Remember the days when there were no way-too-early college football rankings?
Remember when they did start to come along and there was only one way-too-early ranking before the official preseason rankings from the Associated Press and Coaches Poll?
Ah, those were the days — before the internet was fully unleashed and the need for fresh content became unquenchable.
Now, we get way-too-early rankings the moment the national championship game is over, then again when the winter transfer portal closes and then again after the spring. Which is where we are today, sifting through ESPN, CBS, 247Sports and USA Today’s post-spring practice, post-spring transfer portal rankings.
Even individual personalities have gotten in on the rankings action. See: Joe Klatt and Josh Pate’s top 25.
In case you don’t want to click the link, here’s a breakdown of where Alabama fell in the rankings:
- USA Today: 10
- ESPN, CBS and Klatt: 9
- 247Sports: 8
- Pate: 4
So much for the Crimson Tide falling off the map after a 9-4 season. Even if you disagree with USA Today or ESPN or CBS and think the Tide should be ranked higher, you can at least feel good about the consensus building that this team is a playoff contender.
Which I think is accurate, despite questions at quarterback, depth concerns along both the offensive and defensive lines, and a non-zero amount of worry about replacing the core group of specialists (punter, kicker, long-snapper).
The question is whether you see Alabama as a top-10 team or a top-5 team?
I took a spin at putting together my own rankings to see where I fall.
