College Football Playoff: Alabama, Oklahoma Set the Stage in Norman
On a crisp December night in Norman, the lights of Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium weren’t just illuminating the field - they were setting the stage for a heavyweight clash in the College Football Playoff. Alabama and Oklahoma, two storied programs with championship pedigrees, met in a first-round showdown that delivered all the pregame intensity you’d expect from two teams built to contend.
Before a single snap was taken, the atmosphere was electric. Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson and wide receiver Isaiah Horton were among the first Crimson Tide players out on the field, warming up with focused energy.
For Simpson, this was more than a routine pregame - it was a chance to step into the national spotlight and lead a program with sky-high expectations. Horton, a dynamic weapon in Alabama’s receiving corps, looked locked in, ready to make his presence felt on the postseason stage.
Across the field, Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer went through his own warmups, dialing in as the Sooners prepared to defend their home turf in a playoff setting. The stakes couldn’t be higher, and for Mateer, this was an opportunity to cement his role as a key figure in the Sooners’ postseason push.
But it wasn’t just the players getting locked in - the sidelines told their own story. Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer and Oklahoma’s Brent Venables shared a pregame handshake, a brief but telling moment between two leaders with very different journeys to this point.
DeBoer, in his first playoff appearance with the Crimson Tide, brought a calm confidence to the sideline - the kind that comes from knowing your team is built for moments like this. Venables, meanwhile, was all intensity, rallying his players as he locked arms with them just before kickoff.
It was a symbolic gesture, one that spoke volumes about the culture he’s building in Norman - a program rooted in toughness, unity, and belief.
This wasn’t just another bowl game. It was a battle between two elite programs with national title aspirations, and the tone was set well before the opening whistle.
From the focused warmups to the sideline energy, everything about this night in Norman screamed big-time college football. The Crimson Tide and the Sooners came ready - and the playoff stage was officially set.