How Alabama finished in AP, Coaches Polls

Alabama fell short of a national title in 2023, but when you look at how much improvement the team showed over the course of the season, there’s reason for optimism for 2024 and beyond. A top-5 finish in both the AP and Coaches Polls is still considered an impressive feat, after all.

First, the AP Poll was released early on Tuesday morning — and by early, I mean soon after midnight. Those rankings had Alabama sitting at No. 5 behind Michigan, Washington, Texas and Georgia. Then later on Tuesday, the Coaches Poll finally followed with the Crimson Tide having the same ranking. Really, the only difference in the top-10 was Georgia also being ranked ahead of Texas.

Obviously, a lot of fans aren’t happy with Alabama being ranked behind a Georgia team it beat in the SEC Championship Game. Yes, the Bulldogs have one less loss, but they also played in one less game — a game that included the eventual national champions in Michigan. The voters in both polls felt differently though. UGA beating Florida State 63-3 in the Orange Bowl left an impression, apparently.

I do still think this was a successful season for Alabama though. Maybe not to the “normal” standards in Tuscaloosa, but with the way things were trending early on, getting back to the SEC Championship, ending Georgia’s chances at a three-peat and taking the eventual national champions to overtime in a playoff semifinal is impressive.

Here are those final rankings for each poll.

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Final 2023 AP Poll

*Note: Team Name (Record) – Points (First-Place Votes)

1. Michigan Wolverines (15-0) – 1,525 (61)

2. Washington Huskies (14-1) – 1,459

3. Texas Longhorns (12-2) – 1,356

4. Georgia Bulldogs (13-1) – 1,328

5. Alabama Crimson Tide (12-2) – 1,321

6. Oregon Ducks (12-2) – 1,175

6. Florida State Seminoles (13-1) – 1,175

8. Missouri Tigers (11-2) – 1,092

9. Ole Miss Rebels (11-2) – 1,030

10. Ohio State Buckeyes (11-2) – 1,006

11. Arizona Wildcats (10-3) – 861

12. LSU Tigers (10-3) – 853

13. Penn State Nittany Lions (10-3) – 796

14. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-3) – 745

15. Oklahoma Sooners (10-3) – 691

16. Oklahoma State Cowboys (10-4) – 528

17. Tennessee Volunteers (9-4) – 442

18. Kansas State Wildcats (9-4) – 402

19. Louisville Cardinals (10-4) – 398

20. Clemson Tigers (9-4) – 327

21. NC State Wolfpack (9-4) – 244

22. SMU Mustangs (10-3) – 183

23. Kansas Jayhawks (9-4) – 153

24. Iowa Hawkeyes (10-4) – 150

25. Liberty Flames (13-1) – 139

Others receiving votes

Oregon St. 96, West Virginia 90, Tulane 76, James Madison 52, Southern Cal 35, Memphis 32, Utah 14, Troy 10, Air Force 8, Toledo 7, Duke 6, Kentucky 4, UCLA 4, Miami (Ohio) 4, UTSA 3, Wyoming 2, Northwestern 2, Ohio 1

Final 2023 Coaches Poll

*Note: Team Name (Record)

1. Michigan Wolverines (15-0)

2. Washington Huskies (14-1)

3. Georgia Bulldogs (13-1)

4. Texas Longhorns (12-2)

5. Alabama Crimson Tide (12-2)

6. Oregon Ducks (12-2)

6. Florida State Seminoles (13-1)

8. Missouri Tigers (11-2)

9. Ole Miss Rebels (11-2)

10. Ohio State Buckeyes (11-2)

11. Arizona Wildcats (10-3)

12. LSU Tigers (10-3)

13. Penn State Nittany Lions (10-3)

14. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-3)

15. Oklahoma Sooners (10-3)

16. Oklahoma State Cowboys (10-4)

17. Tennessee Volunteers (9-4)

19. Louisville Cardinals (10-4)

19. Kansas State Wildcats (9-4)

20. Clemson Tigers (9-4)

21. NC State Wolfpack (9-4)

22. Iowa Hawkeyes (10-4)

23. Kansas Jayhawks (9-4)

24. SMU Mustangs (10-3)

25. West Virginia Mountaineers (9-4)

Others receiving votes

Liberty 98; Oregon State 90; Tulane 34; James Madison 24; Memphis 23; Troy 17; North Carolina 17; USC 9; Air Force 7; UTSA 5; Northwestern 3; Fresno State 3; Boise State 3; Wyoming 1; UNLV 1; Duke 1

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