The Alabama Crimson Tide didn't wilt and overcame a 17-0 first quarter deficit to defeat the Oklahoma Sooners 34-24 in their first-round College Football Playoff matchup on Friday night in Norman.
What seemed like an easy OU blowout turned into a one-way Tide domination. At the end of the day, though, the CFP's tradition of first-round matchups in the 12-team format, outside of the Texas Longhorns and Clemson Tigers last year, being uncompetitive continued in the 2025/2026 tournament's first contest.
The Athletic's Matt Baker reminded everyone of that fact ahead of Saturday's action, where the Group of 5's Tulane Green Wave and James Madison Dukes enter the day as heavy underdogs against the Ole Miss Rebels and Oregon Ducks. If those teams get blown out, the narrative of G5 teams being undeserving of the playoff will pop back up by bad actors.
"This first-round game oddly became entertaining and close in a way none of us drew up. But it was still decided by double digits, just like all the first-round games last year. Remember that tomorrow if those results are lopsided, too (especially the James Madison and Tulane games administrators will be scrutinizing)," Baker wrote.
Alabama can now say they deserved CFP spot over Notre Dame and BYU
Unfortunately, the Crimson Tide can now claim they deserved their CFP spot all along, when in reality, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and BYU Cougars were both robbed to benefit Alabama. Now, though, Bammers can confidently ask those fanbases, "Could you have beaten Oklahoma on the road?"
The answer is unclear. The Crimson Tide were the one team that won at Gaylord Memorial Stadium this season, though.
Had Alabama made the CFP field over JMU and Tulane, it would've been a "life isn't fair" situation for the G5. Now, it's a "life isn't fair" situation for Notre Dame and BYU, but no one feels for them anymore because the Tide proved themselves against the Sooners.
We'll see if the Dukes and Green Wave can do the same from hostile territory in Eugene, Oregon, and Oxford, Mississippi, on Saturday evening.
If they don't, we know what argument built on false pretenses will be brought up.