking 35th nationally and 3rd among the top 10 teams in these aggregated rankings. The biggest name that will require replacement is QB Jalen Milroe, who led the team in both passing and rushing yardage and totaled 36 TDs. He’s off to the Seattle Seahawks, one of 7 Bama players drafted last season (OG Tyler Booker, LB Jihaad Campbell, both first rounders, S Malachi Moore, LB Que Robinson, TE Robbie Ouzts and DT Tim Smith). Long time backup QB Ty Simpson will step into the starting role, and he’ll have both the top RB (Jam Miller) and finally of age WR Ryan Williams plus #2 WR Germie Bernard back. That’s not to say that Alabama didn’t suffer other losses. RB Justice Haynes transferred to Michigan (did he just walk across the field at the bowl game and get on the Michigan bus?), as did a whole host of WRs (Kobe Prentice to Baylor, Kendrick Law to Kentucky, Caleb Odom to Ole Miss and Emmanuel Henderson to Kansas). On defense, DL Damon Payne (Michigan), CB DeVonta Smith (Notre Dame). DB King Mack (Penn State) and DL Jaheim Oatis (Colorado) were among the outgoing transfers. In fact, 22 different players transferred to P4 teams – an outgoing class that probably would be a ranked team on its own. So DeBoer didn’t just count on Saban’s recruiting for 2025. He went out and corralled the #3 recruiting class in the country and paired it with the 21st best portal class nationally as well. Miami WR Isaiah Horton is expected to step in and be a starter, as is Texas A&M OG Kam Dewberry.
Schedule and outlook
Alabama opens up their OOC by traveling to Florida to take on a team that, by all accounts, underachieved last season. No, for once I’m not talking about USF being on the Tide schedule, but rather Florida State. Tommy Castellanos is confident that the Noles will give Alabama all they want since they won’t have Nick Saban to save them, which I am confident is on a few bulletin boards in Tuscaloosa. They follow that up with home games against Louisiana-Monroe and Wisconsin (Curt Cignetti’s head just exploded) before getting a bye and then facing Georgia between the hedges. I’m going to go ahead and pencil GameDay in for that one. They follow up the Bulldogs with a revenge game against Diego Pavia and Vandy before traveling to Missouri for the first time in a non-COVID season since 2012. So DeBoer should have the Tide sitting at no worse than 5-1 heading into the back half of the season, but that’s where it gets a bit dicier. They host Tennessee, travel to the OTHER Columbia, host LSU (after a bye) and Oklahoma, then rest up against Eastern Illinois before playing the Iron Bowl at Jordan-Hare. With that schedule, 10-2 or better would be an absolute playoff lock. 9-3 probably means you have to see what other teams have done. The Tide certainly have the talent to make the playoff, and if they do, they’ll be more than adequately tested for the grind of the CFP.