Brent Venables and No. 8 Oklahoma have won two straight against No. 9 Alabama, including eking out a 23-21 road win in Week 12 of the regular season. Despite that run of success, the Sooners (10-2) enter tonight’s College Football Playoff opener (8 pm ET, ABC/ESPN) against the Crimson Tide (10-3) as a 1.5-point home underdog, according to BetMGM.
Of course, being the “underdog” isn’t new to Venables and Oklahoma, which have been on the other side of the Vegas oddsmakers in each of its previous two games, including pulling off a shocking 24-3 upset last season in Norman when the Crimson Tide entered as 14-point road favorites, per BetMGM. The Sooners hold a 5-2-1 advantage in the all-time series between the budding SEC rivals.
“I don’t think it’s just this week. This is a football team, all of us together, that has been doubted for a long time. So, this week is a comfort zone for us,” Venables said during a press conference Wednesday. “But listen, Alabama has been the gold standard in college football for the last 15 years. So, we’ve got incredible respect.
“But, instead of focusing on being the underdog, we look at his moment being more about the opportunity that’s in front of us than we do about what people might be saying or thinking, or a point spread, things of that nature.”
A significant part of Oklahoma’s success against the Crimson Tide has its ability to force turnovers, with Alabama turning the ball over six times to just one miscue for the Sooners over the last two games. That includes the Tide losing the turnover battle 3-0 in Week 12’s loss despite outgaining Oklahoma 406-212 in the game.
As Alabama gets set to travel to Oklahoma for Friday Night’s College Football Playoff game, former head coach Nick Saban is circling one key for the Crimson Tide.
Oklahoma edged out a 23-21 road victory in Week 12 thanks to a disruptive defense that forced Alabama into three costly turnovers. And until the Tide figure that out, it won’t get very far.
“I think the pressure package that they have, and I think that was the big difference in the first game,” Saban said Thursday on The Pat McAfee Show. “You know, when you watch the game, when they got their pressures blocked up, they made a lot of explosive plays. I’m talking about Alabama. But when they didn’t, it was devastating in terms of sack-fumbles, pick-sixes, sacks that led to stopping drives.
“… I mean, Alabama had over 400 yards, versus Oklahoma’s 200. But three turnovers, all in negative field position, that led to 17 points, helped Oklahoma tremendously in the game.”
— On3’s Thomas Goldkamp contributed to this report.