See where Alabama + Auburn in the Way Too Early Top 25 rankings for next season
Reading time: 4 minutes
The 2024 college football season officially wrapped up Monday night in Atlanta as Ohio State took down Notre Dame to claim the national championship.
Two former Alabama high school stars took center stage in that matchup, combining to account for six total touchdowns. But still, most people around the state have been ready to move on to next season and now they can.
It’s never too early to be thinking about the 2025 season and many of the national media outlets are already predicting how the teams will stack up against each other eight months from now.
So, let’s dive into those Way Too Early rankings + see where the Tide and Tigers are projected to finish next season.
Alabama football
There’s no denying the first year under coach Kalen DeBoer fell short of expectations and the Alabama standard as a whole. That was even more clear when the Tide lost to Michigan and fell short of the 10-win mark for the first time since 2007.
The biggest question for next season is who will replace Jalen Milroe at the quarterback position. Front runners include Ty Simpson and incoming freshman Keelon Russell.
“Given DeBoer’s track record of success, expect a second-year leap in the SEC — but maybe not back into CFP title contention quite yet. Replacing Milroe will be a focus in the spring; Ty Simpson, onetime Washington transfer Austin Mack and five-star prospect Keelon Russell will battle for the job. The offensive line has a couple of holes to plug, but the receiver corps should be great with (Ryan) Williams and (Germie) Bernard returning.”
~ ESPN’s Way Too Early Top 25
Here’s a look at where the Crimson Tide ranks in each poll:
- ESPN: 12
- The Athletic: 14
- Yahoo: 9
- CBS: 14
- NCAA: 12
- 247 Sports: 8
- Bleacher Report: 8
- PFF: 8
“No coach in the country faces more pressure than Kalen DeBoer after bombing his debut season in Tuscaloosa… The good news is that most of the players who could have turned pro opted to return, especially on a defense that finished tied for 10th nationally in yards per play allowed. But depth on both sides took a hit in the portal, with nearly 25 departures.”
~ Stewart Mandel of The Athletic
Auburn football
While Auburn fans had to endure another losing season in 2024, the third year of the Hugh Freeze era seems a bit more promising. The coach’s recruiting classes are becoming a more central part of the program and the Tigers are hoping that pays off next season.
Auburn went just 5-7 last year but there is certainly higher expectations both inside and outside the program. Of the eight “way too early” rankings we found, the Tigers are ranked in three of them + they just barely missed the cut of two others.
“Auburn has endured four straight losing seasons, something that hasn’t happened in 74 years. So why should that change in 2025? For starters, the Tigers bring back many exciting youngsters like wide receiver Cam Coleman, safety Kaleb Harris, cornerback Jay Crawford and edge defender Keldric Faulk. Auburn also brought in many impact transfers such as wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. and offensive tackle Xavier Chaplin.”
~ PFF’s Way-too-early Top 25
Here’s where the Tigers landed in the rankings:
- ESPN: “Teams also considered”
- The Athletic: “Just missed”
- Yahoo: NR
- CBS: NR
- NCAA: NR
- 247 Sports: 20
- Bleacher Report: 25
- PFF: 24
“The stock price is low on Hugh Freeze and the Tigers, but it will begin climbing again. No program in the SEC strengthened its roster more than Auburn this offseason with the addition of a big-time wideout and most importantly, former Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold.”
~ 247 Sports
Want more like this in your inbox? Subscribe to our FREE newsletter.
