DeBoer breaks silence on Alabama's CFP ranking talk with team

Kalen DeBoer was asked whether he has discussed Alabama football's College Football Playoff ranking with his players.

His answer was direct.

"We haven't talked about it," DeBoer said on "Hey Coach."

The Alabama Crimson Tide is ranked No. 5 in the initial CFP ranking of the 2026 season.

Alabama's record stands at 6-2.

The ranking has generated mixed reactions across the college football landscape.

DeBoer acknowledged that the ranking is impossible to ignore.

"I mean, they're going to see it," DeBoer said.

"It's around."

"I'm sure it's on every sports station and then some."

"So they're going to see it."

But the head coach made clear that the number does not change the team's focus.

"But they know that it doesn't really matter," DeBoer said.

"We got to continue to just do our part and do our job and continue to move forward."

The College Football Playoff Committee Chair Hunter Yurachek appeared on ESPN to explain the committee's rationale.

Yurachek detailed why Alabama landed at No. 5.

"I think you look first at Alabama went on the road and beat the team that we have ranked six this week in Kentucky," Yurachek said.

"They also beat South Carolina, who's ranked in the top 25."

"And then, I think, many forget that they went on the road and beat Mississippi State when Mississippi State was undefeated and at full strength."

"And we really valued that as a strong win for Alabama back there in the early part of the season, when Mississippi, again, they had that quarterback, Kamario Taylor, that was very, very good, and Mississippi State was on a roll at that time."

"And so, with those, we see those as three quality wins."

Yurachek also addressed Alabama's loss to Tennessee.

"Yes, they had a loss to Tennessee," Yurachek said.

"Tennessee doesn't have the same level of quality wins."

"They do have the win against Alabama, but you have to go a little bit deeper to see Tennessee with another quality win on their schedule."

The committee's explanation placed significant weight on Alabama's early-season road performances.

The win over Kentucky, currently ranked No. 6, stands as the Tide's strongest victory in the committee's eyes.

South Carolina, also ranked inside the top 25, provided another quality win.

Mississippi State's early-season success, before injuries impacted the program, was cited as a factor.

Alabama's schedule has been among the toughest in the country.

The Crimson Tide opened the season with five straight wins.

That stretch included victories over teams that were undefeated at the time of the matchup.

Alabama then lost back-to-back games to Georgia and Tennessee.

The loss in Knoxville was particularly damaging.

Crowd noise at Neyland Stadium clearly impacted Alabama's offensive operation.

DeBoer has been preparing his team for similar environments.

"My ears are ringing," DeBoer said on "Hey Coach" when asked about the artificial noise used in practice.

"It's a lot of noise."

"We don't just do the noise in practice."

"You do the noise when we do walk-throughs."

"You just get yourself so used to what communication is going to be like."

"It doesn't matter if it's a team period, a 7-on-7 period, a walk-through, there is a lot of noise that's happening around practice."

DeBoer offered a simple solution for handling hostile road environments.

"There's one cure: Score."

Alabama bounced back from the two-game losing streak with a win over Texas A&M.

The team then entered its bye week.

The timing of the bye week was welcome.

"This might have been the most welcome bye week of DeBoer's tenure in Tuscaloosa," one analysis noted.

Alabama limped into the break after losing two of its last three games.

The team was beaten and battered after a difficult stretch.

DeBoer has a strong track record of success after bye weeks.

Since the start of the 2021 season, DeBoer is 8-0 after a bye week.

That includes a 4-0 mark as the Crimson Tide's head coach.

The 8-0 record in the regular season includes five wins over ranked opponents.

He led Washington to wins over Oregon State in 2022 and Oregon in 2023.

He then led Alabama to wins over Georgia and LSU in 2024, and Georgia again in 2025.

In his career as a head coach, including postseason games, DeBoer has an 18-4 overall record in games with at least one extra week to prepare.

DeBoer discussed his history of success after a bye week during his Monday press conference.

"I think our staff does a really good job of laying out a plan for our players," DeBoer said.

"Obviously, we all got to be on the same page, but taking advantage of it, not just letting it be time off and something where, okay, yeah, you got to refresh mentally, but we're in it."

"Like, we're in the season."

"This isn't even close to the end."

Alabama now heads to Baton Rouge for what could be the biggest game of the season.

The Crimson Tide will face Lane Kiffin and the LSU Tigers.

Both teams are trying to make a major statement.

Alabama is ranked No. 5 in the CFP rankings.

LSU is also in the playoff conversation.

The game carries significant implications for both programs.

Alabama has five starters listed as questionable on this week's availability report.

There is optimism that most, if not all, will be able to play on Saturday.