Alabama set for Oklahoma, with title-game berth at stake
MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. >> Nick Saban knows Alabama cannot win every game. The Crimson Tide merely come close. This is the fifth year of the College Football Playoff, and the fifth Alabama appearance in the four-team tournament to decide the national champion. The latest quest toward another title, which would be the school’s third in the last four years, resumes Saturday when the top-ranked Crimson Tide (13-0) take on fourth-ranked Oklahoma (12-1) in the semifinals at the Orange Bowl.
“It’s a good problem to have,” said Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray, the Heisman Trophy winner. “They win a lot. We win a lot . ... I’ve heard a lot of people say ‘beat Alabama’ just because they don’t like Alabama or whatever. But I’m not really too much into that.”
The game is a matchup between the two highest-scoring offenses in the country, with Oklahoma slightly outpacing Alabama there. It’s also a matchup of arguably the two best players in the country; Murray and Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa were first and second, respectively, in the Heisman voting.
At stake is a berth in the CFP title game on Jan. 7 against either Clemson or Notre Dame. And Alabama has four players who will be appearing in their seventh CFP game — which is absurd, especially when considering that there have been only 12 games total in the event since it was put into place starting with the 2014 season.
“We know we can’t be perfect,” Saban said. “But we’re certainly trying to work every day to close the gap on how good can we be, and are we reaching our full potential in how we improve and work every day.”
The edge for the Crimson Tide, on paper anyway, is on defense. Alabama comes into this game ranked fourth nationally in points allowed per game, while Oklahoma is ranked 96th.
“We’ve prepared well,” said Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley, the 35-year-old offensive mastermind who will be coaching in his 15th bowl game already. “Confident in the way our team has approached this entire month. We’ve had a great week here so far. Can’t wait for Saturday night.”