Where Alabama Football Lands in SP+ Post-Spring Rankings

ESPN's Bill Connelly updated his SP+ team rankings on Thursday morning. ESPN’s SP+ rankings are based on three factors: returning production, recent recruiting and recent history. Connelly goes in-depth on each of them here.

And with each of these crucial elements in mind, Connelly placed Alabama at the No. 2 spot in the nation, only behind reigning national champion Ohio State, with 27.9 points.

The Crimson Tide received a 40.4 for offense and 12.6 for defense––both of which are the fifth-best marks in the country. Alabama was No. 20 on the special teams scale as well.

Connelly also included strength of schedule rankings as he placed Alabama at No. 11. ESPN also explained that the Crimson Tide has the best odds of any SEC team to go 10-2 or better. DeBoer and company finished 9-4 last season––its first time under 10 wins since 2007.

As previously stated, returning production is one of the main factors in determining the SP+ rankings. Alabama has 64 percent of its players coming back for next season, which is tied for the 26th-most in college football. More specifically, 59 percent of the offense is returning alongside 69 percent of the defense.

This all goes hand-in-hand with the fact that Alabama didn't lose a single scholarship player during the spring transfer window––a tremendous accomplishment in today's college sports world.

Top 25 SP+ Rankings

1. Ohio State – 29.5
2. Alabama – 27.9
3. Penn State – 27.7
4. Georgia – 26.9
5. Texas – 26.4
6. Notre Dame – 24.9
7. Oregon – 24.7
8. Clemson – 23.3
9. LSU – 22.1
10. Michigan – 21.5
11. Ole Miss – 19.8
12. Miami – 18.8
13. Tennessee – 18.4
14. Florida – 17.3
15. Texas A&M – 17.2
16. Oklahoma – 16.5
17. South Carolina – 16.1
18. Kansas State – 15.6
19. Illinois – 14.3
20. SMU – 13.1
21. Missouri – 12.5
22. Arizona State – 12.2
23. Indiana – 12.2
24. Louisville – 12.1
25. Auburn – 11.8

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