Alabama entered the 2025-26 College Football Playoff as the No. 9 seed and traveled to No. 8 Oklahoma for a first-round game. Alabama won that rematch 34-24 before losing to No. 1 Indiana in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal.
Verified Bracket Path
- First round: No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Oklahoma
- First-round result: Alabama 34, Oklahoma 24
- Quarterfinal: No. 9 Alabama vs. No. 1 Indiana at the Rose Bowl
- Quarterfinal result: Indiana 38, Alabama 3
- Eventual champion: Indiana
What Changed From the Original Version
The first version read like a breaking-news post and stopped at the bracket announcement. That was useful on Selection Day but becomes thin after the games are played. This update keeps the bracket facts and adds the later results.
The page also removes speculative phrasing about "high-stakes" rewards and broad Nick Saban comparisons. The durable Iron Bowl-history angle is simpler: Alabama's Iron Bowl win helped preserve a CFP route, and that route became Oklahoma, then Indiana.
Why This Page Still Matters
Alabama's No. 9 seed links several late-season rivalry themes: the Oklahoma loss that damaged Alabama's ranking, the Iron Bowl win that kept Alabama in the field, the first-round rematch in Norman, and the Rose Bowl loss to the eventual national champion.
Sources reviewedExpand
Reference notes
MethodologyUpdated May 13, 2026: This bracket page was revised to remove breaking-news language, correct the article's evergreen value, and add verified first-round and quarterfinal results.
Official CFP source for the Alabama-Oklahoma first-round matchup, the Rose Bowl path, and final bracket results.
Official source for Alabama's Selection Day No. 9 ranking.
Used to verify the first-round game result and box-score details.
Used to verify Alabama's Rose Bowl quarterfinal loss after the Oklahoma win.