One of the best quirks of the preseason AP Poll—despite its overall lack of real significance in the grand scope of the college football season—is that every ballot is made public, allowing fans to call out the most outrageous voter opinions.
When the dust settled, Alabama landed at No. 8. That’s arguably too low—just ask Paul Finebaum—though there’s a fair case for taking a more cautious, wait-and-see approach to Kalen DeBoer’s first Crimson Tide team in 2025.
The consensus is clear: Alabama should be much improved this season. Still, last year’s 9–4 record and No. 17 finish in the final AP Poll can’t be ignored. Even so, most of the Tide’s harshest critics expect them to make the playoff.
The lowest non-outlier vote Alabama received was No. 13, courtesy of CBS Austin’s Bob Ballou. But then came the outlier—a ballot seemingly fueled by pure vendetta.
Former Florida Gator Kevin Carter ranked Alabama all the way down at No. 23.
Fourteen-year NFL veteran and former Florida Gator Kevin Carter put Alabama at No. 23 in his AP ballot—a ranking so absurd it ought to be grounds for disqualification. It’s not as if Carter truly believes Boise State, Illinois, Iowa State, Baylor, or USC are better football teams than Alabama. This was a vote rooted in pure spite.
The motive isn’t hard to trace. Carter suited up for Florida from 1991–1994, when the Gators and Crimson Tide were the SEC’s twin powerhouses. Under Gene Stallings, Alabama clashed with Steve Spurrier’s Florida in three straight SEC Championship Games. Florida won in 1993 and 1994, but the 1992 matchup became legend: Antonio Langham’s fourth-quarter pick-six sealed a 28–21 Alabama win, punching the Tide’s ticket to the National Championship Game—where they crushed Miami 34–13.
That sting never really fades. Through the Nick Saban dynasty, Carter has likely watched Alabama’s dominance with the enthusiasm of someone stuck in Gator orange at a Crimson Tide parade. Last year’s four-loss season probably looked to him like the beginning of the end.
Unfortunately for Carter—and every other hopeful Tide skeptic—2024 is destined to be remembered as nothing more than a brief stumble, not the start of a downfall.
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