Alabama vs. Oklahoma: CFB Analyst Explains How Protecting Ty Simpson Will Help Crimson Tide Win The Grudge Match

Both the Oklahoma Sooners and Alabama Crimson Tide made the College Football Playoff tournament after finishing with 10 wins in 2025. However, Oklahoma’s 23-21 win over Alabama earlier this season gave them a slightly better case, which is why they were ranked No. 8 in the CFP rankings and ‘Bama was ranked No. 9.

That means the Sooners get the home-field advantage for this Friday night showdown, as the contest will be played at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Will we see a rehash of what we saw earlier this season with Brent Veneables’ guys coming out on top in a tight one? Or will Kalen DeBoer’s Tide turn the tables on their SEC rivals?

If Alabama wants things to go differently than last time, it’s pretty simple what they must do: take care of their quarterback and take care of the ball. ESPN CFB analyst Greg McElroy argued that the Tide should be able to win if they protect QB Ty Simpson, who was constantly harried in that loss in November. He was sacked four times on the night, two of which led directly to two turnovers.

“The big key is they have to protect Ty Simpson. It starts up front. If you look at Oklahoma, number one in the country when it comes to sacks, they have 41. They were able to apply tons of pressure against Ty Simpson in the first matchup. It led to a strip sack and led to an interception that was returned to the house.”

"They have to protect Ty Simpson."@GregMcElroy on how Alabama could get their revenge on Oklahoma from their first matchup this season ✍️ pic.twitter.com/IzSqQHOH7z

— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) December 19, 2025

‘Bama outgained Oklahoma 406-212 in that first matchup, but they lost the turnover battle 3-0. That ultimately decided the game. McElroy pinpointed tight end Josh Cuevas and running back Jam Miller as key components to keeping Simpson upright this time around.

“When you watch this protection unit, they really struggled with the absence of their tight end, Josh Cuevas. They also struggled with the absence of Jam Miller at times down the stretch as well. Those two guys can help those tackles a lot. When you have a TE and a RB that can chip DEs on the way out … that’s an enormous benefit to helping the offensive line. They have to protect their QB because they are one-dimensional.”

Cuevas and Miller are great chippers on the edge, but they both played in that previous matchup. It’s not like they are additions Alabama didn’t have last time around. Either way, with Alabama looking to pass early and often, they might have to get creative with their protections to give Simpson time to dissect the Sooner secondary.

Vegas is viewing this one as a toss-up. They have made Alabama a +1-point underdog, which essentially means this is a pick ’em. It’s going to be tight. And considering this is the No. 8 vs. No. 9 matchup in the bracket, surely the CFP wouldn’t have it any other way.