TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — It’s a dream matchup of sorts for college football fans.

No. 1 Alabama (13-0), the champions of the SEC, and No. 4 Oklahoma (12-1), the top dog in the Big 12, will meet in the College Football Playoff semifinal on Dec. 29. Kickoff from the Orange Bowl is set for 7 p.m. CT on ESPN.

Alabama was a Playoff lock after erasing a 14-point second-half deficit to defeat Georgia on Saturday, but Oklahoma had to sweat things out a bit. The selection committee decided the Sooners were more deserving than Georgia, Ohio State and others.

We’ll have plenty of time to talk about this matchup over the next few weeks. First, we have to take a look at a few of the biggest storylines for the Sooners.

Oklahoma has the most explosive offense in the country. They lead the nation in scoring average (49.5), are 8th in passing (324.0) and 11th in rushing (254). They’ve topped 50 points seven times.

Those numbers sound familiar to Tide fans, right?

Kyler Murray, who transferred from Texas A&M, might be the best weapon in college football. Murray has accounted for nearly 5,000 yards of offense on his own. He’s thrown for 4,053 yards and 40 touchdowns to just 7 interceptions. He’s averaging 11.9 yards per pass. Murray ranks in the top five nationally in completion percentage, passing yards, yards per attempt and passing touchdowns.

Murray has also rushed for 892 yards and 11 touchdowns. He’s averaging 7.3 yards per carry and has a long run of 75 yards. Murray has legit speed and if he gets to the sideline, few defenders will be able to catch him from behind.

At this point, it might be hard to make a case for Tua Tagovailoa to win the Heisman over Murray.

We’ll find out who wins Saturday night in New York, but Tagovailoa struggled all afternoon against Georgia on the biggest stage of the season, while Murray put on a show against Texas.

Murray threw for 379 yards and 3 touchdowns to no interceptions while completing 74 percent of his passes. He led the Sooners to a win over the Longhorns as they avenged their lone loss of the season. Murray’s Heisman moment was the game-breaking rainbow to Grant Calcaterra, who made a one-handed catch in the corner to beat tight coverage.

Heading into the Playoff game, there is a question surrounding one of Murray’s biggest playmakers. Star receiver Marquise Brown suffered an injury against Texas that has his status in question. Brown is Murray’s top receiving option this year. He’s caught 75 passes for 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns. Oklahoma’s next receiver, CeeDee Lamb, has 1,049 yards and 10 touchdowns on 57 catches, but it’s a drop off after that.

No other Oklahoma has more than 500 yards or more than 25 receptions. If Brown can’t go or is limited, that would allow Alabama to focus even more attention on Lamb and Murray.

The Tide can’t ignore OU’s running game, either.

Part of what creates so many passing opportunities is the fact that the Sooners are a force in the run game, too.

They ran for 3,301 yards this season — nearly 700 yards more than Alabama.

Murray is a big part of that, but not the biggest. The Sooners have one back — Kennedy Brooks — who has topped 1,000 yards and another — Trey Sermon — who has 928 and could get there against Alabama.

Brooks, a redshirt who missed all of 2017 with a preseason shoulder injury, has replaced 2017 star Rodney Anderson and been even better. Brooks has 1,021 yards and is averaging an astounding 9.0 yards per carry. Not only is that the best in the country among backs with 80 or more attempts, at times it’s not fair. He’s 9th in the country in 30+ yard runs, with 8, and scored on an 86-yard run against Kansas State.

He topped 150 yards and scored 6 combined TDs in three consecutive close games before being slowed down against Texas in the Big 12 title game.

Sermon is there when OU needs him, or when Kennedy needs a break. He has had 5 100-yard games this season, but 7 games in which he didn’t get 10 carries. He led OU in rushing Saturday with 65 yards and a TD. It’s quite the luxury.

Alabama’s defense is talented, but Oklahoma has the type of offense that can score on anyone at anytime in any weather. The Sooners are that explosive. Taking one of their best weapons off the field could give Alabama’s defense a bit of a break.