Who Has the Edge Between John Mateer, Ty Simpson Ahead of Oklahoma-Alabama Rematch?

Neither John Mateer nor Ty Simpson enter the College Football Playoff playing their best football.

Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

Quarterback-wise, Oklahoma and Alabama will enter the College Football Playoff in similar situations.

OU quarterback John Mateer and Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson were both odds-on favorites to win the Heisman Trophy at one point this season. With less than a week until the trophy is awarded, both of their odds are now non-existent.

Let’s look at both of their seasons.

Mateer led OU to a 4-0 start that included wins over Auburn and Michigan. In that span, he compiled 1,215 passing yards, 11 total touchdowns and three interceptions. But in the Auburn game on Sept. 20, Mateer suffered a right-hand injury that forced him to undergo surgery and miss the Sooners’ game against Kent State.

The quarterback returned for Oklahoma’s 23-6 loss to Texas on Oct. 11, and his production hasn’t been the same since. In the Sooners’ final seven games of the regular season, Mateer completed just 58.6 percent of his passes for 1,363 yards, six touchdowns and seven interceptions.

OU coach Brent Venables acknowledged that there have been parts of Mateer’s game — and the offense’s overall performance — that haven’t been up to par.

But he also believes that stats don’t tell the full tale.

“We had several parts of the game that were actually really, really good and then some other parts where we missed opportunities and then (some where) the other team was really good,” Venables said. “I guess everybody is on the statistical things instead of whether or not we won the game or not. So you go back and look at all the statistical measures. How did other teams do against the same team? What did they do?”

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In Simpson’s first eight games of 2025, he completed 66.9 percent of his pass attempts for 2,461 yards, 21 touchdowns and only one interception. Since then, Simpson has completed only 58.3 percent of his passes for 807 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions.

Most recently, Simpson struggled against Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. The quarterback logged 212 yards, a touchdown and an interception on 19-of-39 passing as the Crimson Tide fell 28-7.

Against Oklahoma, Simpson showed flashes of his efficiency. 

He finished the game with 326 passing yards and a touchdown on 66.7-percent passing. But Simpson also threw an interception and lost a fumble — and he saw an interception get called back, due to a defensive holding call on Kendal Daniels.

The Sooners’ ability to disrupt Simpson loomed large in a game that OU won 23-21. But Venables knows that his defense will have to find new ways to make Simpson uncomfortable when the teams square off again in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Dec. 19.

“Whatever happened last time doesn’t have to have anything to do with this time,” Venables said. “Again, all that matters is what we do when we play here in Norman a week from Friday night.”