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Where Alabama Lands in ESPN's FPI After Week 0

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Hugh Green | Last updated Aug 24, 2025 5:10 PM ET

The Alabama Crimson Tide enter the 2025 college football season with very high expectations. Many experts around the sport are picking head coach Kalen DeBoer's team to win not only the SEC but also make a deep run in the College Football Playoff as well.

Alabama is coming off a 9-4 season in 2024, which was DeBoer's first year at the helm. This was their lowest win total since Nick Saban's first season as head coach in 2007.

ESPN updated its FPI rankings on Sunday, grading each FBS program in the country based on computer-generated analytics. In these rankings, Alabama ranked firmly among the nation's best.

Alabama is ranked No. 3 in the country in the Week 1 power index, landing behind only the No. 1 Texas Longhorns and No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs.

There is some uncertainty surrounding the Crimson Tide this fall. Quarterback Jalen Milroe, who spent the past two seasons as Alabama's starter, was drafted in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks. This leaves big shoes to fill at the position for DeBoer.

To fill the void, DeBoer has called on redshirt junior Ty Simpson. The former five-star recruit has spent the past three years on the bench for Alabama and is finally getting his chance to be the No. 1 quarterback on the depth chart.

Simpson has appeared in 16 games in his Alabama career thus far, completing 29 of his 50 passes for 381 yards.

With an inexperienced quarterback in Simpson under center and a second-year head coach in DeBoer calling the shots, it will be interesting to see if Alabama can contend for a national title once again.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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