Alabama Aims to Defend and Extend Its Incredible 23-Year Streak as New Season Looms Large.

Alabama’s football program doesn’t just carry expectations into every season—it carries the weight of a legacy. And this year, as the Crimson Tide prepares to hit the field once more, they’ll be defending something more than pride, rankings, or playoff hopes. They’ll be putting a staggering 23-year streak on the line—one of the longest and most impressive active streaks in all of college football. It’s a mark that reflects not only excellence but enduring consistency, elite recruiting, top-tier coaching, and a culture that has come to define the program across generations.

The streak in question? Alabama has finished every season ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 for 23 consecutive years. Since the 2001 season, the Crimson Tide has remained a fixture among college football’s elite. Through coaching changes, roster turnovers, conference realignments, and national evolutions in the game itself, Alabama has not wavered. From Mike Shula to Nick Saban—and now into the next chapter of leadership—the program has found a way to stay at the top, year after year.

It’s easy to take a streak like this for granted if you’ve grown up with Alabama being a perennial powerhouse. But staying ranked in the AP Top 25 for more than two decades is no small feat. Programs rise and fall with regularity in college football. Powerhouses collapse under pressure, struggle with scandal, or simply lose their edge. Even the best programs experience a down year or two. But not Alabama. They’ve remained relevant, feared, respected, and dominant for almost a quarter-century.

Of course, the bulk of that dominance came under the leadership of Nick Saban, who took over in 2007 and built the modern-day dynasty. Under his watch, Alabama not only stayed in the rankings—they owned them. With six national championships, multiple SEC titles, and countless players sent to the NFL, Saban’s run transformed Alabama into the measuring stick for success. But the streak didn’t begin with Saban. It started before him, a reminder that Alabama’s commitment to excellence predates even the man many consider the greatest college football coach of all time.

And now, in 2025, with Saban officially retired and a new era unfolding under head coach Kalen DeBoer, the Crimson Tide faces an intriguing test. The program is still stocked with talent, still flush with resources, still armed with one of the most passionate fan bases in sports—but can Alabama keep the streak alive without the man who built the modern dynasty?

That’s the central question hovering over Tuscaloosa this fall. Kalen DeBoer is no stranger to pressure, but few coaching transitions in the sport’s history have come with this level of scrutiny. DeBoer inherits not just a team but a legacy—a 23-year legacy that must be defended every single week. One early misstep, one upset loss, or one stretch of inconsistency could be enough to knock Alabama from the rankings and snap the streak.

And let’s be clear: the 2025 schedule doesn’t offer many favors. The SEC remains the most brutal conference in college football, now deeper than ever thanks to the inclusion of powerhouses like Texas and Oklahoma. Alabama’s path is never easy, but this year, it feels especially treacherous with road trips, rivalry games, and top-10 showdowns scattered throughout the calendar.

DeBoer will have to navigate it all with a relatively young quarterback room, a retooled defense, and new schemes being installed on both sides of the ball. The pressure will be relentless, both externally from fans and media, and internally from a program that refuses to accept anything less than greatness. And yet, if history has shown us anything, it’s that betting against Alabama is a fool’s game.

Even in years of transition, Alabama doesn’t rebuild—they reload. The 2025 recruiting class is once again stacked with blue-chip prospects, many of whom are already drawing NFL comparisons. The transfer portal also worked in Alabama’s favor this offseason, bringing in key contributors to plug gaps and strengthen depth. More importantly, DeBoer has already begun to earn trust in the locker room and respect from the wider coaching community. He’s not trying to be Nick Saban—he’s trying to be Kalen DeBoer, and that authenticity might be the key to long-term success.

Still, the weight of the streak looms. Every opponent on Alabama’s schedule wants to be the team that ends it. Every fan base, every analyst, and every rival coach knows what’s at stake. A 23-year run in the AP Top 25 is more than a number—it’s a symbol of supremacy. Ending it would mean more than a win. It would signal that Alabama is vulnerable, that the Saban era’s dominance may be softening.

But that’s exactly why Alabama fans remain confident. Because this streak wasn’t built on hype or luck. It was forged through discipline, toughness, execution, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. Those values don’t disappear when a coach retires—they’re embedded in the DNA of the program.

Players know what it means to wear that crimson jersey. Recruits understand the expectations before they step foot on campus. And the staff—from strength coaches to coordinators to analysts—have been molded in an environment where the standard is the standard, no matter who’s in charge.

Even with the streak on the line, the bigger picture for Alabama is about something more: continuity of culture. DeBoer’s most important job may not be winning 10 games or earning a playoff berth—it might be protecting that culture that has allowed Alabama to remain a titan in a sport that chews up and spits out dynasties with alarming regularity.

The 2025 season will be a fascinating case study. Will Alabama show cracks in the armor now that the Saban era is over? Or will the next chapter prove that the program is bigger than any one man? The AP poll voters will be watching, waiting, ready to reward success or punish slippage.

One early loss could drop Alabama down the rankings. Two losses in a row could knock them out entirely. And once you fall out, climbing back in becomes exponentially harder as the season wears on. That’s why every Saturday will matter. Every play, every quarter, every game will hold weight. Alabama won’t just be playing for wins—they’ll be playing for history.

Because it’s not just a streak. It’s a statement. Twenty-three years of excellence, validated every week by pollsters, opponents, and fans alike. In that time, dozens of other programs have risen and fallen. Coaches have come and gone. Conferences have shifted. The playoff has expanded. NIL has rewritten recruiting. The transfer portal has transformed team building. And through it all, Alabama has endured.

This year, as the lights come on and the season begins, one of the greatest streaks in sports faces its toughest test yet. The streak isn’t just a trivia note—it’s a living, breathing testament to Alabama’s commitment to greatness.

If they can keep it going—if they can navigate the gauntlet once again and finish among the Top 25—then the DeBoer era will be off to a strong start, and the nation will be forced to admit what Alabama already knows: dynasties don’t die, they evolve.

But if the streak ends, it won’t be the end of Alabama football—it will simply mark the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. A fresh journey, still guided by the same standard of excellence, forged not in the polls but in the hearts of players who know what it means to carry the weight of a legacy.

One way or another, the 2025 season will be remembered. Either Alabama extends its 23-year streak and continues its reign as college football’s gold standard—or the streak ends, and a new fire is lit under a program determined to reclaim what’s theirs.

The stage is set. The stakes are clear. And Alabama is ready—for better or worse—to put that 23-year legacy on the line.