The Kalen DeBoer effect is having unfortunate consequences at Alabama. As soon as the Associated Press' preseason Top 25 rankings came out on Monday, the Crimson Tide made unwanted program history.
Sitting at No. 13, Alabama missed out on a preseason top-10 spot for the first time in 18 years. It's the team's lowest ranking since 2008, Nick Saban's second season at the helm, which began all the way at No. 24.
Alabama critics — including many within the fan base — must be feeling vindicated in their harsh assessments of DeBoer's first two campaigns leading the Tide. This program is unaccustomed to having to scrap for recognition in the SEC. DeBoer, unfortunately, appears to be suffering from having to be the guy who followsthe guy.
Kalen DeBoer's seat at Alabama just got hotter without the Tide playing a single down
You know Alabama fans have grown used to winning all the time when a three-loss regular season and an (admittedly undeserved) College Football Playoff berth last year was viewed as a failure. So much so that there were calls for DeBoer to be fired even though year two was better than year one (9-4). His seat temperature cranked even higher as soon as the first AP poll of 2026 was released and the Tide weren't given their perennial "they're-Alabama-they-must-be-good" flowers.
It's an indictment of the twisted culture of supremacy that Alabama — and the SEC at large — has adopted over the last 20 years. Always be the best or you're trash. There is no room for developing and readjusting under new leadership, specifically for the blue bloods. Auburn is the clearest example of that toxicity, burning through six head coaches (including interims) since Gus Malzahn was let go in 2020.
There's a real possibility the proverbial pitchforks at the campus gates become too much to ignore this year should the Tide suffer multiple losses before Halloween. Alabama's schedule offers ample opportunity for that scenario to play out, especially with a brutal four-game stretch that includes No. 3 Georgia, No. 20 Tennessee, No. 8 Texas A&M and No. 11 LSU.
DeBoer faces a situation in which he's going to have to deliver a perfect (or near perfect) performance to stave off dismissal talk. Even then, anything short of an SEC title and/or a national championship run could be considered (unfairly) unacceptable in Tuscaloosa. It would be the third consecutive year without either should that come to fruition, the longest stretch for the program since 1999-2009.
It's going to be okay, Alabama fans. You can't always be the best all the time. Even Ohio State, Michigan, Georgia and Notre Dame had periods of stagnation and regression in recent memory. Should DeBoer turn in a subpar year again this season — defined by four losses or more — then you can break out the torches and call for change.
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