This past week, ESPN’s Heather Dinich caused considerable uproar in the college football community when she released her rankings for the Top 25 FBS teams going into the 2026 season. Many analysts and fans alike called Dinich’s rankings “way too early” to be determined, much less adequate representations of where the top programs stand amongst all of college football.
Now ESPN analyst Jordan Rodgers has responded to Dinich ranking The University of Alabama Crimson Tide football program at the lowest of all of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) teams. Dinich put Alabama at number 17 on her list of the Top 25 teams going into the 2026 season in the fall, and it’s safe to say that Rodgers wasn’t happen about it along with many other critics of Dinich’s list who called out the legitimacy of her rankings.
Rodgers Didn’t Mince His Words About Alabama’s Low Ranking
GettyThe loss of Ty Simpson to the NFL predicted to play major factor to Alabama’s 2026 season.
When Heather Dinich released her college football rankings, she stacked traditional powerhouse teams and then had Alabama trail them all the way down at 17th on the list. Of the outcry of criticism the list has received, no response has been more direct than that of Jordan Rodgers whose response has been praised for being pointed.
Rodgers, a former quarterback for Vanderbilt and long-time college football commentator, didn’t mince his words when he reacted on ESPN’s Get Up show. He labeled the placement of the Alabama Crimson Tide at 17th on Dinich’s list as incorrect in his opinion, saying, “It is criminal.”
“Now, look, you’re really smart, because when you release the college football ranking this early, this many months in advance, you gotta rage-bait a little bit. You got to drop some nuggets that are going to get people fired up,” explains Rodgers. “That one, putting Alabama, not just at 17, Heather, but behind Penn State, Penn State had almost 50 guys transfer out of that program.”
Rodgers Made Arguments for Alabama’s Strengths for This Season
GettyTy Simpson #15 of the Alabama Crimson Tide runs the ball against Mario Landino #97 and Daniel Ndukwe #17 of the Indiana Hoosiers during the second quarter in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at Rose Bowl Stadium on January 01, 2026 in Pasadena, California.
While speaking on the ESPN show, Jordan Rodgers was adamant that Penn State’s qualifications could in no way outdo those of Alabama’s strengths going into the 2026 college football season. Among the resume which the Crimson Tide will be bringing with it into this coming fall, some of the qualifications pointed out by Rodgers include less of an offseason turnover than experienced thus far by the Nittany Lions, the continuity Alabama will hold onto going into 2026, and the team’s competitiveness from the 2025 season.
Moreover, the argument for the strength of Alabama’s upcoming schedule this season makes a case for the team’s ability to stand their ground against top opponents including the Georgia Bulldogs and Texas A&M Aggies football programs. So where does Rodgers believe that Alabama should be placed in the rankings? “Alabama should be a little closer to 10. Not maybe in the top 10, right around Oklahoma, who they beat in the playoffs. They did go to an SEC championship. They did go to the playoffs. They did win a playoff game,” he explains.
Alabama Ranked ‘Criminally Low’ in FBS Top 25 for 2026 Season