Alabama drops to No. 13 in latest AP Poll

September 17, 2023

WVUA 23 Sports,

Mfb — Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban talks to the The University of Alabama football team at Raymond James in Tampa, FL on Saturday, Sep 16, 2023.

By WVUA 23 Sports Reporter Juliet Brown

Following a closer-than-expected win over South Florida, Alabama dropped three spots in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, to No. 13.

Alabama’s streak of 128 consecutive weeks in the AP Top 25 poll has ended. Bama is ranked No. 13 this week. The last time the Tide wasn’t ranked in the Top 10 was Sept. 2015 @wvua23 @WVUA23Sports @Tide1009 pic.twitter.com/7cxpO9vDJq

— Gary L. Harris (@garyharris_wvua) September 17, 2023

It marks the first time since 2015 that the Crimson Tide is outside the top 10 of the AP rankings.

Alabama didn’t look like the dominating force college football is used against USF. The Bulls led for most of the first half before the Crimson Tide kicked a field goal to tie it before halftime.

It took the heavy favorite, the betting line favored Alabama by 33-points, nearly three quarters to score its first touchdown.

The Crimson Tide struggled on offense after benching Jalen Milroe, who had started the first two games including last weeks loss to No. 11 Texas. Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner left much to be desired on offense, so Tide coach Nick Saban and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees switched to redshirt freshman Ty Simpson. While Simpson led two touchdown drives, the offense still put up an underwhelming performance.

Alabama finished with 310 total yards of offense. By comparison, USF’s previous opponent, Florida A&M, had almost 400 yards against the Bulls.

The Crimson Tide starts conference play on Saturday against No. 15 Ole Miss. The Rebels are undefeated coming into Tuscaloosa. Ole Miss last beat Alabama in 2015 when the Crimson Tide went on to win the National Championship.