What Alabama, Oklahoma must do to succeed in CFP first-round bout

No. 9 Alabama and No. 8 Oklahoma are set up to face off against each other at 8 p.m. ET Friday in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

Here's what each team will have to do to come out on top:

What Alabama has to do

Alabama will have to make Oklahoma rely on its struggling offense. It should try to avoid letting the Sooners make it into a defensive battle. To do this, it will need to limit its turnovers, which means limiting quarterback mistakes and fumbles. In their first meeting this season, the Crimson Tide was able to control and win the yardage game, but due to giving the ball away, they ultimately lost, 23-21.

With running back Jam Miller back, Alabama will need to find a functional running game to make sure it isn't too one-dimensional. Though it might be a slow paced game, the Crimson Tide should stay patient to avoid forcing big plays that might lead to Oklahoma getting a turnover.

What Oklahoma has to do

Oklahoma will have to win with the defense again. The Sooners have a fast, opportunistic unit that already held Alabama to 21 points in the regular season. But they have had a below-average offense all year, so they must create havoc and short fields.

They should be trying to force turnovers just like the last time they met. This team is built to upset by stealing possessions, not by lighting up the scoreboard. Since Oklahoma owns one of the weakest offenses in the CFP field and has not scored more than two offensive touchdowns in a game since late October, it needs to keep the game low-scoring and controlled. 

Lastly, the Sooners need to use this home-field advantage in their favor. In Norman, Oklahoma is 6-1 this season and now gets Alabama in a rare CFP home game after already winning in Tuscaloosa.

Whichever team protects the ball, controls the line of scrimmage and stays truest to its identity will be the one moving on to the next round and starting to prepare for the No. 1-seed Indiana Hoosiers.