Alabama falls to Oklahoma and ends College Football Playoff, SEC hopes

On By Littum

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NORMAN, Okla. – Let’s be honest: The task wasn’t that difficult.

Beating Oklahoma in 2024 hasn’t been that hard. Five teams have done it, and LSU can make it six next weekend. Heck, Houston almost took down Beforeand the Cougars don’t even crack the top 10 of the Big 12 positions. Still, on the brink of a berth in the SEC Championship Game and potentially a spot in the College Football Playoff, No. 7 in Alabama does not.

The Crimson Tide looked downright lethargic Saturday in another 24-3 loss Before who defeated all his championship goals for the season. First-year coach Kalen DeBoer’s inaugural campaign will end with a cold nose on a hot window, and on the outside looking in on all the playoff fun. With Alabama absorbing three regular-season losses for the first time since 2010, that’s exactly where it belongs.

Oklahoma earned just its second SEC win of the season and did so over a heavily favored Alabama team to clinch bowl eligibility and earn the only 2024 win on which to hang its offseason hat.

Meanwhile, the Alabama offense tanked.

In the first half was Crimson Tide sputtered with an ineffective running game and some costly but not catastrophic mistakes, such as dropped passes by wide receiver Ryan Williams and tight end CJ Dippre.

It turned out that the offense saved the big mistakes for the second half.

Quarterback Jalen Milroe, in perhaps the worst performance of his career, threw an interception on Alabama’s first possession of the second half, resulting in an OU touchdown and a 17-3 lead. One series later, he threw a pick-six to Kip Lewis that sealed the win for the Sooners, and as the only Alabama player with a chance to make a tackle on the play, he offered a weak effort by missing that tackle at the 16-yard line.

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He was not alone in playing badly.

Alabama’s offensive line, in late November, looked like it was still working through September kinks. The running game was largely non-existent. No rhythm was ever found. Even the one glimmer of offensive hope, a spectacular touchdown catch by Williams early in the fourth quarter, was erased on a highly questionable penalty that drew DeBoer’s ire from the officiating staff.

At that point, DeBoer’s anger probably had as much to do with the entire night as it did with the penalty.

After all, he witnessed a season skid, not just a touchdown.

After losing earlier this year to Vanderbilt and Tennessee, Alabama had lost any margin of error. Every game it has played since the loss to the Volunteers has essentially been a playoff game, and it had won three games since then to stay alive in the playoff hunt.

It’s worth noting that as good as Oklahoma has been this season, its defense has been stingy. Despite a Sooners offense that put it in plain danger, OU entered the game against Alabama having allowed just 319 yards and 21.9 points per carry. match, averages that both dropped even more on Saturday.

Credit Oklahoma for playing its best game of the season.

Save credit for Alabama for another day.

Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread is also the weekly co-host of Crimson Cover TV on WVUA-23. Reach him at [email protected]. Follow on X.com @chasegoodbread.