The 2009 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 115th overall season, 76th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and its 18th within the SEC Western Division. The team was led by head coach Nick Saban, in his third year, and played their home games at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. They finished the season undefeated with a record of 14–0 (8–0 in the SEC) and as national champions.
Looking to build on the successes of the 2008 campaign, Alabama entered the 2009 season as the favorite to win the Western Division and meet the Florida Gators in the 2009 SEC Championship Game. Alabama closed the regular season with a 12–0 record including four wins against Top 25-ranked teams—and met the Gators for the SEC Championship in a rematch of the 2008 contest. Alabama was victorious by a final score of 32–13. The following day, final Bowl Championship Series (BCS) standings were unveiled. No. 1 ranked Alabama would meet No. 2 ranked Texas for the BCS National Championship. In the BCS National Championship Game, the Crimson Tide defeated the Longhorns 37–21 to capture their first-ever BCS Championship. With the 14-0 record, they became only the 3rd team in college football history to accomplish this feat, behind the 2002 Ohio State Buckeyes and the 2009 Boise State Broncos (who completed the feat three days earlier in the Fiesta Bowl).
Alabama earned their third SEC championship since the inception of the SEC Championship Game in 1992, and their 22nd SEC title. The victory over Texas gave Alabama their 13th national championship in football (their eighth wire service title since the AP Poll began in 1936) and their ninth perfect season since 1925. The season included victories over the previous three national champions: Florida, Louisiana State University (LSU), and Texas.
The season marked the first time a player for Alabama won the Heisman Trophy: Mark Ingram II won the award over Stanford running back Toby Gerhart. Other award winners included Rolando McClain, who won the Butkus Award and the Jack Lambert Award, and defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, who won the Broyles Award as the nation's top assistant coach. Also, six players were named to various All-America Teams with Terrence Cody, Mike Johnson, and Javier Arenas being consensus selections and Ingram and McClain each being unanimous selections.
Before the season
During the 2008–2009 campaign, the Crimson Tide completed a perfect 12–0 regular season record with wins over No. 9 Clemson, No. 3 Georgia, longtime rival Tennessee, No. 16 LSU, and in-state rival Auburn to end a six-game losing streak in the Iron Bowl. The Tide went on to lose their final two games in the postseason to end the season 12–2. They lost to the Florida Gators (31–20) in the SEC Championship Game, and to the Utah Utes (31–17) in the Sugar Bowl. Alabama reached No. 1 in the AP and Coaches' Polls for the first time since the final polls in 1992 and during the regular season for the first time since 1980 between weeks ten and fourteen. The Tide reached No. 1 in the BCS rankings for the first time in school history between weeks ten and fourteen. The team finished the 2008 season with a final ranking of No. 6 in both the AP and Coaches' Polls.
In February 2009, Alabama signed the No. 1 recruiting class according to Rivals and the No. 2 recruiting class according to Scout. Spring practice began on March 13 and concluded with the annual A-Day game on April 18. Televised live by ESPN, the Crimson team defeated the White team by a score of 14–7 before 84,050 fans in Bryant–Denny Stadium. Greg McElroy and Marquis Maze were named co-MVPs of the game.
On June 11, 2009, the NCAA Committee on Infractions sanctioned Alabama for "major violations" of NCAA policies as a result of athletes who received improper benefits in 16 of 19 NCAA sports, including football. As a penalty, the football program was forced to vacate 21 victories from the 2005, 2006, and 2007 seasons in addition to being placed on three years probation, ending in June 2012. The university stated that none of the textbooks or materials identified in the investigation were used for profit, and that the athletes involved who still had eligibility remaining were to pay restitution for the additional materials identified as part of the inquiry. Alabama appealed the ruling to the NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee in late June, but was unsuccessful; the Committee upheld the sanctions in March 2010.