Top 25 in 25: Alabama Football Season Preview

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We’re counting down the final 25 days before the college football season by previewing every one of our preseason top 25 teams! With 10 days left until week zero, we continue our previews with my No. 10 team in the country – the Alabama Crimson Tide.

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Projected Record: 9-3 (5-3)

Ceiling/Floor: 12-0/8-4

Projected Wins: Florida State, UL-Monroe, Wisconsin, Vanderbilt, Missouri, Tennessee, LSU, Oklahoma, Eastern Illinois

Projected Losses: Georgia, South Carolina, Auburn

Most Intriguing Game: at Auburn (Week 14)

I believe another up and down year could be in store for Alabama in head coach Kalen DeBoer’s second season. DeBoer once again has a roster loaded with talent, but the question is whether they can put it all together for 12+ games in a season. At times in 2024, they looked like the best team in the country, but at other times, they didn’t even look like they belonged in a bowl game. This resulted in a 9-3 season and being the first team left out of the playoff. But if the Tide can find a way to perform their best consistently, a national championship is not out of the question.

Despite missing the playoff, Bama was one of only five teams to finish top 10 in the SNAP Model’s adjusted offense and defense in 2024. The offense could be around the same level as a year ago, especially with the addition of Ryan Grubb to call plays, but questions at the quarterback position make me a little hesitant to say for sure it’ll be as good. Having a unanimous top two receiver in college football returning in Ryan Williams certainly helps things though, and the offensive line should be elite again as well, headlined by All-American left tackle Kadyn Proctor.

Defensively, Bama should be really good again in year two under coordinator Kane Wommack. Wommack’s squad returns seven starters after finishing seventh in the final SNAP defensive ratings in 2024. All three levels will likely be towards the top of the SEC, but the secondary may be the best in the conference, led by Keon Sabb and Domani Jackson.

If it weren’t for the Vandy and Oklahoma games last year, this team would easily be in my preseason top 3-5, but I’m hesitant to put them higher than 10 until I see more consistency under DeBoer. But if they can find that consistency week-in, week-out, and Ty Simpson is at least a solid QB for the Tide, I have no doubt that Alabama will return to the playoff in 2025.

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