On Friday, No. 9 Alabama and No. 8 Oklahoma will kick off the 2025 College Football Playoff with a first-round matchup against each other. The game will be a rematch of last month’s contest between the two teams, which saw Oklahoma win 23-21.

Though Alabama seemingly limped into the playoff after losing to Oklahoma, narrowly beating Auburn and then falling to Georgia in the SEC championship game, they do have a good chance at taking down the Sooners to advance in the CFP. Not only was the last game close, but Alabama made a number of mistakes that they can avoid this time around to snatch the win.

Before the game begins, here are four keys for Alabama to walk out of Norman victorious.

Minimize sacks, turnovers

Avoiding sacks and turnovers will be key for any team in any game during the CFP, but it is especially true for the Crimson Tide as they take on the Sooners. In their game last month, Alabama committed three turnovers and quarterback Ty Simpson took four sacks—including one strip sack that Oklahoma recovered—that proved to be the difference in the game.

The Sooners scored 10 of their 23 points off of those turnovers, including a pick-six off the lone interception Simpson threw. It’s hard to see Oklahoma winning without those mistakes, especially given the way their offense has struggled as of late. If Alabama simply takes care of the football, it will go a long way toward helping them score the win. Simpson has throw four of his five interceptions this season across the team’s last five games, so this might be easier said than done.

Minimizing sacks could also prove tricky as Oklahoma ranks first in total sacks this season with 41. Meanwhile, Simpson has taken 25 sacks this year, the most of any quarterback in the CFP. If Simpson and the Tide can control these aspects of the game, they should be well on their way to victory.

Let QB Ty Simpson carve up Oklahoma

Oklahoma boasts the SEC’s No. 1 defense in total yards and points per game, as well as the No. 2 defense in rushing yards allowed per game. If they have any semblance of a defensive “weakness,” it would be their the pass defense. The Sooners have allowed quarterbacks like Simpson, Trinidad Chambliss and Joey Aguilar to throw for over 300 yards in games this season.

Simpson showed in that first matchup that he was able to move the ball against the Sooners defense, with turnovers keeping them from capitalizing on more drives. While it will be imperative for Simpson to be careful with the football, Alabama should count on him to lead them down the field again on Friday.

Play well on special teams

Not only did turnovers cost Alabama, but so did mistakes on special teams. The Crimson Tide allowed Oklahoma to return their first punt 42 yards which gave the Sooners a short field for a field goal. Later in the game, Alabama missed a field goal which proved to be the difference in the game. It’s pivotal that Alabama doesn’t give Oklahoma short fields or any easy advantages since it has been hard for the Sooners offense to drive the ball down the field consistently.

Keep Oklahoma’s run game in check

Both Oklahoma’s run game and passing game have been subpar this season, especially since quarterback John Mateer suffered a hand injury earlier in the year. Mateer has thrown for fewer than 200 yards in four of his past six starts, and Alabama, who ranks No. 1 in the SEC in pass defense, should be able to limit Mateer again.

For Alabama’s defense, it will remain key for them to keep the Sooners run game in check. The Sooners rushing attack has not been consistent, and it’s important the Crimson Tide defense keeps it this way so to ensure Oklahoma’s offense doesn’t get any easy first downs or controls the clock. This shouldn’t be a problem for Alabama after they held the Sooners to 74 rushing yards a month ago.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as How Alabama Can Beat Oklahoma in First Round of CFP.

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