Alabama will face one of its toughest tests of the season on Saturday when Oklahoma comes to Tuscaloosa for a matchup with massive playoff implications.
Alabama, winners of eight consecutive games, can effectively clinch a spot in the College Football Playoff and SEC Championship Game by defeating the Sooners. Oklahoma needs a win to keep its own playoff hopes alive.
Alabama is 2-0 in revenge games this season. The Crimson Tide earned revenge wins over Vanderbilt and Tennessee already, two of the three teams that beat them in the regular season a year ago. The only one left is Oklahoma, and the Sooners are the best of the three.
Oklahoma's defense, in particular, can cause the Alabama offense a lot of problems. The Tide's offensive line will need to play its best game of the season against a stout Oklahoma defensive front that has the potential to blow the game up entirely.
Ty Simpson is likely going to need a superhuman effort to get Alabama's offense back on track.
This will be another game where Kane Wommack's defense will have to play at a high level. John Mateer and the OU offense will undoubtedly have a game plan to try and exploit the Tide's defense, particularly with an extra week of preparation thanks to a well-timed bye week.
How to watch No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 12 Oklahoma in Week 12
- Date: Saturday, November 15th
- Time: 2:30 pm C.T.
- Venue: Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium
- How to Watch (TV): ABC
- Streaming: fubo TV
- Alabama record: 8-1
- Oklahoma record: 7-2
What are the betting odds for Alabama vs. Oklahoma?
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
Spread: Alabama -5.5
Over/Under: 46.5
Moneyline: Alabama -205/Oklahoma +168
Injury reports for Alabama and Oklahoma
Alabama:
- LB Qua Russaw: OUT
- LB Jah-Marien Latham: OUT
- DL Jeremiah Beaman: OUT
- LB Cayden Jones: OUT
- DB Dre Kirkpatrick Jr.: OUT (Indefinitely suspended)
Oklahoma:
Will be updated on Wednesday evening when the first weekly availability report is released by the SEC.
Who are the announcers for Alabama vs. Oklahoma?
On the call for ABC for the second week in a row for the Crimson Tide will be Sean McDonough (play-by-play), former Alabama QB Greg McElroy (analyst), and Molly McGrath (sideline reporter). This will be the fourth time this season that trio has called an Alabama game. They were previously on the call for Alabama's wins over Vanderbilt, Tennessee, and LSU.
What will the weather be like for Alabama football on Saturday?
It might be cold in Alabama this week, but by the weekend it's going to warm up. The high for Saturday is projected to be 76 degrees with a low of 56. Temps should be in the 70s for kickoff. There's little chance of precipitation, so the weather shouldn't be much of a factor.
Alabama vs. Oklahoma series history
Oklahoma is one of the few programs that have a winning record all-time against the Crimson Tide. This weekend will be just the seventh time the programs have met with the Sooners holding a 4-2-1 overall record.
Obviously, that includes last season's embarrassing shellacking with Oklahoma dominating Alabama en route to a 24-3 win in Norman.
Alabama won the first meeting between the programs in the 1963 Orange Bowl, 17-0. That game is famous for the late great Lee Roy Jordan racking up an Orange Bowl record 31 tackles.
This will only be the second time the two programs have faced off in Tuscaloosa. Back in 2003, when both programs were in much, much difference places, Oklahoma came to Bryant-Denny and knocked off Alabama 20-13.