What Ty Simpson Has Learned From SEC Championship, Oklahoma Losses

The Alabama quarterback explains the "great opportunity" of facing the Sooners on the road in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson walks off the field after the SEC Championship loss on Dec. 6, 2025. | Sarah Munzenmaier/Alabama Crimson Tide on SI

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — When Alabama fell to Florida State in the season opener, the college football world assumed the worst.

They said the dynasty was over, head coach Kalen DeBoer had to go and that the team won't keep up with today's game. Alabama players and coaches will usually say that they don't hear or read about what's said, but the mecca of the sport was ferociously attacked after that loss and it was impossible not to notice.

But Alabama won 10 of its last 12 games, including victories over four consecutive ranked conference opponents — becoming the first team in SEC history to accomplish that feat without any open dates.

While the Crimson Tide did make the College Football Playoff as the 9-seed, its season ended on a sour note with a blowout loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship. Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson spoke about what he's learned from that game on Monday, as he completed 19 of 39 pass attempts for 212 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

"Certainly not our best performance," Simpson said. "I think it goes back to just, one, communication, in general. You know, just one-word calls in the huddle or on the line of scrimmage. Two, the little details. Whether it's in the routes, our footwork, my footwork and honestly just doing our job. It goes back to almost every game that has come down to games like that.

"Just doing our job, it's nothing that they did that we didn't know that was coming, but it's all about what we did. I've said that since Day 1 of just controlling what we can control, and we can control how we play, our attitude and what we do. So that's basically what it is in this game as well. We've already played them once, but that didn't mean anything. So we just got to control what we can control and go play."

After winning nine consecutive games, Alabama fell to Oklahoma 23-21 at home on Nov. 15. The Sooners are the team that the Crimson Tide will face in the first round of the College Football Playoff. UA lost to OU 24-3 in Norman, Okla., last year, but Simpson is looking forward to the road trip, calling it "a great opportunity."

"It's a new season. 0-0. Nobody's won. Nobody's lost," Simpson said. "I mean, if you win, you advance. We know what happened last year. We know what happened this year, but we can't worry about that.

"Like we got to do what we do, control what we can control. And guess what? We control our attitude, how we play and how we prepare. So we're going to prepare like we've never won, and perform like we've never lost, like we said.

"So, just a great opportunity. Really excited. Two good teams going at it. First College Football Playoff game the year, on Friday night. Like, let's do it. Very excited."

Simpson aims to use what he's learned from these losses. That said, the mindset is already being embraced, as Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said on Monday that Saturday's practice was "one of our best practices we’ve had in a long time."

Subscribe to BamaCentral's Free Newsletter