After much anticipation, the official AP Poll is out.
Alabama will begin the season ranked No. 13, which is of course, low, but not a huge surprise given the way the Tide ranked in other polls. Some AP voters even revealed they voted Kalen DeBoer’s squad even lower than 13.
BREAKING: Preseason College Football AP Poll🚨https://t.co/JL3USE6MnT pic.twitter.com/wImUOmUUg5
— On3 (@On3) August 17, 2026
No one in the top-ten is particularly shocking, with Ohio State and Oregon taking the top-two spots, followed by Georgia at No. 3, Notre Dame at No. 4 and Texas at No. 5. As it did in the Coaches Poll, the SEC makes up half the top-ten, with Nos. 8-10 consisting of Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Oklahoma, followed by LSU at No. 11, Texas Tech at No. 12 and finally Alabama at No. 13.
Overall, nine SEC teams are ranked in the top-25, with Tennessee at No. 20 and Missouri at No. 25.
Notably, teams who just missed the cut to be ranked at all and received a number of votes include Clemson, Florida, Boise State and South Carolina. The Auburn Tigers also received three votes to be ranked, placing them roughly just outside the top-40 if the rankings went beyond 25 teams.
In the Yellowhammer State, both teams are going to have to prove it this year as Alabama and Auburn — each in very different spots — get ready for huge campaigns in the SEC.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.
