Alabama

Alabama football makes CBS Sports’ ‘most hated teams of all-time’ list

Published

2 weeks ago

March 29, 2026

Alabama football makes CBS Sports’ ‘most hated teams of all-time’ list

Alabama football will never be without its share of critics and detractors, no matter who roams the sidelines at Bryant-Denny Stadium — or previously Birmingham’s Legion Field.

That was especially true during Nick Saban’s illustrious tenure as Crimson Tide head coach. Between 2009 and 2020, Saban produced six national championships in his 17 full seasons in Tuscaloosa.

In the grand scheme of things, though, there’s one team CBS Sports believes best embodies the spirit of hate Alabama received under Saban better than any other. That would be the Crimson Tide’s 2011 squad.

Alabama and LSU were indisputably the best two teams in college football that year. Oklahoma State was a distant third behind the two SEC behemoths, who met in their annual regular-season showdown in early November 2011: the “Game of the Century” at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa. LSU won, 9-6, in overtime.

And that seemed to be that for Alabama’s national championship hopes.

But then a month of chaos ensued: Oklahoma State lost to Iowa State. Boise State lost to TCU. Oregon lost to USC. Alabama was suddenly propelled back into title contention, and an eventual rematch with LSU for the BCS National Championship Game was set for Jan. 9, 2012, at the Superdome in New Orleans.

From start to finish, Alabama throttled the Tigers behind one of the most suffocating defensive performances in college football history. ESPN broadcaster Brent Musburger famously quipped, “This is a mauling, folks, a mauling.”

LSU didn’t reach midfield until the fourth quarter, and while the game might have lacked for offense, Trent Richardson’s 34-yard touchdown run with 4:36 to play put Alabama up 21-0 and secured Saban’s second of six national championships in Tuscaloosa.

CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford said of why the 2011 Tide was so hated:

“Blame Nick Saban for much of the hate the SEC received for a decade-plus during his illustrious tenure in Tuscaloosa. Universally hated by just about everyone outside of Alabama during his reign, the Crimson Tide won more games from 2010 to 2020 than any program in the country and churned out more first-round picks as well. Saban collected six national titles and countless conference championships over his 17-year reign, but it was Alabama’s rematch opportunity with LSU in the 2011 national title game two months after losing to the Tigers, 9-6, that tossed lighter fluid on the fire aimed at taking computers out of the mix to determine college football’s championship matchup. Alabama’s 21-0 destruction of LSU equaled the third-lowest TV viewership in the 14-year history of the BCS final.”

Who is college football’s all-time most hated team? CBS Sports ranks ‘bad boys’ No. 1

When looking at any Mount Rushmore of most hated college football teams, no Alabama squad has anything on the late 80s Miami Hurricanes. Alabama’s 2011 team was only No. 10 overall on CBS Sports’ list. Jimmy Johnson’s 1986 Miami team was No. 1.

Crawford said of the Hurricanes:

“The birth of “The U” under Jimmy Johnson is when the Hurricanes truly became college football’s bad boys. On a team loaded with future NFL talent, Johnson essentially didn’t believe in suspensions and handled all disciplinary action “in-house” — whatever that meant during a time of little to no NCAA regulation. That included several slap-on-the-wrist penalties for alleged shoplifting and fraud infractions involving his top talent. Miami’s swag wasn’t enough in the national championship game against Penn State after the Hurricanes infamously stepped off the plane in military fatigues. Heisman-winning Miami quarterback Vinny Testaverde threw five interceptions, and the Hurricanes fell, 14-10, for their only loss of the season. Over five seasons with the Hurricanes, Johnson went 52-9 with a national title in 1987 and three top-3 finishes, putting together one of the greatest runs of all-time. The 1986 team, though, was the nastiest group.”

Four SEC programs make CBS Sports’ list of all-time ‘most hated’ college football teams

For the most hated SEC team of all-time in CBS Sports’ rankings, Crawford put Cam Newton-led Auburn at the top of the list and writes:

“These Tigers stand as one of the SEC’s most hated teams ever. In a setting made for reality TV, Cam Newton captivated viewers with his Heisman-level athleticism on the field and his never-ending saga off of it. Kicked out at Florida before starring in the JUCO ranks, Newton landed at Auburn pre-NIL as a transfer and was Gene Chizik’s claim to fame. Much like Jameis Winston and Johnny Manziel, Newton was vilified by opposing fans, and many anxiously awaited his moment of failure. But it never came. Newton won the SEC and directed his team to an unblemished national championship season, recording one of the single-most impressive campaigns in the sport’s history. Newton earned 729 first-place Heisman votes, a then record-setting margin, with the next closest player being Andrew Luck (78).”

A breakdown of CBS Sports’ rankings for SEC teams on the list:

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Alabama

By The Numbers, Alabama A-Day 2026

Published

9 hours ago

April 12, 2026

Press Room

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama football scrimmaged inside Bryant-Denny Stadium for its annual A-Day spring football finale on Saturday. The Crimson Tide spent two hours with the offense and defense fighting for dominance in the April sun.

The afternoon wasn’t exactly a game, but looked more like real football than the 2025 A-Day and therefore gave fans and pundits quality content to evaluate.

“I thought the guys competed again,” Kalen DeBoer said. “It’s a unique situation with our practices, two of them still being next week, so we’re not done yet. Get back to work Tuesday and Thursday, still got a lot of opportunities to get better, a lot of situational that we can get to. But it was a good back and forth, much like many of the other scrimmages; you can see how we orchestrate it with the ball where we spot it. There’s some advantages the offense gets towards the end. We’ve got to get that red zone work in, but there’s a lot of things to learn, a lot of situational stuff that we can get better at.”

Disclaimer: These statistics were taken by hand and therefore not official

Passing

Keelon Russell: 21-33, 242 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
Austin Mack: 6-12, 101 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Jett Thomalla: 4-5, 44 yards
Tayden-Evan Kaawaa: 4-5, 37 yards

Rushing

Kevin Riley: 10 carries, 12 yards
Daniel Hill: 10 carries, 31 yards
AK Dear: 4 carries, 2 yards
Trae’Shawn Brown: 6 carries, 19 yards
Khalifa Keith: 1 carry

Receiving

Derek Meadows: 9 Targets, 5 receptions, 69 yards, 1 TD
Cederian Morgan: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 76 yards, 1 TD
Ryan Williams: 3 targets, 3 receptions 60 yards
Trae’Shawn Brown: 6 targets, 5 receptions, 50 yards
Lotzeir Brooks: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 15 yards, 2 TDs
Marshall Pritchett: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 8 yards, 1 TD
Tyler Henderson: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 38 yards
Rico Scott: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 30 yards
Jay Lindsey: 2 targets, 1 reception, 5 yards
AK Dear: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 16 yards
Kevin Riley: 1 target, 1 reception, 5 yards
Kaleb Edwards: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 27 yards
Maurice Mathis Jr.: 1 target, 1 reception, 5 yards
Mack Sutter: 1 target, 1 reception, 10 yards
Daniel Hill: 1 target, 1 reception, 10 yards
Noah Rogers: 2 targets
Josh Ford: 1 target

Defense

Ivan Taylor: 6 tackles
Luke Metz: 4 tackles, sack, 2 TFL
Red Morgan: 4 tackles, 1 PBU
Caleb Woodson: 4 tackles
Justin Hill: 4 tackles, 2 TFL
Carmelo O’Neal: 4 tackles
Cayden Jones: 3 tackles
Jorden Edmunds: 3 tackles, 2 PBU
Keon Sabb: 3 tackles
Dijon Lee: 3 tackles, 1 INT
Zavier Mincey: 3 tackles
Duke Johnson: 3 tackles, 1 TFL
Jireh Edwards: 2 tackles, 1 PBU
Kendrick Bingley-Jones: 2 tackles, 2 TFL
Mahri Johnson: 2 tackles, sack
Abduall Sanders: 2 tackles
Terrence Green: 2 tackles, 1 PBU
Brody McCutcheon: 2 tackles, sack
Jake Ivie: 2 tackles
Yhonzae Pierre: 1 tackle
Devan Thompkins: 1 tackle
Xavier Griffin: 1 tackle
Dre Kirkpatrick Jr.: 1 tackle, 1 INT
Walter Sansing: 1 tackle
Zay Hall: 1 tackle
Jamarion Matthews: 1 tackle
Grant Johnson: 1 tackle
Griffin Hanson: 1 tackle

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Alabama

Alabama’s Willy Wilcox returns to Masters in new role after overcoming addiction

Published

21 hours ago

April 11, 2026

Press Room

Alabama’s Willy Wilcox returns to Masters in new role after overcoming addiction

(Willy Wilcox/Instagram)

The story of Willy Wilcox begins with his mom. Kim Wilcox won over 50 tournaments as a junior golfer, was a four-year letter winner at Auburn, and finished runner-up in the 1988 Alabama State Women’s Amateur Championship. She had aspirations of joining the LPGA Tour, but life intervened. In the late 1980s, she had Willy, and by 1991, she became the club manager and golf pro at the now-defunct Pine Harbor Golf and Racquet Club in Pell City, Alabama.

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Alabama

Prattville 19 year old creates Alabama Children’s Theatre

Published

1 day ago

April 11, 2026

Press Room

Prattville 19 year old creates Alabama Children’s Theatre

PRATTVILLE, Ala. (WSFA) – Maggie Kervin has a passion for the theater. She started as a little girl and loved it ever since.

“I went to Prattville Christian Academy and got my start in theater there,” said Kervin.

After graduating from high school, she got a job, but noticed something was missing in her community. So, she started the Alabama Children’s Theatre. Keep in mind she’s just 19 years old.

At 19 years old, Prattville native Maggie Kervin found a unique way to give back. She started the Alabama Children’s Theatre.(WSFA)

“There’s just not a lot of opportunities for kids in theater. I really wanted to provide that opportunity.”

Two years ago, she had $50 in her pocket and a dream. Now things are picking up steam and she’s enjoying the ride. This is for kids between the ages of five and 18. Right now, they’re working on Annie Jr.

“We’ve had so many kids why are shy and timid the first time they are one stage. When it’s their third or fourth time, they are very different.”

It’s different for her too. She’s used to being the one up on stage. Now she’s behind the computer, with them for every word, in every song.

At 19 years old, Prattville native Maggie Kervin found a unique way to give back. She started... — At 19 years old, Prattville native Maggie Kervin found a unique way to give back. She started the Alabama Children’s Theatre.(WSFA)

“I didn’t think I’d ever be in the position of running my own theater.”

The reward for Maggie, getting to see her always improving stars, continue to shine.

“It’s just so exciting to see them put the hard work into something and watch it blossom. They are so excited and so dedicated.”

You can check out Annie Jr. this month. The shows are at the Pine Level Community Center.

She’s hoping you come see them for yourself, at the Pine Level Community Center. Here’s a link to show times and ticket prices for the end of the month. Her next goal is to find a facility of their own one day. Visit the Facebook page if you’d like to help make that happen.

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