College football fans, media furious with Alabama’s top-5 placement in initial CFP rankings
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
The first College Football Playoff rankings of the 2026 season had a couple of surprises.
None, though, was as shocking as Alabama ending up at No. 5.
The Crimson Tide got off to a blazing 5-0 start under Keelon Russell. That’s when things started to break down. First came a 20-17 home loss to Georgia. One week later, the Tide fell to Tennessee, 26-10.
In fairness, Alabama righted the ship against Texas A&M. But few expected it to be ranked so highly, much less in the top 5. While there are still several weeks to go until Selection Day on Dec. 6, it was a jarring development for many college football fans. For a little context, Tennessee is at No. 13. Kentucky, a team the Tide beat soundly early in the season, is at No. 6.
Here’s a sample of some of the social media reaction surrounding the Tide’s ranking:
Alabama’s remaining schedule features a road game at LSU, No. 14 in the initial CFP rankings. That’s followed by a trip to Vanderbilt and a home game against in-state FCS foe Chattanooga. The Tide wrap up the regular season at home with the Iron Bowl against Auburn.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
