# Alabama Crimson Tide
The **Alabama Crimson Tide** is the college football program of the [University of Alabama](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-alabama) in Tuscaloosa, competing in the [Southeastern Conference](https://www.edgepedia.org/southeastern-conference) (SEC) at the [NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision](https://www.edgepedia.org/ncaa-division-i-football-bowl-subdivision) level. The program claims 18 national championships, fewer than the 28 championships claimed by Princeton, and holds the record for AP poll-era titles with 13.[1](https://alabamafootball.org/history/national-championships/) • [2](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/college-football-national-champions-complete-162618270.html) • [19](https://www.princetontigersfootball.com/history-of-the-program/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Claimed national titles | 18, which is fewer than the 28 claimed by Princeton[1](https://alabamafootball.org/history/national-championships/) • [19](https://www.princetontigersfootball.com/history-of-the-program/) |
| AP poll titles | 12: 1961, 1964, 1965, 1978, 1979, 1992, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2020[3](https://collegepollarchive.com/football/ap/research/national-championships.cfm) |
| AP-era record | 13 national championships from 1936 to today, an NCAA record[2](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/college-football-national-champions-complete-162618270.html) |
| Most recent title | 2020, a 13-0 season under Nick Saban with wins in the Rose Bowl and the College Football Playoff National Championship[4](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/alabama/index.html) |
| AP No. 1 rankings | 141 times, the most of any team since the poll began in 1936[5](https://apnews.com/article/8483052cda8b2acf6d9f5956c420a75d) |
| Head coach | Kalen DeBoer, hired from Washington in 2024; contract extended through January 31, 2033[6](https://apnews.com/article/3adae80fb267ad475d06833e93d5b021) • [7](https://rolltide.com/news/2026/4/22/football-head-coach-kalen-deboers-contract-extended-through-2033-season) |
| Conference | SEC, with 26 football championships claimed through the 2016-17 academic year[8](https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/auburntigers.com/documents/2018/8/1/12_release_20171121aaa_alab.pdf) |
## National championships
Alabama's championship count depends on the selector. The university claims 18 titles, a figure built on a mix of contemporary polls and retroactive mathematical ratings; the Houlgate System, one of many ranking formulas used in the early twentieth century, rated some early Alabama teams No. 1 and the university adopted those claims.[1](https://alabamafootball.org/history/national-championships/) The Official NCAA Football Records Book additionally recognizes Alabama as producing national champions in 1945, 1962, 1966, 1975, and 1977, years the school does not claim; in 1945 the 10-0 Tide was recognized as co-champion with Army by the National Championship Foundation.[9](https://www.apr.org/news/2025-12-29/alabama-and-those-sketchy-championship-wins-before-saban)
Within the AP poll era, which began in 1936, Alabama's 12 AP titles lead all programs, ahead of Notre Dame's 8 and Oklahoma's 7.[3](https://collegepollarchive.com/football/ap/research/national-championships.cfm) • [10](https://briefsports.net/american-football) Counting all major selectors since 1936, Alabama has 13 championships, far more than any other school.[2](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/college-football-national-champions-complete-162618270.html)
Some claimed titles rest on unusual circumstances. The 1964 championship was a share awarded despite an [Orange Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/orange-bowl) loss to Texas, because bowl results did not count toward the final vote at the time. Alabama went 8-1-1 in the 1965 regular season and was not the unanimous top-ranked team when the bowls began; nevertheless, on a single day, Michigan State and Arkansas, each seated above the Crimson Tide in the polls, both suffered defeats in their postseason games.[1](https://alabamafootball.org/history/national-championships/) The most recent title, 2020, came with a 13-0 record and a 52-24 win over Ohio State in the CFP Championship Game, with the final AP poll also placing Alabama No.[20](https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/college-football-national-championship-history) • [21](https://rolltide.com/sports/2016/6/10/trads-national-championships-html) 1.[1](https://alabamafootball.org/history/national-championships/)
## The Saban era
[Nick Saban](https://www.edgepedia.org/nick-saban) took over the program in 2007 after a 7-6 debut season and won at least 10 games in each of his final 16 seasons.[11](https://apnews.com/article/ebb46230ca171dd6f310ff76e403fd23) He won six national championships at Alabama, in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, and 2020, after winning his first title at LSU in 2003; his seven total championships are the most by any major college football coach.[11](https://apnews.com/article/ebb46230ca171dd6f310ff76e403fd23) His Alabama teams were ranked No. 1 in the AP poll in 15 straight seasons, breaking the previous record of seven held by Miami, and he led the Tide to nine SEC championships.[11](https://apnews.com/article/ebb46230ca171dd6f310ff76e403fd23)
The 2020 season was the peak of the run: Alabama went 13-0, including a 10-0 SEC record, won the Rose Bowl, and beat Ohio State in the [College Football Playoff National Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/college-football-playoff-national-championship).[4](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/alabama/index.html) In Saban's six title seasons his teams went 21-2 against top-10 opponents, and after [Bryce Young](https://www.edgepedia.org/bryce-young)'s Heisman Trophy win in 2021 Saban had coached four Heisman winners, tying Notre Dame's Frank Leahy for the most in college football history.[12](https://rolltide.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/nick-saban/1436)
Saban announced his retirement in January 2024 after 17 seasons, closing with an SEC championship and a [College Football Playoff](https://www.edgepedia.org/college-football-playoff) semifinal appearance that ended in overtime against Michigan at the Rose Bowl.[11](https://apnews.com/article/ebb46230ca171dd6f310ff76e403fd23)
## The DeBoer transition
[Kalen DeBoer](https://www.edgepedia.org/kalen-deboer), previously head coach at Washington, where he led the Huskies to the national championship game in his second season, was hired to replace Saban in January 2024.[6](https://apnews.com/article/3adae80fb267ad475d06833e93d5b021) In September 2024, after wins over Wisconsin and Georgia, Alabama returned to No. 1 in the AP poll for the first time under DeBoer, the program's 141st week at the top spot.[5](https://apnews.com/article/8483052cda8b2acf6d9f5956c420a75d) In April 2026 the university extended his contract by two seasons, keeping him in charge through January 31, 2033.[7](https://rolltide.com/news/2026/4/22/football-head-coach-kalen-deboers-contract-extended-through-2033-season)
## Poll history and program records
Alabama's standing in the Associated Press poll is unmatched in depth as well as titles. The program has been ranked No. 1 more than any other team since the poll began in 1936, and in the 2024 season it held the top spot in 16 of 17 seasons dating back to 2009.[5](https://apnews.com/article/8483052cda8b2acf6d9f5956c420a75d) Through the late 2010s the Tide had been ranked in 784 of 1,146 AP polls since 1936, with a 475-129-8 (.783) record in games when ranked, including 116-17 (.872) under Saban.[13](https://static.lsusports.net/pdf9/5478423.pdf) In 123 seasons the program has won 10 or more games 38 times, the most in college football history.[14](https://rolltide.com/documents/download/2019/9/16/9_21_Southern_Miss.pdf) Alabama also owns the NCAA record for most wins all-time against the AP poll's No. 1 team.[15](https://rolltide.com/documents/download/2025/10/20/10.25.25_South_Carolina.pdf)
In the AP poll's final all-time rankings from 1936 to 2022, Alabama placed first with 1,150 points.[16](https://sports.yahoo.com/ap-college-football-poll-rankings-215826505.html)
## Venues and finances
The Tide plays home games at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa. Before that venue became the sole home, Alabama played for nearly 80 years at [Legion Field](https://www.edgepedia.org/legion-field) in Birmingham, where the final game came in 2003, a 40-17 victory over [South Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-florida) in [Mike Shula](https://www.edgepedia.org/mike-shula)'s first game as head coach; Legion Field later hosted NFL, USFL, and World Football League games and soccer competition at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.[17](https://rolltide.com/documents/download/2025/7/28/2025_Record_Book.pdf) The football program brought in $94.6 million in revenue during the 2019 academic year.[18](https://time.com/5881584/college-football-coronavirus-2/)
## References
1. [Alabama National Championships: All 18, Year by Year, Alabama Football History](https://alabamafootball.org/history/national-championships/)
2. [College Football National Champions: The Complete All-Time List, Yahoo Sports](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/college-football-national-champions-complete-162618270.html)
3. [AP National Championships, College Poll Archive](https://collegepollarchive.com/football/ap/research/national-championships.cfm)
4. [Alabama Crimson Tide College Football History, Stats, Records, Sports-Reference](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/alabama/index.html)
5. [AP Top 25: Alabama overtakes Texas for No. 1, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/8483052cda8b2acf6d9f5956c420a75d)
6. [Kalen DeBoer hired to replace Nick Saban at Alabama, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/3adae80fb267ad475d06833e93d5b021)
7. [Head Coach Kalen DeBoer's Contract Extended through 2033 Season, Alabama Athletics](https://rolltide.com/news/2026/4/22/football-head-coach-kalen-deboers-contract-extended-through-2033-season)
8. [University of Alabama / Crimson Tide / Football game notes, Auburn game 2017](https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/auburntigers.com/documents/2018/8/1/12_release_20171121aaa_alab.pdf)
9. [Alabama, and those "sketchy" championship wins before Saban, Alabama Public Radio](https://www.apr.org/news/2025-12-29/alabama-and-those-sketchy-championship-wins-before-saban)
10. [American Football, Brief Sports](https://briefsports.net/american-football)
11. [Alabama's Nick Saban retires after 7 national titles, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/ebb46230ca171dd6f310ff76e403fd23)
12. [Nick Saban, Football Coach, Alabama Athletics](https://rolltide.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/nick-saban/1436)
13. [University of Alabama / Crimson Tide / Football game notes, LSU](https://static.lsusports.net/pdf9/5478423.pdf)
14. [University of Alabama / Crimson Tide / Football game notes, Southern Miss 2019](https://rolltide.com/documents/download/2019/9/16/9_21_Southern_Miss.pdf)
15. [University of Alabama / Crimson Tide / Football Notes, South Carolina 2025](https://rolltide.com/documents/download/2025/10/20/10.25.25_South_Carolina.pdf)
16. [AP College Football Poll: Greatest Programs Of All-Time, Yahoo Sports](https://sports.yahoo.com/ap-college-football-poll-rankings-215826505.html)
17. [2025 Alabama Football Record Book, Alabama Athletics](https://rolltide.com/documents/download/2025/7/28/2025_Record_Book.pdf)
18. [College Football May Not Happen at All This Year, Time](https://time.com/5881584/college-football-coronavirus-2/)
19. [History of the Program, Tigers Football](https://www.princetontigersfootball.com/history-of-the-program/)
20. [College football championship history](https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/college-football-national-championship-history)
21. [National Championships - Alabama Athletics](https://rolltide.com/sports/2016/6/10/trads-national-championships-html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › College, minor, and international American football › College football programs › Football programs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license