Here’s who Oklahoma is playing in the first round of the College Football Playoff
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
After a 6-7 record in 2022 and a 10-3 mark in 2023, Oklahoma played to a 6-7 mark in 2024.
Now, the Sooners are in the College Football Playoff.
Behind a 10-2 record in 2025, Brent Venables‘ team is in the field for the fifth time in program history and for the first time since 2019. They’ll be the No. 8 seed and will host a first-round game at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. ET, the opening game of the Playoff.
The Sooners’ opponent is a team they know well: Alabama, the No. 9 seed. Of course, this is the same Alabama team that Oklahoma beat 23-21 on Nov. 15. That was arguably the win that sealed the Sooners’ spot in the 12-team field as they went on to defeat Mizzou and LSU to close the regular season.
After a 5-0 start to the season, Oklahoma lost two of its next three. It fell 23-6 to Texas in the Red River Rivalry before getting back on track with a 26-7 win at South Carolina. But it dropped a 34-26 decision to Ole Miss at home on Oct. 25.
The Sooners have responded by winning their last four games, securing an at-large bid to the Playoff and setting up a rematch with the Crimson Tide, a team they’ve beaten twice in a row. A win in the first round sets up a date with No. 1 seeded Indiana in the quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl Game on Jan. 1.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
