Alabama
Alabama is 7-2, No. 3 in the CFP rankings, and No. 2 of 138 in the machine's ratings, 26.7 points better than an average FBS team. Last game: won 31-13 at LSU in Week 10. The machine gives Alabama a >99% chance to make the playoff.
Week 11: at Vanderbilt, Saturday, Nov 14: the matchup, unit by unit
Why Alabama is No. 2
- Alabama's rating is 26.7: the machine's estimate that Alabama is 26.7 points better than an average FBS team on a neutral field. That is No. 2 of 138. For scale, 0 is an average FBS team: right now the closest to it is No. 68 Arizona State (0.2).
- It started the season at 20.1, ESPN's preseason Football Power Index from July. Its results since have moved it up 6.6.
- The biggest weekly moves: +3.0 after Week 1 (W 48-10 vs East Carolina) and +3.0 after Week 5 (W 56-23 at Mississippi State).
- Its record is 7-2. The 2 losses were to No. 1 Georgia, No. 10 Tennessee, by 9.5 points on average. The 7 wins came by 24.7 points on average; the best was over No. 3 LSU. The rating weighs how much a team won or lost by and against whom, not just the win-loss count.
- Its FBS opponents so far average No. 26 in the machine's ratings.
- Just above is No. 1 Georgia (29.2); just below is No. 3 LSU (25.8).
The rating, week by week
Strengths and weak spots
Head coach
Kalen DeBoer is in his 3rd season at Alabama (since 2024). This season: 7-2. At Alabama overall: 27-10, counting this season.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Team stats
Season totals and averages over 9 games, each with its national rank among 138 FBS teams (No. 1 = best). The game-by-game story is in the season, week by week.
Passing
| Completions-attempts | 168-250 |
|---|---|
| Passing yards | 2286 |
| Touchdowns-interceptions | 18-5 |
| Yards per attempt* | 9.2No. 12 of 138 |
| Explosive pass rate | 14.9%No. 10 of 138 |
| Sacks allowed (rate) | 8.4%No. 125 of 138 |
Rushing
| Carries-yards | 304-1294 |
|---|---|
| Yards per carry | 4.3No. 72 of 138 |
| 10-plus-yard runs (rate) | 16.2%No. 29 of 138 |
| Stuffed at or behind the line (rate) | 20.2%No. 110 of 138 |
Scoring
| Points per game | 37.4No. 16 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play | 6.49No. 28 of 138 |
| Third-down rate | 41.5%No. 54 of 138 |
| Red-zone TD rate | 80.6%No. 2 of 138 |
| Giveaways | 12No. 74 of 138 |
Defense
| Points allowed per game | 20.3No. 35 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play allowed | 5.40No. 56 of 138 |
| Yards per pass attempt allowed | 7.8No. 108 of 138 |
| Yards per carry allowed | 3.0No. 13 of 138 |
| Sack rate | 7.5%No. 20 of 138 |
| Takeaways | 21No. 3 of 138 |
| Third-down rate allowed | 33.6%No. 31 of 138 |
Totals are the official box score. * Yards per attempt and the rates come from the play-by-play, where passing yards count on completions only, so they can differ from the box score by a play or two.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Player leaders
The top 3 in each category over the same games. Passing yards count every completion (official box score).
Passing
- Keelon Russell165-245, 2263 yds, 18 TD, 5 INT
Rushing
- Trae'shawn Brown75 carries, 359 yds, 5 TD
- Daniel Hill76 carries, 347 yds, 4 TD
- Keelon Russell74 carries, 276 yds, 5 TD
Receiving
- Rico Scott31 catches, 501 yds, 3 TD
- Lotzeir Brooks30 catches, 497 yds, 1 TD
- Ryan Williams25 catches, 429 yds, 4 TD
Tackles
- Caleb Woodson71
- Luke Metz68
- Brayson Hubbard51
Sacks
- Devan Thompkins5
- Yhonzae Pierre4.5
- Fatutoa Henry3.5
Interceptions
- Brayson Hubbard2
- Dijon Lee Jr.2
- Ivan Taylor2
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Who's playing
Based on who has actually played this season, from the box scores, not the team's published depth chart. Each bar is that player's share of the team's attempts, carries (quarterbacks left out), catches or tackles. The box score lists no positions, so there is no offensive line here.
Throwing
- Keelon RussellMost passes in the last game9 games245 attempts98%
Carrying
- Daniel Hill9 games76 carries35%
- Trae'shawn Brown9 games75 carries34%
- EJ Crowell7 games32 carries15%
- Kevin Riley4 games11 carries5%
Catching
- Rico Scott9 games31 catches18%
- Lotzeir Brooks9 games30 catches18%
- Ryan Williams7 games25 catches15%
- Marshall Pritchett8 games20 catches12%
Tackling
- Caleb Woodson9 games71 tackles12%
- Luke Metz9 games68 tackles11%
- Brayson Hubbard9 games51 tackles8%
- Rydarrius Morgan9 games35 tackles6%
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
The season, week by week
- Week 1 W 48–10 vs East Carolina. The run defense was the strength: East Carolina got 0.1 yards a carry, 4.4 under what it usually gains. The fewest yards a carry it has allowed all season.
- Week 2 W 45–17 at Kentucky. The run defense was the strength: Kentucky got 2.0 yards a carry, 2.8 under what it usually gains. The fewest yards an attempt it has allowed all season.
- Week 3 W 50–36 vs Florida State. The pass defense gave ground: Florida State got 13.0 yards an attempt, 5.2 over what it usually gains. Won the turnover battle by 3.
- Week 4 W 49–18 vs South Carolina. The passing game was the strength: 13.5 yards an attempt, 7.1 more than South Carolina usually allows. Won the turnover battle by 2.
- Week 5 W 56–23 at Mississippi State. The passing game was the strength: 12.7 yards an attempt, 5.5 more than Mississippi State usually allows. Won the turnover battle by 2.
- Week 6 L 17–20 vs Georgia. The run game was the strength: 5.6 yards a carry, 3.0 more than Georgia usually allows. The machine had Alabama by 2.6 (57%), so this was a loss it did not see coming.
- Week 7 L 10–26 at Tennessee. The run game struggled: 2.1 yards a carry, 1.7 less than Tennessee usually allows. The machine had Alabama by 7.6 (68%), so this was a loss it did not see coming; Alabama lost the turnover battle by 2.
- Week 8 W 31–20 vs Texas A&M. The passing game was the strength: 11.8 yards an attempt, 4.3 more than Texas A&M usually allows. Won the turnover battle by 2.
- Week 10 W 31–13 at LSU. The passing game was the strength: 8.6 yards an attempt, 2.6 more than LSU usually allows. The machine had LSU by 5.5 (64%), so this was a win it did not see coming; Alabama won the turnover battle by 2.