The players have a 24-hour rule in the aftermath of games. Win or lose, you have 24 hours to celebrate or dwell on it. After that, you flush it and move on to the next opponent.
It wasn't 24 minutes after Alabama's 20-9 win over LSU on Saturday before Ty Simpson had already turned his attention to Oklahoma.
Simpson remembers all too well what happened last year in Norman, how the Crimson Tide was ambushed and watched their College Football Playoff hopes go up in smoke with an embarrassing performance. Alabama mustered only three points on offense, its lowest total in 20 years.
This year, the Oklahoma defense is even better. And the Crimson Tide's offense has picked a poor time to be in a funk.
“I remember that warm-up, that team meal, just that whole game of how it felt,” Simpson told reporters. “It just felt spooky, to be honest with you. I don’t want to have that feeling again this year, especially at our house, with a lot at stake."
What's at stake for Alabama? Oh, just a spot in the SEC Championship Game and the College Football Playoff. A win over Oklahoma almost certainly clinches a spot in Atlanta for the Crimson Tide. It's hard to imagine it wouldn't outright clinch a spot in the College Football Playoff, too, regardless of what happens in the Iron Bowl.
Alabama did not treat Oklahoma with the respect it deserved last season. Perhaps the best news for Alabama is that the Sooners are a much-improved team this year. The Crimson Tide seems to play better against quality opponents. Oklahoma is 7-2 on the season and right on the fringe of the College Football Playoff itself. A win over Alabama on the road would tip the scales in its favor.
“We’re gonna make sure that we get our minds right tomorrow," Simpson said.
Alabama can clinch a playoff berth with a win over Oklahoma
There's not a single Alabama fan who would feel comfortable with the Crimson Tide having its playoff hopes on the line in a road Iron Bowl at the end of November. That's what makes this weekend's matchup with Oklahoma so important. Beat the Sooners, and it's a mostly anxiety-free Iron Bowl on the Plains.
Because even if Alabama lost at that point, it would still almost certainly play in the SEC Championship Game, and the result of that game would not knock it out of the College Football Playoff, no matter what.
Lose this weekend at home, and Alabama's entire season comes down to the Iron Bowl. No, thank you.
Alabama won't overlook Oklahoma this year. That doesn't guarantee victory, though. Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb will have to come up with a masterful gameplan, one that compensates for a porous run game, against one of the best defensive minds in football in Brent Venables.
Oklahoma is likely the best defense Alabama has faced all year long. The Tide's struggling offense doesn't inspire a ton of confidence right now.