USA TODAY Sports predicts Alabama football vs Oklahoma winner in CFP

Alabama football heads to Norman for its first College Football Playoff game under coach Kalen DeBoer and a matchup against the Oklahoma Sooners in the CFP’s first round Friday.

Alabama (10-3) is the No. 9 seed in the CFP and ranked No. 11 in the US LBM Coaches Poll; Oklahoma (10-2) is the No. 8 seed and ranked No. 8 in the top 25 polls. The winner will advance to the CFP semifinals at the Rose Bowl to face No. 1 Indiana (13-0) on New Year’s Day.

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The Crimson Tide reached the playoff after finishing the regular season as the SEC’s top seed, then fell in an ugly 28-7 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs in the conference title game on Dec. 6. Ty Simpson was held to 212 yards while completing 19 of his 39 passes. He was sacked three times and threw an interception. Germie Bernard scored Alabama‘s only points off a 23-yard touchdown catch early in the fourth quarter.

Oklahoma closed the regular season with a 17-13 come-from-behind victory over the LSU Tigers. Sooners quarterback John Mateer threw for 318 yards and two touchdowns, including the eventual game-winner to Isaiah Sategna III with just over four minutes to play.

Alabama fell to Oklahoma, 23-21, in the regular season on Nov. 15 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.

Will Alabama win a rematch against Oklahoma and avoid a first-round playoff exit?

USA TODAY Sports’ prediction for Alabama football vs Oklahoma in CFP first round

USA TODAY Sports’ college football experts unveiled their weekly picks and predictions for every bowl game and CFP matchup, including Alabama-Oklahoma.

“As we’ve done throughout the regular season, our panel of staff experts weigh in once again on who might emerge victorious in all the bowls, as well as the first-round playoff games.”

The six-man panel of Timanus, Paul Myerberg, Matt Hayes, Blake Toppmeyer, Erick Smith and Jordan Mendoza are split down the middle.

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Myerberg, Smith and Timanus see Alabama winning Friday’s game. Hayes, Toppmeyer and Mendoza are taking the Sooners to beat the Tide for the third time in 13 months.

What is Alabama football’s history vs Oklahoma Sooners?

Oklahoma leads the all-time series against Alabama, 5-2-1. The Sooners have won the last two games against the Crimson Tide and are 5-1 against Alabama in the series’ last six meetings dating to 2002. Alabama’s lone win in that span was a 45-34 victory in the CFP semifinals at the Orange Bowl on Dec. 29, 2018.

The Sooners defeated the Tide, 24-3, in the last matchup between the two in Norman on Nov. 23, 2024. It was the first time Alabama had failed to score a touchdown in a game since the 2011 “Game of the Century” against LSU at Bryant-Denny Stadium, a 9-6 overtime loss to the Tigers.

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In the regular season matchup in Tuscaloosa back in Week 12, the Crimson Tide turned the ball over three times, which led to 17 Oklahoma points in the 23-21 loss. Conor Talty also had a 36-yard field goal partially blocked to end the first half.

Here are game-by-game results for Alabama vs. Oklahoma through the years.

• 2025: Oklahoma 23, Alabama 21 (Tuscaloosa)

• 2024: Oklahoma 24, Alabama 3 (Norman)

• 2018: Alabama 45, Oklahoma 34 (Orange Bowl)

• 2013: Oklahoma 45, Alabama 31 (Sugar Bowl)

• 2003: Oklahoma 20, Alabama 13 (Tuscaloosa)

• 2002: Oklahoma 37, Alabama 27 (Norman)

• 1970: Alabama 24, Oklahoma 24 (Bluebonnet Bowl)

• 1963: Alabama 17, Oklahoma 0 (Orange Bowl)

Alabama football: CFP record, head-to-head results

Here are game-by-game results from every College Football Playoff game Alabama has played in since 2014.

• 2015: Alabama 45, Clemson 40 (CFP National Championship)

• 2016: Clemson 35, Alabama 31 (CFP National Championship)

• 2017: Alabama 24, Clemson 6 (Sugar Bowl)

• 2017: Alabama 26, Georgia 23 (CFP National Championship)

• 2018: Alabama 45, Oklahoma 34 (Orange Bowl)

• 2018: Clemson 44, Alabama 16 (CFP National Championship)

• 2020: Alabama 31, Notre Dame 14 (Rose Bowl at Arlington, Texas)

• 2020: Alabama 52, Ohio State 24 (CFP National Championship)

• 2021: Alabama 27, Cincinnati 6 (Cotton Bowl)

• 2021: Georgia 33, Alabama 18 (CFP National Championship)

• 2023: Michigan 27, Alabama 20 (Rose Bowl)

Alabama football vs. Oklahoma: start time, TV channel, announcers for 2025 CFP

Kickoff for Alabama-Oklahoma is 7 p.m. CT Friday at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman. The game will be televised on ABC and ESPN. Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit will have the call of the game for ABC, with Holly Rowe and Laura Rutledge reporting from the sidelines.

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Additionally, the Alabama radio feed of the game featuring Chris Stewart and Tyler Watts can be heard on SEC Network, which will feature a “Skycast” presentation of the game.

How to listen to Alabama football vs Oklahoma

The Crimson Tide Sports Network radio broadcast can also be heard on SiriusXM channel 81. Here is an unofficial list of Crimson Tide Sports Network radio affiliates across Alabama and the southeast.

Alabama football schedule 2025

Here’s a game-by-game look at Alabama football’s 2025 schedule.

All start times Central.

• Sept. 6: vs. UL Monroe (W, 73-0)

• Sept. 27: at Georgia (W, 24-21)

• Oct. 4: vs. Vanderbilt (W, 30-14)

• Oct. 11: at Missouri (W, 27-24)

• Oct. 25: at South Carolina (W, 29-22)

• Nov. 8: vs. LSU (W, 20-9)

• Nov. 22 vs. Eastern Illinois (W, 56-0)

• Nov. 29: at Auburn (W, 27-20)

• Dec. 6: vs. Georgia (L, 28-7)

• Dec. 19: at Oklahoma (CFP first round)

Follow us at @RollTideWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook, for ongoing coverage of Alabama Crimson Tide news, notes and opinions.

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This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Alabama football vs Oklahoma CFP winner predicted by USA TODAY Sports