Alabama Rallies Past Oklahoma: 5 First Round CFP Takeaways

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Just when it seemed like Alabama was going to get its doors blown off, the first round of the College Football Playoff flipped in a sudden and dramatic way.

The Tide looked night-and-day different, everything started to click, and … boom. Alabama beat Oklahoma 34-24 to move on to face Indiana in the Rose Bowl.

Here are five takeaways from the stunning first round game.

How Alabama Flipped Everything on Oklahoma, and What It Means For the College Football Playoff

5. Oklahoma was rolling in a blowout

I will openly admit to thinking Oklahoma was a cinch to win this. 

I didn't think Alabama was all that great after the way it played over the two months before this – I'm still not totally sold this wasn't a wee bit of an aberration – and yeah, I'll admit to feeling a tad smug about my call that the Sooners would roll.

We were 20 minutes in, Oklahoma rolled at will, the Crimson Tide offense was getting steamrolled, and it was 17-0.

NO WAY the Oklahoma defense was going to blow this with that sort of a lead. Everything was working just fine for the Sooners, and then …

4. The Alabama pressure changed everything

There will be a time in the near future when Alabama loses a college football game, and the fan base will be screaming for Kalen DeBoer to be fired – or, at least, on a hot seat.

When that happens, just remember how the Oklahoma coaching staff will still be recovering from the atomic wedgie applied by the Alabama staff's adjustments in this.

Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack took a few chances, dialed up the pressure on John Mateer and the Oklahoma backfield, and all of a sudden, everything the Sooners tried to do stopped. They were totally out of their rhythm. 

Bama quarterback Ty Simpson appeared to be more relaxed. The pressure seemed to be off a bit, and let it rip.

A fourth-and-two call that led to a Lotzier Brooks grab, and a winding touchdown to make it 17-7 seemed like a moment of pride.

And then …

3. Three plays changed everything

Alabama scored. Fine, whatever. 

The Sooner offense was moving. It got to midfield, and on 3rd-and-3, John Mateer avoided a sack, scrambled to his left, and he had nothing but a whole field of grass to run through at his leisure. Instead, he threw it to a wide-open Xavier Robinson streaking deep, and …

He dropped it.

Okay, fine. Fourth down, delay of game, move back a bit, and … punter Grayson Miller pulled a near-Sean Landetta, dropped the ball, and Bama recovered. 

The Sooner defense stepped up, held Alabama to a field goal, and it was 17-10 with time to get one more score. 

And here's where those Tide defensive adjustments kicked in. 

The coverage confused Mateer, he threw it right into the hands of Zavian Brown for a pick-six, and 

… the Oklahoma mojo, and its 2025 season, left the building.

2. This is the Alabama team we were all waiting for

No, seriously. Where was this Alabama team over the last two months?

I might be an idiot, but I'm not stupid. I watched every play of the Florida State loss. I saw how the Tide should've lost to a bad South Carolina team, sputtered against LSU and Auburn, and didn't even belong on the field with Georgia in the SEC Championship.

It seems like Alabama needed to be down and counted out. The coaching staff came through, and Oklahoma got scared after that Mateer interception, but it's like everything finally came together at once.

Yeah, Alabama beat Georgia earlier in the year, and it rolled past an above-meh Tennessee, but over the last 20 minutes in Norman, and considering the circumstances, this was easily the best Alabama had played all season long.

And now …

1. Can Alabama beat Indiana in the Rose Bowl?

I promise, this will be the last time I do the "can you believe Indiana is the powerhouse against Alabama?!" thing that will be done to death over the last several days.

Can Alabama beat Indiana in the Rose Bowl? Yeah, of course. It's Alabama, and it's the College Football Playoff. 

It's never been a problem with talent when it comes to Alabama, but this team just didn't seem to have it. 

Alabama can't run the ball, the defense has been iffy, and Ty Simpson is just as likely to put the ball into the third row as he is to hit his man. And the numbers don't match the performance.

Alabama can't beat Indiana with 260 yards of total offense. 

But it's Bama. First thought, I think Indiana will win. Am I sure?

Yeah, as certain as I was that Oklahoma would be getting ready for Pasadena right now.

This story was originally published by College Football News on Dec 20, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add College Football News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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