The Alabama Crimson Tide is clearly not being thought of all that highly headed into the season.

After being ranked No. 11 in the USA Today Preseason Coaches Poll and as low as No. 14 in the On3 Media Poll, the next thing fans are waiting for is the official AP Poll — which will be the rankings until the first edition of the College Football Playoff poll drops.

One AP voter, Brett McMurphy of On3, gave an early glimpse as to how he is voting, and in a jarring jolt of reality, has Alabama ranked No. 20.

Is No. 20 too low for Alabama? 👀

On3’s Brett McMurphy, an official AP Poll voter, has the Crimson Tide at No. 20 in his preseason ballot. That’s a pretty significant departure from where most expect Alabama to land when the AP Top 25 is released.

Tide fans: Where would YOU… pic.twitter.com/iS01KYYZtM

— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) August 13, 2026

This places the Tide behind teams like Houston (No. 19), Utah (No. 17), SMU (No. 16) and BYU (No. 13). While it’s undeniable Alabama is far removed from its heyday under Nick Saban, No. 20 feels a little bit lower than Kalen DeBoer has earned over the last two years.

The Tide is one year removed from an SEC Championship appearance and trip to the College Football Playoff, and while they did get destroyed in the Rose Bowl, their loss was to the eventual national champions. Not to mention the fact that the Oregon Ducks — ranked No. 1 by McMurphy — were also abused by Indiana in the Hoosiers’ path to glory.

Alabama has a lot to prove this year, and the latest polling should give this team even more motivation to do just that.