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Yet again, Alabama is the No. 1 college football team in the country. Sound familiar?
That’s because the Crimson Tide have been dominant over the past decade-plus under head coach Nick Saban. And this marks the 13th straight season that they’ve been in the top spot in the AP Top 25 poll at least once, extending their record as the Associated Press noted on Twitter after releasing the rankings Sunday.
Per Ralph D. Russo of AP, this is Alabama’s 123rd appearance in the No. 1 spot and its 92nd under Saban, who first got the Crimson Tide to the top ranking in 2008.
This time, Alabama ascended to the top spot without even playing. The Crimson Tide entered the week at No. 2, but the voters moved them up after Clemson, which had been ranked No. 1, suffered its first loss of the season at Notre Dame on Saturday night. The Fighting Irish moved up two spots to No. 2, as the Tigers fell to No. 4.
It’s possible Alabama won’t fall out of the No. 1 spot again this season, if it can build off its strong start. The Crimson Tide are 6-0 with four regular-season games remaining — against LSU, Kentucky, No. 24 Auburn and Arkansas.
So Alabama is in control of its own destiny. Keep winning, and the Tide could be heading to the SEC Championship Game and College Football Playoff.
On Saturday, Alabama will play its first game as the No. 1 team this season when it travels to LSU for a 6 p.m. ET kickoff on CBS.
Jake Rill contributes to news coverage for Saturday Down South. He has covered the SEC since 2016.
