David Pollack explains picking Oklahoma to beat Alabama

On Saturday, No. 4 Alabama and No. 11 Oklahoma will square off in a pivotal SEC showdown. During Wednesday’s episode of See Ball Get Ball, college football expert David Pollack revealed his prediction for the game.

“There’s a couple things, a couple of reasons why I think this game is going to be close,” Pollack said. “One, Alabama, if you’ve watched them throughout the season, throughout last year, they struggle with running quarterbacks. I’ve mentioned it 4,000 times. I’ll continue to mention it.

“And John Mateer, he’s probably a better runner right now than he is a thrower. … John Mateer has to tote that puppy. He’s gonna have to tote it 15 times. Their season’s on the line. He’s gonna have to be John Mateer that we’ve seen. Like you said, he’s well rested off of the bye.”

Since injuring his hand in September, Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer’s passing game hasn’t been the same. Alas, he’s still a dynamic runner, and Pollack believes he could have a massive day against the Crimson Tide.

In Alabama’s season-opening loss to Florida State, it allowed Seminoles QB Tommy Castellanos to record a team-high 78 rushing yards and a touchdown. The Crimson Tide can’t afford to allow Mateer to find the same success.

Nevertheless, Mateer’s ability to run isn’t the only reason Pollack likes the Sooners’ chances. Oklahoma’s defense boasts 33 sacks this season, the fourth-most in the country. Pollack is confident Oklahoma’s pass rush could cause serious problems for Alabama’s pass-heavy offense.

“The reason I think Boomer Sooner is going to win is because they got the pass rush, man,” Pollack said. “They got the dudes up front with [David] Stone and R Mason Thomas and [Gracen] Halton—guys that can get to get to a one-dimensional Alabama offense.

“Alabama plays a bad game. They get caught up in it and finally stub their toe. They’ve been great for the rest of the season. Boomer-freaking-Sooner, 24-20 over ‘Bama.”

Alabama will be hungry to prove Pollack wrong after falling 24-3 to the Sooners last season. Nonetheless, the Crimson Tide won’t be the only ones entering the game with extra motivation.

The Sooners are 7-2 and a loss on Saturday would likely eliminate them from College Football Playoff contention. With Oklahoma’s final two opponents of the regular season being unranked, Saturday could prove to be the most pivotal day of the Sooners’ season.

On Saturday, Oklahoma and Alabama will face off 2:30 p.m. CT. The game will air live on ABC.