Alabama vs. Oklahoma Final Score Predictions: Crimson Tide aim to avoid back-to-back upsets while Sooners fight to stay alive
Here is who our panel has winning the Alabama-OU game on Saturday.
The Alabama Crimson Tide has a shot to solidify its College Football Playoff seeding this Saturday (barring an utter collapse vs. Eastern Illinois or Auburn) with a win over the Oklahoma Sooners. But OU can keep their CFP chances alive, especially if the Texas Longhorns lose to the Georgia Bulldogs later in the day.
And on paper, this game seems like a win for Alabama. But when you deep dive the matchup, you see that OU matches up nicely with the Crimson Tide. The Sooners’ strengths directly combat Alabama’s weaknesses.
But will that be enough to beat Alabama? Our staff makes their predictions.
Alabama vs. Oklahoma Historic Facts
- Alabama is 2-4-1 all-time against Oklahoma.
- Alabama has never won a home or away game against Oklahoma.
- Alabama’s last win over Oklahoma came in the 2018 Orange Bowl.
Alabama 35, Oklahoma 30
“If Alabama is looking to find its run game, they better wait until next week because they are preparing to face one of the country’s best rush defenses. That puts the onus on Ty Simpson and his pass catchers, but that’s exactly what Alabama wants.”
“If there is one area within the Sooners’ defense that can be exposed, it’s the inexperience at the corner spots. That’s a tough ask against the trio of threats on Alabama’s perimeter and a Heisman hopeful at quarterback. If Alabama’s defense can contain OU on the ground, they should win, but it won’t be a cakewalk.” – Rob Gregson, A to Z Sports Alabama
Alabama 27, Oklahoma 20
“This matchup feels like a play-in game for the Oklahoma Sooners. Win, and their odds to be in the College Football Playoffs skyrocket. Lose, and they’re likely out. The Sooners are fresh off of a bye week, with plenty of positive momentum rolling out of the program after their win over the Tennessee Volunteers. Given the way these two defenses are playing, it’s going to come down to which team’s quarterback makes enough throws to pull off a win, and it’s hard to trust John Mateer to beat out the projected number-one overall pick in Alabama’s Ty Simpson with his recent play. Venables has motivated his team to play strong on the road before, but his track record in these games is fairly spotty, and this is an Alabama team with everything to play for. This one feels like a gritty battle between two elite blue bloods, but the home field advantage wins out in a close one.”– AJ Schulte, A to Z Sports College Football
Alabama 31, Oklahoma 24
“There’s a recipe for a disastrous outcome for the Crimson Tide in this key matchup. Kalen DeBoer and Ty Simpson have overcome a shockingly bland and ineffective run game to this point, but the Sooners’ elite run defense will completely wipe out that facet of their offense. Simpson must play close to a perfect game when it comes to connecting on deeper passes and converting third downs, two things that would’ve cost Alabama last week had LSU had their program in less disarray. Alas, we’ve seen Oklahoma’s own run game struggle, and John Mateer hasn’t been enough of a Superman to drag the unit against elite competition, so the Tide survive a scare.”
– Ian Valentino, A to Z Sports College Football
Alabama 24, Oklahoma 21
“I think this is a game where Oklahoma just once again cannot figure out how to play offense outside of their run game. To start the season, they ran the ball poorly but were decent through the air. That gave fans a lot of questions as to how the offensive line would handle the run game in the SEC. They’ve done well; now it’s about the pass game. This Alabama defense has talent, enough talent to give a bad Oklahoma offense problems. Even if the Sooneers have the best unit between these two teams, in their defense, I can’t help but feel like the most balanced team, at home, will win this game.” – Justin Churchill, A to Z Sports Oklahoma
Final Takeaways
It seems like our staff is set on the Tide continuing to roll this week, in what will be Alabama’s last true benchmark of the regular season. We will see if Alabama can meet the moment, or if the Sooners can play spoiler for the second year in a row.
Alabama Crimson Tide News
Ty Simpson’s description of Oklahoma’s defense is enough to give Alabama heartburn
Alabama’s offense enters Week 12 searching for answers after two uneven performances, and the timing couldn’t be tougher. The Crimson Tide will host No. 12 Oklahoma on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium (2:30 p.m. CT, ABC) in what promises to be their most demanding test yet. The Sooners bring one of the most complete defenses in […]
