Want Alabama to Start the Season at No. 1? Historically, it Often Doesn't Go Well

Alabama sits at No. 3 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, and The Associated Press Top 25 will be released Monday.

It’s mid-August, so that can mean only one thing.

It’s rat poison season.

The college football coaches poll was released last week and The Associated Press Top 25 is set to hit Monday. The polls give media and fans something to talk about for the few weeks leading up to the season. However, for Nick Saban it’s just a bunch of nonsense, a distraction from the actual game that’s played on the field.

You all know the Alabama football coach’s thoughts on rankings—especially in the preseason—but in case you need a reminder, here you go:

“I couldn’t care less about the poll. What significance does a poll have right now?” he said, when the Crimson Tide was atop the AP Top 25 and coaches poll a few years back.

By the way, Alabama is at No. 3 in the 2023 preseason Coaches Poll. Is Saban right? Does the preseason poll matter? He’s correct that it’s not where you start, but where you finish. But how has Alabama fared when picked to win it all before a single snap has been played? How about where it finished when not picked No. 1?

We’ll start with the coaches poll, which has been around since the 1950s and has gone by many names (UPI, USA Today/CNN, USA Today/ESPN, Amway), but is now the USA Today Coaches Poll.

The coaches poll didn’t start releasing preseason rankings until 1978, and Alabama was picked No. 1 eight times since 2010. The Crimson Tide finished with a national championship twice in those eight instances (1978, 2017). It should be pointed out that although the coaches picked Alabama as its preseason No. 1, it voted Southern California as the 1978 champion. Both teams had one loss, but USC downed Alabama in the regular season.

Alabama didn’t go wire-to-wire at No. 1 in 2017, but that’s where it finished.

Alabama has eight national championships since 1978 when it wasn’t a preseason No. 1 in the Coaches Poll.

Year	Final Ranking
1978	1
2010	11
2013	8
2016	2
2017	1
2018	2
2021	2
2022	5

Now let’s dive into the media poll. Alabama has a lot of history with the AP Top 25, including a record 245 straight weeks of being ranked since 2008. Georgia is second at 98 straight weeks.

Alabama’s been ranked No. 1 in the AP 140 times, which leads the nation. Ohio State is second with 105 weeks atop the poll.

The AP rankings have been around since 1936 and started preseason polls in 1950. Alabama cracked the preseason poll for the first time in 1966 and nine times total. The bad news is just like with the coaches poll, Alabama finished the season at No. 1 just twice (1978, 2017) in the AP standings. And just like 2017, the 1978 season wasn’t a wire-to-wire at No. 1. UA slipped to No. 7 in Week 3 before climbing back to No. 2 and reclaiming the top spot after Barry Krauss and Co.’s goal-line stand against No. 1 Penn State in the Sugar Bowl.

Alabama was No. 1 in 2017 for 13 straight weeks until losing to Auburn in the regular-season finale. The Crimson Tide earned the fourth spot in the college playoff and .. you know the rest. National title game. Alabama vs. Georgia. Overtime. Second-and-26. Tua to DeVonta. Touchdown. Walk-off win.

It’s been pretty good for Alabama to not start off at No. 1. The Crimson Tide is recognized as the national champion by the AP 12 times since 1961.

Year	Final Ranking
1966	3
1978	1
2010	10
2013	7
2016	2
2017	1
2018	2
2021	2
2022	5

If you’re an Alabama fan it’s probably a good thing when the Crimson Tide doesn’t start the season at the top spot. In the 70-plus years of AP preseason polls, 11 teams won the national championship.

Only three team started No. 1 and finished No. 1 in the Coaches Poll (Oklahoma in 1985, Florida State in 1993, 1999). 

SEE ALSO: Is Alabama Football in a Favorable Spot in Preseason Coaches Poll?