Oklahoma's self-destruction helps send Alabama to CFP quarterfinal

There are a couple of different ways to look at Alabama's 34-24 win over Oklahoma in the first-round of the College Football Playoff on Friday night. The first is that Alabama silenced the critics and justified the CFP committee's decision to put them in the field when their inclusion was heavily scrutinized. 

It was a fair criticism at the time. It still is now. 

But Alabama did what it needed to, proved its point and is advancing to the quarterfinal, where it will play No. 1 Indiana. 

The other way to look at this game is that Oklahoma missed a great opportunity to make a run of its own and self-destructed in a staggering way. 

Because that is the big story of the game itself. 

Oklahoma was in total control and just gave it away

Early in the second quarter, it appeared as if Oklahoma was going to run away with the game, run Alabama out of the stadium and validate all of the people who criticized the Crimson Tide's inclusion. 

Oklahoma jumped out to a 17-0 lead and looked to be in full control.

Even after Alabama scored on a fourth-down conversion mid-way through the second quarter, Oklahoma still had a great chance to wrestle momentum back.

But that is when the self-destruction began.

The sequence of events that ended the first half was a staggering series of unforced errors by the Sooners that are going to be nightmare fuel for their fans all offseason.

It began when quarterback John Mateer found a wide-open Xavier Robinson downfield for what could have — and should have — been a touchdown to extend the lead back to 17 points. Robinson dropped the ball, forcing Oklahoma to punt.

That quickly turned into a disaster when Grayson Miller simply missed the football on his punt attempt, giving Alabama the football at the 30-yard line. That resulted in a field goal to make it a 17-10 game. 

As if that was not bad enough, Mateer ended the first half by throwing an egregious pick-six to tie the game that was not even close to an Oklahoma wide receiver.