Alabama vs Oklahoma predictions, how the Crimson Tide can win CFP first round

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Alabama football is in uncharted territory. But it’s a place the Crimson Tide feels like it should be.

No. 9 Alabama will take on No. 8 Oklahoma in the Crimson Tide’s first College Football Playoff game of the Kalen DeBoer era, one secured despite regular-season losses to Florida State and Oklahoma, and a SEC Championship Game loss to Georgia.

Alabama kicks off against Oklahoma in the first round of the CFP at 7 p.m. CT Friday, Dec. 19 on ABC. The winner will face Indiana in the CFP quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl.

Here are The Tuscaloosa News’ predictions for Alabama’s first-round game against the Sooners.

Alabama vs Oklahoma predictions

  • Colin Gay: The first meeting was defined solely by a handful of plays. The Alabama defense outplayed the Oklahoma offense in nearly every facet of the game. And the Crimson Tide offense moved the ball against the Sooners defense. Oklahoma may just have Alabama’s number. But if you ask the Crimson Tide, those handful of turnovers, the handful of mistakes are fixable, ones that will be fixed when it matters most.
  • Chase Goodbread: Look for OU to win the special teams battle. The Sooners are as good as Georgia in that respect, and we saw how that went in Atlanta two weeks ago. If Oklahoma can combine that with a solid defensive performance — and there’s little reason to think it won’t do so at home — Alabama’s CFP run will end where it begins.

Alabama vs Oklahoma scouting report: What we’re watching

  • Colin Gay: Ty Simpson, plain and simple. His last meeting against the Sooners showcases the struggles he’s had as of late: inaccuracy, an inability to respond to pressure, turnovers. But you also saw a picture of what the Alabama football offense looks like when it gets into a rhythm. Can Simpson find that pulse again, one that methodically moves Alabama downfield with ease? Or will Oklahoma’s pressure rule the day much like Georgia did?
  • Chase Goodbread: Alabama desperately needs its defense to carry the day, because its offense is operating with a flat tire or two. It’ll be on the UA defensive front to control the line of scrimmage, pressure Sooners QB John Mateer, and generate the turnovers that have instead plagued the Crimson Tide in these teams’ past two meetings.

Alabama vs Oklahoma score predictions

  • Colin Gay: No. 9 Alabama 21, No. 8 Oklahoma 17
  • Chase Goodbread: No. 8 Oklahoma 20, No. 9 Alabama 13

Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama vs Oklahoma CFP first round predictions

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