NORMAN, Okla. — Alabama wasn’t ready to do this last year. Or earlier this year. Or even two weeks ago in Atlanta. But down by 17 points in a road College Football Playoff game, with its season in jeopardy, something finally clicked.

The No. 9 Crimson Tide had what it took to match the biggest comeback in CFP history, rallying with 27 consecutive points to stun No. 8 Oklahoma 34-24 on Friday in a first-round rematch that might have signaled a long-awaited breakthrough.

The Crimson Tide punched their ticket to a Rose Bowl quarterfinal against No. 1 Indiana by overcoming a double-digit deficit for the first time under coach Kalen DeBoer. They snapped a streak of six consecutive losses when trailing by at least 10 points, including all three defeats this season, since DeBoer took over in 2024.

They had put themselves in this tough spot, opening their CFP run with one more SEC road game, by losing 28-7 to Georgia in the SEC championship game Dec. 6. Then they fell behind fast yet again, down three scores within the first five minutes of the second quarter.

This time, though, quarterback Ty Simpson and his Crimson Tide teammates stuck to their plan and just kept chipping away.

“We always talk about the game is going to come back to us,” DeBoer said. “We have too many good players. If you just keep fighting, you’re going to force them to make a mistake, something’s going to happen. Just keep coming after them, play after play, and the game’s going to come back to you. And that’s what happened tonight.”

The Crimson Tide turned a dangerous deficit into a tied score with a rapid second-quarter sequence. Freshman wide receiver Lotzeir Brooks got the rally started with a 29-yard gain on a third-and-5 then turned a fourth-down catch into a 10-yard touchdown by making two Sooners defenders miss.

Five plays later, Oklahoma punter Grayson Miller dropped the ball on a punt attempt, and Alabama defensive tackle Tim Keenan III came through with a block and recovery, helping cut the Oklahoma lead to 17-10 after Conor Talty‘s 35-yard field goal.

Alabama’s defense delivered four plays later with cornerback Zabien Brown baiting Sooners quarterback John Mateer into a 50-yard pick-six. In less than five minutes, Alabama went from on the brink to all the way back.

“Keep going,” Simpson said. “That’s kind of been our message all season.”

The Crimson Tide did just that against a Sooners program that had notched 27 consecutive victories at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium when leading by double digits. College Football Playoffs teams were 1-28 all time when trailing by 17 or more points.

What made this Alabama team different? The Crimson Tide have been on a roller-coaster ride all season, beginning with a shocking 31-17 road loss at Florida State. Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said they have been living with a win-or-go-home mentality and “supreme urgency” ever since.

The Crimson Tide fell behind 10-0 in a home loss to Oklahoma in November. They trailed 14-0 at halftime of the SEC title game. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said they didn’t show the resolve necessary to get the job done. This time, though, they left no doubt.

“Our players won this game,” Wommack said. “They won the game with sheer will.”

Simpson kept the run going with a 30-yard touchdown pass to Brooks early in the third quarter and sealed the win with a 35-yard touchdown drive following a short punt midway through the fourth quarter after the Sooners cut the lead to 3.

Asked what it meant to him to rally back after the SEC title game defeat, Simpson looked around a room of reporters and raised his eyebrows.

“I guess we can thank you guys for that,” Simpson said. “I mean, y’all kind of wrote us off in a sort of way. Appreciate that.”

After nervously waiting to find out if they earned a spot in the College Football Playoff, DeBoer felt the two-week break after the Georgia loss was invaluable for getting players healthy and ready to go on a run. The message in the days after that loss was to keep things in perspective.

“Don’t overthink it,” DeBoer said. “It’s a lot of guys doing a little bit better in everything they can control.”

He saw confidence from Simpson and an encouraging level of calm on the sideline when the Crimson Tide trailed 17-0. If they could cut it to 17-10 before halftime, DeBoer liked their chances of clawing back. Once Brown stepped in front of Mateer’s pass and raced past him for a game-changing takeaway, they were well on their way.

After it was over, Simpson ran off the field with a rose in his mouth. He and his squad are ready to play the underdog role yet again against top-ranked and undefeated Indiana.

“You’ve got a great team culture. You’ve got a bunch of fighters, a bunch of punchers,” Wommack said. “That wasn’t who we were a year ago.”

Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham has signed a new five-year contract that will average nearly $7.5 million over the course of the deal, sources told ESPN on Saturday.

The deal prioritized resources for the staff, as the salary pool increases $11 million, which puts it near the top of the Big 12.

The extension takes Dillingham out of the conversation for the Michigan job. He had been in the top group of candidates considered for it.

The deal remains for five years, as longer ones aren’t allowed by Arizona state law, but there are incentives to extend the contract up to 10 years. The deal is pending board approval.

Dillingham signed a new deal a year ago that made him the second-highest-paid coach in the Big 12 in 2025. While there are increases in salary, the heart of this new deal was resources for the program.

“We have the perfect coach for ASU,” a school source said. “We want to give him the tools to do his job the best way possible. That’s giving him resources to put into the staff and program and giving him longevity.”

The deal shows how Arizona State has prioritized football in recent years, as it won the Big 12 last season and reached the College Football Playoff for the first time in school history. It marked the first time the Sun Devils won a conference title outright since 1996.

It is also significant for athletic director Graham Rossini, who made it clear this week that retaining Dillingham was the top priority.

As the Michigan job lingered in the wake of Sherrone Moore’s firing, Dillingham got emotional talking about Arizona State. He is a graduate who long called the school his dream job and said on Dec. 13, “I love this place.”

He added: “That doesn’t change how I feel about here. That doesn’t change that my sister’s my neighbor. That doesn’t change that my parents live three doors down. … [Michigan] is one of the best jobs in America, it’s an unbelievable brand, an iconic brand, so a great opportunity for somebody.”

Arizona State is 22-16 under Dillingham, including a 19-7 record over the past two seasons. The Sun Devils play Duke in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl on Dec. 31.

NORMAN, Okla. — Back in the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2019, No. 8 Oklahoma earned an unwanted distinction Friday night. After squandering a 17-point advantage in a 34-24 loss to No. 9 Alabama, the Sooners now own the two largest blown leads in playoff history.

A month after Crimson Tide miscues fueled the defining win of Oklahoma’s 2025 season on Nov. 15, Alabama flipped the script inside Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, feasting on errors by quarterback John Mateer and the Sooners’ special team to bounce the hosts in the CFP first round and secure a Rose Bowl quarterfinal date with No. 1 Indiana on Jan. 1.

Down 17-0 early in the second quarter, the Crimson Tide scored on five of their next seven possessions and rattled off 27 unanswered points to match the largest comeback in CFP history, tying the 17-point deficit Georgia overcame to top Oklahoma in a double-overtime, Rose Bowl thriller on New Year’s Day 2018. According to ESPN Research, teams that have led by 17 or more in a CFP game are 28-2 all time. The two losses belong to the Sooners.

Additionally, Friday’s result marked the program’s second-largest blown lead at home since Oklahoma Memorial Stadium opened in 1923. Winless in five playoff trips since 2015, Oklahoma now holds the most losses of any program in CFP history.

“We had the ability and the opportunities to overcome it all even in just the last several minutes of the game, despite some just incredibly critical mistakes,” Sooners coach Brent Venables said. “But it just wasn’t in the cards for us tonight.”

The Sooners’ adopted team motto this fall was “Hard to Kill.” On the same night rap legend 50 Cent performed inside Oklahoma Memorial Stadium with those words emblazoned on his sweater, the Sooners buried themselves with a parade of errors.

An Oklahoma offense that began the postseason ranked 90th nationally scored on three of its first four possessions. By the time wide receiver Isaiah Sategna III caught a 7-yard touchdown from Mateer to open a 17-0 lead with 10:51 remaining in the second quarter, the Sooners had forced three consecutive three-and-outs and were outgaining Alabama 135-12.

After Alabama responded with a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, the dynamics of the second meeting between the two programs in the past 34 days swung on three plays.

Facing third-and-3 from midfield, Mateer evaded a sack and rolled out of the pocket with open space in front of him. He could have run for a first down. Instead, Mateer fired 40-plus yards downfield to running back Xavier Robinson, who failed to haul in the throw. On the next snap, Oklahoma punter Grayson Miller dropped his punt attempt and turned the ball over on downs, setting the stage for a 35-yard field goal from Alabama’s Conor Talty that cut the lead to 17-10.

“Field position against an Oklahoma team is so critical with their defense, so that was huge,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said. “That was really huge for us.”

On the ensuing series, Alabama ran a disguised defensive look that appeared to confuse Mateer. With a safety dropped into coverage and Oklahoma wide receiver Keontez Lewis streaking downfield, Mateer fired, inexplicably, to no one other than Alabama defensive back Zabien Brown, who intercepted the pass and streaked down the Sooners sideline for a 50-yard pick-six.

Suddenly, the game sat level at 17-17 with 1:18 remaining in the second quarter. Of the 15 teams that have gone behind by at least 17 in the first half of a CFP game, the Crimson Tide became the first not to be trailing, courtesy of Mateer’s fourth interception in his past two games.

“I got tricked, and it’s pretty bad,” Mateer said. “I mean, you watch the tape. It was obvious it wasn’t a Cover 0. I got tricked, and it happens sometimes. But when you get tricked, you’ve got to mitigate the damage, and I didn’t do it.”

DeBoer described Alabama’s first-round win as “the opposite of the first game back at home.” Indeed, the Crimson Tide were statistically dominant in Oklahoma’s 23-21 win in Tuscaloosa last month. But the Sooners left with a signature win by taking advantage of mistakes.

In Friday’s rematch, the roles reversed. Second-half touchdowns from Lotzeir Brooks and Daniel Hill thrust the Crimson Tide to a 34-24 lead with 7:24 remaining. Pushing to close the gap, Oklahoma reached field goal position twice in the final three minutes, setting the stage for Lou Groza Award winner Tate Sandell, who had converted on each of his past 24 field goal attempts.

Battling gusting winds, Sandell pushed the first attempt — a 36-yarder — wide left. Ninety seconds later, he came up short on a 51-yard attempt, his first miss from 50-plus yards this season.

Sandell’s pair of misses were the final markers of a night that simply stopped going Oklahoma’s way following a scorching opening 20 minutes. After stunning wins over Tennessee and Alabama in November, and the similarly astonishing appearance of 50 Cent in Norman on Friday night, the Sooners ran out of magic, ultimately beaten at their own game by Alabama.

“When we needed to, we couldn’t pull one out like we have in several other games this year,” Venables said.