Alabama FootballWednesday, November 4
Alabama lands at No. 5 in the first College Football Playoff rankings
The Tuscaloosa Today team
If you went to bed early, here's the headline: the Crimson Tide (6-2) landed at No. 5 in the first CFP rankings Tuesday night. Only Miami, Georgia, Utah and Indiana sit higher. Alabama is the top-ranked two-loss team, ahead of Texas, Ole Miss, Ohio State and Tennessee. It had moved up one spot to No. 9 in the AP Poll after its bye week.
Alabama landed at No. 5 in the first CFP rankings
The College Football Playoff committee's first 2026 top 25
5thof 25
Source: USA TODAY
View as table
| Place | Rank of 25 |
|---|---|
| Miami | 1st |
| Georgia | 2nd |
| Alabama | 5th |
| Tennessee | 13th |
| LSU | 14th |
CFP chair Hunter Yurachek credited wins at Kentucky, at home against South Carolina and at Mississippi State, which ended the Bulldogs' undefeated run. Tennessee, which beat Alabama by 16 points on Oct. 17, lacks "the same level of quality wins," he said.
“That really came down to the quality of teams that Alabama has played and the quality of their wins.”
- Opponents at .500 or better: seven of eight games
- Record: 6-2, with losses to Georgia and Tennessee
- Saturday: at No. 14 LSU, 2:30 p.m. CT in Baton Rouge
Saturday's LSU game comes before the final rankings on Dec. 6
- Nov. 3The CFP committee releases its first rankings, with Alabama at No. 5.
- Nov. 7Alabama plays No. 14 LSU at 2:30 p.m. CT in Baton Rouge.
- Dec. 6The final 12-team CFP rankings come out at 11 a.m.
Head coach Kalen DeBoer put it this way: "The season's two-thirds over, and we got our goals in front of us."
Sources: USA TODAY, WVUA 23, The Crimson White