The Oklahoma defense was the defining difference in the Sooners' earlier win this season over then-No. 4 Alabama, but it needs to tighten things up even more to achieve a repeat performance when the two teams meet in the opening game of the 2025 College Football Playoff.
Oklahoma's biggest wins of the past two seasons have been against Alabama. The No. 8 Sooners will have an opportunity to make it a trifecta on Friday when they host the No. 9 Crimson Tide at 7 p.m. CT in perhaps the biggest home game in OU's illustrious football history.
The Sooners and Crimson Tide met a little over a month ago in Tuscaloosa, with the Sooners winning 23-21. OU also defeated Alabama a year ago, 24-3, in a game played in Norman. Bama comes to the Palace on the Prairie not only seeking revenge from the loss there last season, but also the second straight loss to the Sooners suffered this season.
In the win this season in Tuscaloosa, the Oklahoma defense forced three Alabama turnovers that led opportunistically to 17 of the Sooners' 23 total points. That same defense, however, gave up 406 yards of total offense, which almost double the 212 by the OU offense.
Previewing and predicting Oklahoma-Alabama Round 2 in CFP
While turnovers have come in bunches and bounced the right way for the Sooners in their four wins over three top-25 teams to finish out the regular season, they can't count on that in the rematch with Alabama. Nor can they expect to give up 400-plus yards of offense and win the game without winning the turnover battle. That, along with a more productive offensive performance against a very good Alabama defense, will be Oklahoma's biggest challenge in the opening-round playoff rematch on Friday.
Alabama and Oklahoma are two of the winningest programs in college football history -- No. 3 and No. 6, respectively -- yet they have played each other just eight times prior to Friday, and two of those have come in the last two seasons. The Sooners own a 5-2-1 record in the all-time series. OU has won all four games during the regular season, but the Crimson Tide are 2-1-1 against Oklahoma in postseason matchups.
ESPN College GameDay will be in Norman for a two-hour preview show prior to the game. The game itself will be televised by ABC and ESPN beginning at 7 p.m. ESPN's lead college announcing crew of Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analysis), and Holly Rowe and Laura Rutledge (sideline reporting) will be on the call.
What fans need to know about Alabama
- Alabama averages 31.2 points a game, 8th-best in the SEC, while holding opponents to a 3rd-best 17.4 a game, behind Georgia (15.9) and Oklahoma (13.7). The strength of the Crimson Tide's offense is through the air, with key receiving targets Germie Bernard, Ryan Williams and Isaiah Horton, all with at least 430 receiving yards and a combined 19 touchdowns. In the earlier game with Oklahoma this season, however, it proved to be big, rangy tight end Josh Cuevas who was the biggest problem for the Sooners. Cuevas caught six of seven targets for 80 yards and a touchdown and made several big plays in critical situations. When Bama runs the ball, the primary ball carrier is Jam Miller with 493 rushing yards and 4.0 yards per carry.
- Alabama junior quarterback Ty Simpson ranks third in the SEC in passing with 3,268 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and five interceptions. He completed 28 of 42 passes in the first game with the Sooners this season for 326 yards and a touchdown. The Crimson Tide are as good defending the pass as they are throwing and catching it on offense. Bama ranks 6th nationally, allowing just 157.7 passing yards per game.
- The Crimson Tide have turned the ball over just 12 times in 13 games this season. Three of those were in the game against Oklahoma. Bama ranks 26th among FBS teams with a plus-seven turnover margin.
- Alabama has won 63 of its last 65 games when it scores a touchdown on its first offensive possession.
What fans need to know about Oklahoma
- It's a statistical fact that quarterback John Mateer hasn't been as productive or effective throwing or running the ball since suffering a broken thumb in the fourth game of the season. His passing yards and rushing yards have both declined since the injury. He passed for fewer than 200 yards in four of the Sooners final six games, but in fairness, he was also facing some very good SEC defenses. Mateer passed for 318 yards and two touchdowns in OU's regular-season finale against LSU, but he also threw three interceptions. The Sooners' starting quarterback has had a couple of weeks to get a little more healthy and has a chance to put his regular-season ups and downs behind him and a chance for redemption in the playoff. Oklahoma needs a locked-in Mateer making good decisions and making plays for the Sooners to beat an Alabama team that comes in with a definite chip on its shoulder for a second time in the same season and fifth in the last six games.
- Forty-seven percent of Oklahoma's opponent plays this season (367 of 773) have yielded one or fewer yards. The Sooner defense leads the nation in tackles for loss, averaging 9.6 per game. Oklahoma leads the country in team sacks, averaging 3.42 per game. The OU defense sacked Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson four times in the Sooners' 23-21 win in Tuscaloosa in November. That pressure led to an interception in the game, one of just five Simpson has thrown all season. Oklahoma's ability to put pressure on Simpson and disrupt his rhythm and timing will be a key if the Sooners are going to win this game.
- The Sooners absolutely need to be able to run the ball in the rematch against Alabama. The Sooner offense cannot afford to become one-dimensional against the country's sixth-best pass defense. Xavier Robinson and John Mateer combined for 57 of OU's 74 total yards on the ground in the November game. Freshman Tory Blaylock, the team's leading ball carrier, had just one yard in that game. This won't get it done in the playoff game.
- Fifty-six percent of Oklahoma's points this season have come in the first two quarters. The Sooners have outscored their opponents 176-78 in the first half (71-26 in the first quarter and 105-52 in the second quarter).
Key Matchup
Oklahoma's defensive line vs. Alabama's offensive line. The Sooners rank No. 1 in the country in both sacks and tackles for loss. They registered four sacks and five tackles for loss in the win in Tuscaloosa. Keeping pressure on Crimson Tide QB Ty Simpson and disrupting his timing and decision making will be a critical element in limiting Bama's offensive opportunities.
Prediction
Both Oklahoma and Alabama have outstanding defenses, with the Sooners owning a slight edge in that area. Both offenses have had their issues, but Alabama has shown more consistency and has a better passing game than OU. Edge Bama on offense.
In a game that is expected to be a defensive battle and relatively low scoring, it could all come down to special teams. The Sooners have Lou Groza Award winner and AP First-Team All-American kicker Tate Sandell on their side, as well as one of the country's best punters in Grayson Miller. Sandell has made 23 consecutive field-goal attempts, including seven of seven from 50 yards or longer.