Oklahoma-Alabama
Saturday, Nov. 15
3:30 p.m. Eastern, 12:30 p.m. Pacific
ABC
Oklahoma-Alabama is an SEC football centerpiece game in Week 12, with both teams pursuing the playoff.
The Oklahoma Sooners and Brent Venables have lived on the edge all season. They were better than Michigan and Tennessee but stumbled against Texas and Ole Miss. They have not looked dominant but have shown noticeable resilience in recent weeks. They are still alive in the College Football Playoff race, and now they need to go into Tuscaloosa and find a way to win against Alabama.
The Crimson Tide and coach Kalen DeBoer would have made the College Football Playoff last season if they had managed to beat Oklahoma. Alabama would have been 10-2 and not 9-3 if it had beaten a mediocre version of the Sooners. Alabama’s offense got completely demolished and derailed last year against Brent Venables’ OU defense. Nothing went right for Jalen Milroe and the rest of the Bama attack. Oklahoma didn’t just beat Bama; it beat up the Tide and created a loss which proved fatal to Alabama’s playoff chances.
You know DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb will be intent on getting it right this time against Oklahoma. Grubb was not with DeBoer last year – he was in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks – but DeBoer has surely emphasized to Grubb and the rest of the coaching staff how important it is for the Bama team and program to bounce back against OU after last year’s disaster. Ty Simpson will try to do what Milroe could not last season.
Oklahoma-Alabama is a challenge for scuffling Bama offense
Sooner defense could challenge Tide’s playmakers, who have much to prove
Alabama’s offense comes into this game playing mediocre ball. Alabama has endured ugly slogs against both South Carolina and, more recently, LSU. This unit is playing far from its best. It could be that the Tide took LSU for granted to some extent. It could also be the case that during Bama’s week off before LSU, DeBoer and Grubb were thinking about plays and schemes for Oklahoma, the clearly tougher challenge. Even though Oklahoma is fighting for its playoff life, this game is hugely significant for Bama – primarily to move closer to the SEC Championship Game and a first-round playoff bye, but also to restore a sense of supremacy after last year’s humiliation against the Sooners.
Oklahoma Sooners-Alabama Crimson Tide Odds
Hear TJ Rives and Jason Powers break down this game on the 3Dog Thursday Podcast by clicking Play below:
Spread: Oklahoma +6 (-110), Alabama -6 (-110)
Total: 45.5 (Over -118, Under -102)
Underdog moneyline: Oklahoma +185
With the point spread being under a touchdown, that feels like an invitation to take Bama minus the points at home. Oklahoma’s offense has not been especially good this season – it has had its moments of brilliance, but has not been regularly above-average. Alabama’s defense can contain John Mateer and set up a game in which Alabama just needs to score in the high 20s or very low 30s to win. For Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb, that is not too much to ask.
On a broader level, it seems hard to think that Oklahoma will beat Alabama two years in a row, the second time being in Tuscaloosa. Ty Simpson is a much better fit for the Bama offense than Jalen Milroe was. Oklahoma’s defense is not as likely to thrive. Also consider the point that when Oklahoma won at Tennessee, it gained multiple interceptions from Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar. As long as Ty Simpson doesn’t turn the ball over, Oklahoma will find it hard to make enough high-leverage plays on offense to stay close. Bama minus the points is the play.