| Game Name: | Orange Bowl |
| Subheader: | College Football Playoff Semifinal 85th Orange Bowl |
| Title Sponsor: | Capital One |
| Date Game Played: | December 29 |
| Year Game Played: | 2018 |
| Football Season: | 2018 |
| Stadium: | Hard Rock Stadium |
| City: | Miami Gardens, Florida |
| Visitor School: | University of Oklahoma |
| Visitor Name Short: | Oklahoma |
| Visitor Nickname: | Sooners |
| Visitor Record: | 12–1 |
| Visitor Conference: | Big 12 |
| Visitor Rank Ap: | 4 |
| Visitor Rank Coaches: | 4 |
| Visitor Rank Cfp: | 4 |
| Visitor Coach: | Lincoln Riley |
| Visitor 1Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 10 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 10 |
| Visitor 4Q: | 14 |
| Home School: | University of Alabama |
| Home Name Short: | Alabama |
| Home Nickname: | Crimson Tide |
| Home Record: | 13–0 |
| Home Conference: | SEC |
| Home Rank Ap: | 1 |
| Home Rank Coaches: | 1 |
| Home Rank Cfp: | 1 |
| Home Coach: | Nick Saban |
| Home 1Q: | 21 |
| Home 2Q: | 10 |
| Home 3Q: | 0 |
| Home 4Q: | 14 |
| Mvp: | Tua Tagovailoa (QB, Alabama) Xavier McKinney (S, Alabama)[1] |
| Odds: | Alabama by 14.5 (80.5) [2] |
| Anthem: | Nicole Henry |
| Referee: | Duane Heydt (ACC) |
| Attendance: | 66,203[3] |
| Us Network: | ESPN and ESPN Radio |
| Us Announcers: | Chris Fowler (play-by-play) Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) Maria Taylor and Laura Rutledge (sideline) (ESPN) Steve Levy, Brian Griese and Todd McShay (ESPN Radio) |
| Ratings: | 10.4 (19 million viewers)[4] |
| Intl Network: | ESPN Deportes ESPN Deportes Radio |
| Intl Announcers: | Kenneth Garay Sebastian Martinez-Christensen |
| Different Next: | 2019 |
| Navigation 2: | 1 vs. 4 Seed CFP Semifinal Game |
| Different Previous 2: | 2018 Sugar |
| Different Next 2: | 2019 Peach |
The 2018 Orange Bowl was a college football bowl game played on Saturday, December 29, 2018, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.[5] The 85th edition of the Orange Bowl was one of two College Football Playoff semifinal games, the game featured two of the four teams selected by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee—Alabama from the SEC, and Oklahoma from the Big 12 Conference. Alabama took off with a 28-0 lead in the early 2nd quarter and never looked backed to win 45-34. They advanced to face the winner of the Cotton Bowl (Clemson) in the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship. It was one of the 2018–19 bowl games concluding the 2018 FBS football season. Sponsored by the Capital One Financial Corporation, the game was officially known as the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl.
The game featured top-ranked Alabama of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) against fourth-ranked Oklahoma of the Big 12 Conference.[6] The programs had previously met five times, with Oklahoma leading the series, 3–1–1.[6] They first met in the 1963 Orange Bowl, won by Alabama, 17–0.[7] Their most recent meeting was in the 2014 Sugar Bowl, a 45–31 Oklahoma victory.[6]
See main article: 2018 Alabama Crimson Tide football team. Alabama defeated Georgia in the 2018 SEC Championship Game on December 1, then received their bid to the Orange Bowl with the release of final CFP rankings on December 2.[6] The Crimson Tide entered the bowl with a 13–0 record (8–0 in conference). On December 25, it was announced that three Alabama players, including starting offensive lineman Deonte Brown, would not play in the game due to an unspecified violation of team rules.[8]
See main article: 2018 Oklahoma Sooners football team. Oklahoma defeated Texas in the 2018 Big 12 Championship Game on December 1, then received their bid to the Orange Bowl with the release of final CFP rankings on December 2.[6] The Sooners entered the bowl with a 12–1 record (8–1 in conference); their only loss was to Texas, by a score of 45–48 in the 113th Red River Showdown on October 6.