Oklahoma players like big games away from home and recent trips to the College Football Playoff have helped the Sooners prepare for the big game.

No. 4 OU faces No. 1 Alabama in the playoff semifinals at 7 p.m. December 29 in the Orange Bowl near Miami on ESPN.

This will be Riley’s second year in a row as a head coach to take a team to the College Football Playoff. The experience last season has helped preparation for this year.

“It doesn’t feel new,” Riley said of the process. “It doesn’t feel like uncharted territory right now. I think we all have an idea of what we are getting into.”

In the middle of the season, Riley fired former defensive coordinator Mike Stoops and has not replaced him.

Riley said he is devoted to winning the playoff game and not on selecting a new defensive coordinator for next season or recruiting.

“Our first priority is our players and our team here,” Riley said. “Once we get through the season, we are going to have a great defensive coordinator here and we are going to make the very best decisions we can. A lot of our hires have been extremely successful and the next one will be as well.”

Riley and his players are ready to battle the Crimson Tide, even though Alabama is a two-touchdown favorite.

“It’s exciting to be in the playoffs and obviously you know you are going to play a great playoff team,” Riley said. “The players are always excited. The thing about our guys here is they have always like great challenges. They love playing great opponents and relishing those opportunities.”

“They are different than they have been,” Riley said. “Without a doubt. Tua Tagovailoa has had a tremendous year. Jalen (Hurts) has done a great job when he has been in there as well. They have two very capable quarterbacks.

“I’d say one of the strengths of the team is their receiving corps. Those three guys plus the tight end are really, really good football players.

“They’ve grown a lot in the throw game. They have certainly been more explosive, maybe, than they have been in the past. They are doing a great job schematically, doing it with great athletes and they’ve got two good trigger guys with a good o-line. They’ve got all the ingredients.”

Riley indicated it could be a high-scoring game.

“We are as battle tested as anybody this year,” Riley said. “I am confident in our team in a close game.”

“I think we go into a game expecting to score a lot of points,” Murray said. “I think we all expect to make plays. Plays usually equal touchdowns.”

Riley said he was impressed with the consistency Alabama has in recruiting players and with the turnover of assistant coaches.

“They basically set up a farm system for coaches at Alabama,” Riley said. “They’ve invested in it and brought in a ton of analysts  and he’s been able to cultivate those guys and when the next guy leaves, somebody is already ready to step in. It’s a unique model and it’s worked well for him and (Saban) has obviously been at the forefront.”

OU offensive lineman Ben Powers, an All-American, is not concerned about a high-scoring shootout with Alabama.

“I like taking the field and knowing that every play means something,” Powers said. “In those shootouts, you can’t have very many mistakes.

“I feel like I thrive under pressure. I have my best games in big games. When it matters the most, I play the best.”

• Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a high ankle sprain in the SEC Championship game but Alabama Coach Nick Saban said he would be ready for the game with OU.

• OU’s top receiver, Marquise Brown, suffered a leg injury in the Big 12 Championship game and Riley said he may or may not play.

• Powers was named a first-team All-American and while Murray, Brown and Dru Samia were on the second team of the American Football Coaches Association All America teams.

Powers has also been named a first-team All-American on teams by the Walter Camp Foundation, the Football Writers Association of America and Sporting News.

Powers and Samia are part of an offensive line in an offense that averages 8.7 yards per play this year and leads the nation with 11.6 yards per pass attempt. OU ranks second by averaging 6.7 yards per rush.

• Murray was named the Heisman Trophy winner – the seventh for Oklahoma – and a first-team All-American by the Associated Press. Murray won the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award. He leads the nation in total yards (school-record 4,945), points responsible for (306), passing efficiency rating (205.7; FBS record is 198.9), yards per pass attempt (11.9; FBS record is 11.1) and yards per completion (16.8, tied).

• Kyler Murray was named AP national player of the year. Hjoins former Sooners Josh Heupel (2000), Jason White (2003), Sam Bradford (2008) and Baker Mayfield (2017) as previous AP player of the year winners from Oklahoma. No other school has had more than two players win AP Player of the Year.

Murray hit 241 of 340 passes in 2018 for 4,053 yards and 40 touchdowns with only seven interceptions. He ran for 892 yards and 11 touchdowns. Murray needs 108 rushing yards to become the second FBS player with at least 4,000 passing yards and at least 1,000 rushing yards in a season.

• Marquise Brown was named an AP first-team All-American. Brown has 1,318 yards on 75 receptions and scored 10 touchdowns so far in 2018. Brown averaged 17.6 yards per reception and 101.4 yards per game.

• Dru Samia was a second-team selection by the Associated Press. He was a Tri-Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year and is one of five finalists for the Polynesian Player of the Year award. Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Alohi Gilman of Notre Dame, A.J. Epenesa of Iowa and John Ursua of Hawaii on the list of finalists.

• OU has been in 51 bowl games.