Here’s who Alabama is playing in the first round of the College Football Playoff
By David Wasson
Published:
The Alabama Crimson Tide earned a precious at-large berth in the 2025 College Football Playoff on Sunday, slotting into the No. 9 spot to face No. 8 Oklahoma in a first-round matchup in Norman. The game is set for Dec. 19 at 8 pm ET and will be televised on ESPN and ABC.
The Crimson Tide finished 10-3, with a disappointing 28-7 loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship Game throwing their fate into chaos. Alabama did earn a major victory against the then-No. 5 Bulldogs in the regular season – a 24-21 win in Athens on Sept. 27 that touched off an unprecedented 4-game winning streak against ranked teams.
Alabama also absorbed a major setback to start the season, losing to Florida State 31-17 on Aug. 30 – a loss that loomed larger as the season wore on as the Seminoles struggled to a 5-7 finish. Stinging the Crimson Tide, too, was a 23-21 home loss to Oklahoma on Nov. 15.
After the Georgia victory, Alabama downed then-No. 15 Vanderbilt 30-14 in Tuscaloosa, edged then-No. 14 Mizzou 27-24 in Columbia and thumped then-No. 11 Tennessee 37-20 in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide is the only FBS team currently in the top 10 in the Football Power Index (8th), strength of schedule (6th) and strength of record (10th) ratings.
The Crimson Tide have less than 3 weeks to get healthy and prepare for an Sooners team that finished 10-2 with a 23-6 loss to Texas in the Red River Rivalry on Oct. 11 and a 34-26 setback against then-No. 8 Ole Miss on Oct. 25. Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer returned from midseason hand surgery to throw for 2,578 yards, 12 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
The Alabama-Oklahoma winner would face off against No. 1 overall seed Indiana in the Rose Bowl, which will also serve as the CFP quarterfinals, on Jan. 1 at 4 pm ET on ESPN.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
