Oklahoma-Alabama gets handed disappointing kickoff time

For what should be the game of the week for Week 12 of the college football season, Oklahoma-Alabama sure didn’t get that treatment. 

ESPN announced on Monday that the Sooners’ road game at Alabama will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT on Nov. 15 on ABC instead of getting the primetime slot. Instead, Georgia hosting Texas got the primetime spotlight from ABC for that day. That points to ESPN College GameDay also heading to Athens instead of Tuscaloosa next week. 

Sooners get afternoon kick vs Alabama

The Oklahoma-Alabama and Texas-Georgia matchups are the only meetings between two ranked teams during Week 12. All four teams are also among the top-10 most watched this season. 

However, there’s a lot more history to sell between the Sooners and Crimson Tide, especially recently. OU, just fighting for bowl eligibility then, handled Bama 24-3 last season in Norman as fans stormed the field under the lights at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. There’s no denying that scene won’t be motivation for the Crimson Tide this year as they seek revenge on their own field after that loss ultimately kept them out of the College Football Playoff. 

This season, though, both programs are in the hunt to make the CFP. With the Sooners at 7-2, the Crimson Tide could actually get even and likely eliminate OU from CFP consideration by handing the Sooners a third loss. 

For the Sooners, a primetime game could have provided a bigger stage for another statement win as they try to prove they deserve a spot in the CFP come December. OU just got back into the mix after going to Knoxville and beating Tennessee 33-27 in a night game. 

The Sooners will now get a bye week to rest up and have extra time to prepare before heading to Alabama, which hosts LSU on Saturday.