Completed Event: Football at Temple on September 13, 2025 , Win , 42, to, 3
Final
Football
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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Photo by: Asia Purnell/University of Oklahoma
Oklahoma Back in the CFP; Sooners to Host Alabama on Dec. 19
December 07, 2025 | Football
NORMAN — The College Football Playoff is coming to Norman. Oklahoma was slotted as the CFP's No. 8 seed Sunday morning and will host No. 9 seed Alabama in a first-round contest Friday, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m. CT at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The game will be televised by ABC and ESPN.
The OU-Alabama winner will face No. 1 seed and Big Ten champion Indiana in the CFP Quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 at 3 p.m. CT in Pasadena, Calif.
The Sooners, who will be making their fifth CFP appearance and first since 2019, are 10-2 overall under fourth-year head coach Brent Venables and went 6-2 in Southeastern Conference play. OU has won its last four games and is the only team in the country to win five contests against AP-ranked teams at the time of competition.
Alabama is 10-3 overall after its 28-7 loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship yesterday. It went 7-1 in regular season conference play. The Crimson Tide ranks 41st nationally in scoring offense (31.2 ppg) and 12th in scoring defense (17.4 ppg).
Oklahoma and Alabama met on Nov. 15 this season in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and the Sooners came away with a 23-21 win. It was the Crimson Tide's first home loss in SEC play since 2019. OU, which also posted a 24-3 home win over Alabama last season, is 5-2-1 in the series all-time and has won five of the last six meetings.
OU's defensive unit has been one of the best nationally all season. The Sooners lead the country in sacks (3.4) and tackles for loss (9.6) per game, and rank No. 3 in touchdowns allowed (16), No. 5 in rushing defense (81.4 ypg), rushing TDs allowed (six) and passing TDs allowed (nine), No. 6 in opponent third-down conversion percentage (29.0), No. 7 in scoring defense (13.9 ppg) and opponent yards per play (4.3) and No. 9 in total defense (273.6 ypg). OU paces the SEC in all of those categories, except rushing defense (ranks second behind Georgia) and opponent third-down conversion percentage (ranks second behind Texas A&M).
Forty-one percent of OU's opponents' offensive plays this season (320 of 773) have gone for zero or negative yards. An additional 47 plays have resulted in a one-yard gain, meaning 47% of opponent plays have yielded one or fewer yards.
Offensively, Oklahoma is the only team in the country that has scored on all of its red-zone opportunities this season. The Sooners are 32 for 32, with 23 touchdowns and nine field goals.
Redshirt junior Isaiah Sategna III, who doubles as OU's punt returner (ranks 10th nationally by averaging 13.1 yards per return), is one the SEC's top pass-catchers. In league play, Sategna led the conference in receiving yards (716) and receiving yards per game (89.5), and ranked second in receptions (48) and third in receiving touchdowns (five). He registered four 100-yard receiving games in SEC play, all in Norman — nine catches for 127 yards vs. Auburn, six for 131 vs. Ole Miss, three for 109 vs. Missouri and nine for 121 vs. LSU.
OU's special teams unit ranked second nationally in efficiency by ESPN entering the weekend. The Sooners boast the nation's most successful placekicker in redshirt junior Tate Sandell, who, after missing his first attempt of the season, has reeled off 23 consecutive makes for school and single-season SEC records. The Lou Groza Award finalist is 10 for 10 on attempts of at least 45 yards and is 7 for 7 from 50-plus (including 4 for 4 from 55 yards). His 15 field goals of 40-plus yards are a single-season OU record, besting the previous standard of nine, and his average make distance of 41.8 yards leads the country (min. 15 conversions).
Redshirt junior punter Grayson Miller ranks 12th nationally and first in the SEC with his 46.2 yards per punt and has booted a single-season-school-record 23 for 50-plus yards (43% of his kicks).
Other first-round CFP games feature No. 12 seed James Madison at No. 5 Oregon, No. 11 seed Tulane at No. 6 seed Ole Miss and No. 10 seed Miami at No. 7 seed Texas A&M. The four first-round byes went to No. 1 seed Indiana, No. 2 seed Ohio State, No. 3 seed Georgia and No. 4 seed Texas Tech.
The Sooners are making their fifth College Football Playoff appearance, tied with Georgia for fourth most nationally behind Alabama (nine), Clemson (seven) and Ohio State (seven). OU played in the four-team CFP in 2015 (Orange Bowl), 2017 (Rose Bowl), 2018 (Orange Bowl) and 2019 (Peach Bowl).
Venables coached in 10 College Football Playoff games as defensive coordinator at Clemson and went 6-4. The Tigers made four CFP National Championships with Venables on staff and won titles in 2016 and 2018. Venables also coached in four national championship games as an OU defensive coordinator (won in 2000).
This marks Oklahoma's school-record 27th straight year to make the postseason, with only Georgia (29) holding a longer active streak. This season also represents OU's 43rd with at least 10 wins, trailing only Alabama (44). Since the end of World War II (1946 season), OU leads the country with its 716 victories (28 more than Alabama, the program with the next most).
OU is 8-3 in December home games. The Alabama first-round CFP contest will mark the latest home game in the calendar year in the Sooners' 131-year history. The previous latest home game came in 1985 when OU beat SMU 35-13 on Dec. 7. Barry Switzer's team went on to beat Penn State in the Orange Bowl to claim the program's sixth AP national title.
TICKET INFORMATION
Season Ticket Holder Presale
An exclusive presale for season ticket holders begins Monday, Dec. 8. Season ticket holders should refer to an email titled "Sooners to Host Alabama in CFP First Round" for their assigned access time and purchase link. Presale times are based on Sooner Club membership level and Championship Points associated with the account.
Public On-Sale
*A public on-sale begins Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 10 a.m. CT. Tickets begin at $173 per seat. Click here to explore availability and make a purchase starting Dec. 9.
Student Ticket Information
All student season and partial-plan ticket holders can begin purchasing tickets for the first-round playoff game on Monday, Dec. 8. Sooner Club Collegiate Members can begin purchasing at 10 a.m. CT, while all other student ticket holders can begin purchasing at 1 p.m. CT.
If student section inventory remains after these windows, full-time OU students without a football ticket plan will have the opportunity to purchase on Wednesday, Dec. 10 at 10 a.m. CT. All student tickets will be $35 each.
Additional Playoff Round Ticket Opportunities
Information regarding ticket request opportunities for potential CFP Quarterfinal, Semifinal and National Championship games will be sent to all season ticket holders on Wednesday, Dec. 10.
The OU-Alabama winner will face No. 1 seed and Big Ten champion Indiana in the CFP Quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 at 3 p.m. CT in Pasadena, Calif.
The Sooners, who will be making their fifth CFP appearance and first since 2019, are 10-2 overall under fourth-year head coach Brent Venables and went 6-2 in Southeastern Conference play. OU has won its last four games and is the only team in the country to win five contests against AP-ranked teams at the time of competition.
Alabama is 10-3 overall after its 28-7 loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship yesterday. It went 7-1 in regular season conference play. The Crimson Tide ranks 41st nationally in scoring offense (31.2 ppg) and 12th in scoring defense (17.4 ppg).
Oklahoma and Alabama met on Nov. 15 this season in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and the Sooners came away with a 23-21 win. It was the Crimson Tide's first home loss in SEC play since 2019. OU, which also posted a 24-3 home win over Alabama last season, is 5-2-1 in the series all-time and has won five of the last six meetings.
OU's defensive unit has been one of the best nationally all season. The Sooners lead the country in sacks (3.4) and tackles for loss (9.6) per game, and rank No. 3 in touchdowns allowed (16), No. 5 in rushing defense (81.4 ypg), rushing TDs allowed (six) and passing TDs allowed (nine), No. 6 in opponent third-down conversion percentage (29.0), No. 7 in scoring defense (13.9 ppg) and opponent yards per play (4.3) and No. 9 in total defense (273.6 ypg). OU paces the SEC in all of those categories, except rushing defense (ranks second behind Georgia) and opponent third-down conversion percentage (ranks second behind Texas A&M).
Forty-one percent of OU's opponents' offensive plays this season (320 of 773) have gone for zero or negative yards. An additional 47 plays have resulted in a one-yard gain, meaning 47% of opponent plays have yielded one or fewer yards.
Offensively, Oklahoma is the only team in the country that has scored on all of its red-zone opportunities this season. The Sooners are 32 for 32, with 23 touchdowns and nine field goals.
Redshirt junior Isaiah Sategna III, who doubles as OU's punt returner (ranks 10th nationally by averaging 13.1 yards per return), is one the SEC's top pass-catchers. In league play, Sategna led the conference in receiving yards (716) and receiving yards per game (89.5), and ranked second in receptions (48) and third in receiving touchdowns (five). He registered four 100-yard receiving games in SEC play, all in Norman — nine catches for 127 yards vs. Auburn, six for 131 vs. Ole Miss, three for 109 vs. Missouri and nine for 121 vs. LSU.
OU's special teams unit ranked second nationally in efficiency by ESPN entering the weekend. The Sooners boast the nation's most successful placekicker in redshirt junior Tate Sandell, who, after missing his first attempt of the season, has reeled off 23 consecutive makes for school and single-season SEC records. The Lou Groza Award finalist is 10 for 10 on attempts of at least 45 yards and is 7 for 7 from 50-plus (including 4 for 4 from 55 yards). His 15 field goals of 40-plus yards are a single-season OU record, besting the previous standard of nine, and his average make distance of 41.8 yards leads the country (min. 15 conversions).
Redshirt junior punter Grayson Miller ranks 12th nationally and first in the SEC with his 46.2 yards per punt and has booted a single-season-school-record 23 for 50-plus yards (43% of his kicks).
Other first-round CFP games feature No. 12 seed James Madison at No. 5 Oregon, No. 11 seed Tulane at No. 6 seed Ole Miss and No. 10 seed Miami at No. 7 seed Texas A&M. The four first-round byes went to No. 1 seed Indiana, No. 2 seed Ohio State, No. 3 seed Georgia and No. 4 seed Texas Tech.
The Sooners are making their fifth College Football Playoff appearance, tied with Georgia for fourth most nationally behind Alabama (nine), Clemson (seven) and Ohio State (seven). OU played in the four-team CFP in 2015 (Orange Bowl), 2017 (Rose Bowl), 2018 (Orange Bowl) and 2019 (Peach Bowl).
Venables coached in 10 College Football Playoff games as defensive coordinator at Clemson and went 6-4. The Tigers made four CFP National Championships with Venables on staff and won titles in 2016 and 2018. Venables also coached in four national championship games as an OU defensive coordinator (won in 2000).
This marks Oklahoma's school-record 27th straight year to make the postseason, with only Georgia (29) holding a longer active streak. This season also represents OU's 43rd with at least 10 wins, trailing only Alabama (44). Since the end of World War II (1946 season), OU leads the country with its 716 victories (28 more than Alabama, the program with the next most).
OU is 8-3 in December home games. The Alabama first-round CFP contest will mark the latest home game in the calendar year in the Sooners' 131-year history. The previous latest home game came in 1985 when OU beat SMU 35-13 on Dec. 7. Barry Switzer's team went on to beat Penn State in the Orange Bowl to claim the program's sixth AP national title.
TICKET INFORMATION
Season Ticket Holder Presale
An exclusive presale for season ticket holders begins Monday, Dec. 8. Season ticket holders should refer to an email titled "Sooners to Host Alabama in CFP First Round" for their assigned access time and purchase link. Presale times are based on Sooner Club membership level and Championship Points associated with the account.
Public On-Sale
*A public on-sale begins Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 10 a.m. CT. Tickets begin at $173 per seat. Click here to explore availability and make a purchase starting Dec. 9.
Student Ticket Information
All student season and partial-plan ticket holders can begin purchasing tickets for the first-round playoff game on Monday, Dec. 8. Sooner Club Collegiate Members can begin purchasing at 10 a.m. CT, while all other student ticket holders can begin purchasing at 1 p.m. CT.
If student section inventory remains after these windows, full-time OU students without a football ticket plan will have the opportunity to purchase on Wednesday, Dec. 10 at 10 a.m. CT. All student tickets will be $35 each.
Additional Playoff Round Ticket Opportunities
Information regarding ticket request opportunities for potential CFP Quarterfinal, Semifinal and National Championship games will be sent to all season ticket holders on Wednesday, Dec. 10.
Players Mentioned
Jim Nagy Media Availability - 12/3/25
Wednesday, December 03
OU Football Signing Day Show
Wednesday, December 03
Brent Venables Media Availability - 12/3/25
Wednesday, December 03
Jayden Petit Highlights
Wednesday, December 03
