Paul Finebaum calls Alabama 'slightly overrated' at No. 5 in 2024 preseason AP poll

The Preseason AP Top 25 Poll was released on Monday, giving the entire college football landscape a first look at where teams will stack up against one another ahead of one of the most highly anticipated college football seasons to date.

Most evaluators tabbed Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon, and Texas as their top four teams in the country in various orders. But after that opinions start to differ, with the Associated Press rolling with the Alabama Crimson Tide as the No. 5 team in the country for their preseason poll.

There were several different reactions to Alabama’s preseason ranking, and perhaps surprisingly, college football analyst Paul Finebaum revealed that he thinks the Crimson Tide are rated a little too high Tuesday morning on ESPN’s Get Up.

“They’re slightly overrated. Greeny I still think they’re a playoff team, but they’re on the cut line,” Finebaum told host Mike Greenberg. “And the fact that they’re ranked number five may sound good to people, this is the lowest Alabama ranking since 2009 in the preseason.”

The Crimson Tide are one of the most challenging teams to evaluate ahead of the 2024 season, mostly because of the retirement of head coach Nick Saban. Who set the gold standard for coaching in college football with one of the most dominant runs the sport has seen during his 17-year tenure in Tuscaloosa. Boasting a 201-29 record with the Crimson Tide, six national championships, and nine SEC titles.

Kalen DeBoer now takes over the Alabama program after leading Washington to a national championship appearance last season in his second year with the program. A proven winner in his own right with a 104–12 record in his head coaching career. But now he takes on the biggest task of his coaching career, the SEC, and a program that has the highest expectations of any other in the college football landscape.

Alabama will also look different on the field compared to their 12-2 team last year that took home the SEC Championship and made an appearance in the College Football Playoff. With 33 players departing from the program through the transfer portal following Saban’s departure including key contributors like Caleb Downs and Isaiah Bond.

But dual-threat quarterback Jalen Milroe does return amongst others, presenting a high ceiling for Alabama’s offense given his athletic ability and DeBoer’s offensive prowess. And when it comes to preseason rankings, it’s well known that Alabama will be judged not by how they start, but how they finish.