ESPN’s SP+ predicts final score of Alabama-Oklahoma Playoff game
By Luke Greco
Published:
On Friday, Alabama will travel to Norman, Oklahoma, to take on the Sooners in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
ESPN’s SP+ predicts that this game will be a close one, with Oklahoma coming out victorious 24-21.
It wasn’t long ago that Oklahoma traveled to Bryant-Denny Stadium and knocked off the Crimson Tide 23-21. At the time, Alabama was rolling. They hadn’t lost since the season opener and had picked up wins against Georgia, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee.
The Sooners proved to be too much for the Crimson Tide in their November showdown, and ESPN’s SP+ thinks the same will ring true again.
Oklahoma’s offense has really struggled as of late. After putting up 23 in a win against Alabama, Oklahoma finished the season scoring 17 in each of its last two contests against Missouri and LSU. Against Missouri, quarterback John Mateer was Oklahoma’s leading rusher with 60 yards. Against LSU, Oklahoma running back Tory Blaylock led the way with 42 yards on the ground.
On the other hand, Alabama has also struggled with running the football. In the SEC Championship, Alabama totaled -3 yards on the ground, and its leading rushers totaled 11 and 10 yards. The health of running back Jam Miller will be crucial for Alabama.
