College Football Playoffs have arrived. Before the CFP kicks off this Friday, I’m going to give my first-round predictions and bracket for this year. The picks I made for the “Joel klatt show” this year have not been great, with a 36-40 record. Last year we were 8-3 against the spread for the CFP, so let’s see if we can do it again. Remember, the home team won the first round of the playoffs by double-digits. So, let’s keep that in mind as we preview these matchups. No. 9 Alabama vs. No. 8 Oklahoma (Friday, 8 p.m. ET)Bama is dealing with a great deal. It is dealing with some distractions. Georgia had beaten Alabama pretty easily the last time we watched. There’s also the ongoing discussion about what Ty Simpson will do with his career and Kalen DeBoer is mentioned. He has had to make statements and comments about his commitment with Alabama. I’ve said that distraction is the fastest way to lose. Is the distraction meter going to be a factor in this game, for Alabama? We don’t know. Alabama hasn’t looked good in the past month, especially Ty Simpson throwing football. In his last four games he has averaged just 200 yards and five touchdowns per game, and he is under 60%. It’s not enough. It’s a team that is one-dimensional, so this guy has to throw the ball really well. It’s a difficult matchup for OU because of this, and that is really why OU beat OU in Tuscaloosa at the end of the season. Oklahoma has a defense that is relentless, attacking-oriented. It’s tied for the lead in sacks in the country with Texas A&M. It has had 41 sacks this year. Oklahoma is behind the line of scrimage a lot. In fact, Oklahoma is in the top five in college football in terms of blitz rate.THE JOEL KLATT SHOW In that first meeting, Bama had some success — at least from a yardage perspective. It was able to outgain OU by more than 200 yards. However, it also turned it over 3 times. This is largely due to the aggressive style of defense. OU converted those three turnovers to 17 points. Oklahoma won with 17 out of 23 points. The game in Norman was a big deal. As a consumer of college football, I do not think we understand how the 12-team format was in its infancy.
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2025-12-19 01:18:08
