Alabama Falls to Oklahoma As Crimson Tide Blown Out 24-3 by Sooners in Norman, College Football Playoff Hopes in Jeopardy

By George Eisner on November 23, 2024 at 11:06 pm
Oklahoma Sooners defensive lineman Ethan Downs and Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe
Bryan Terry — The Oklahoman, USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The team that entered Week 6 of the college football season atop the AP Poll now risks not making the College Football Playoff at all after Alabama suffered a lopsided 24-3 upset to Oklahoma on Saturday night.

Kalen DeBoer's Crimson Tide failed to reach the end zone once in the school's lowest scoring effort in two decades. The Sooners finished the game with the same amount of passing yards that Indiana recorded against Ohio State, but Oklahoma dominated the run game with 260 yards on the ground and a pair of hundred-yard rushers in the form of quarterback Jackson Arnold and running back Xavier Robinson.

Standout freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams — often hailed as a competitor to Jeremiah Smith's claim to status as the top wideout in college football — finished the night with only two catches for 37 yards. However, in the most controversial moment of the evening while Alabama attempted to mount a comeback, Williams had a spectacular touchdown catch called back on a phantom illegal touching penalty that the ABC commentary team immediately admonished as an incorrect call.

Oklahoma clinched bowl eligibility with the stunning upset win, while the Crimson Tide's Playoff hopes now appear at least in serious jeopardy — if not outright dead — after this result. Some college football analysts have spent recent weeks advocating for a three-loss SEC team to still merit consideration for an at-large CFP spot, which would presumably give Alabama fans a sliver of hope.

Alabama will host Auburn next weekend for the Iron Bowl during rivalry week at 3:30 ET on ABC, while Oklahoma will face LSU in prime time at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.


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