The second release of the College Football Playoff rankings didn’t really provide much for Oklahoma Sooners fans. With OU staying at eight in Tuesday night’s reveal, the College Football Playoff committee said, “show us.”
Despite Oklahoma’s undefeated record, and standing in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll and AP Top 25, there’s still more to prove to themselves and to the committee before they’ll be given a chance to be considered one of the top four teams in the country.
Before we begin to look at the Oklahoma Sooners matchup with the No. 13 Baylor Bears, here are 6 takeaways from the second release of the College Football Playoff rankings.
Oklahoma at 8, No big deal
Oct 16, 2021; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Caleb Williams (13) reacts after a touchdown during the second half against the TCU Horned Frogs at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
All the Oklahoma Sooners can do is take care of business on the field. There will be no free rides for the Sooners in the College Football Playoff rankings. And nor should there be.
The Kansas game left a lot to be desired, and that seems to sit in the craw of the committee. And the Oklahoma Sooners have only themselves to blame for it. This team has played some outstanding football since Caleb Williams took over at quarterback, but that Kansas game takes a lot of the shine off of what’s happened over the last month.
Redemption time is coming in the Baylor Bears, Iowa State Cyclones, and the Oklahoma State Cowboys. It’s time for the Sooners to show the world who they are.
Oklahoma did get Good News
Oct 2, 2021; Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; Baylor Bears quarterback Gerry Bohanon (11) throws a pass during the fourth quarter against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium. Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports
Baylor wasn’t hurt by the TCU loss as much as might have been anticipated. The Bears dropped just one spot to No. 13 after the 30-28 defeat at the hand of the Chandler Morris-led Horned Frogs.
Oklahoma State moved up a spot with the Wake Forest loss and is now a top 10 team and trending in the right direction ahead of Bedlam.
If things continue to hold up like this, the Sooners will have two top 15 matchups on their resume before the Big 12 championship game, which would likely feature a Bedlam rematch.
This is the part of the schedule that the Sooners must take advantage of if they hope to make it into the College Football Playoff. Win, and they should make the field of four with a chance to win the national championship. A singular loss would likely knock them out of playoff contention.
Leaps of Logic Abound
Oct 30, 2021; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh reacts after a play during the fourth quarter against the Michigan State Spartans at Spartan Stadium. Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Oregon’s place within the top four last week and in the top three this week is simply due to their season-opening win over Ohio State. That makes sense. A head-to-head win over a top-ranked opponent should earn you some points in the eyes of the committee.
So, then, how did the committee put Michigan State behind Michigan? The Spartans just beat the Wolverines a week and a half ago, completing a nice comeback along the way.
It doesn’t make much sense.
The Committee Loves the Big 10
Nov 6, 2021; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) looks to throw a pass during the second quarter against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium. Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
Speaking of the Big 10. Is there a conference in the country that the College Football Playoff committee loves more than the Big 10? Doubtful.
Six Big 10 teams are featured in the top 20 and three within the top seven. The SEC is certainly getting some love with six teams of their own in the top 25, but they only have two within the top 10 and five in the top 20.
The gauntlet of games to end the season between Ohio State and Michigan State and Ohio State and Michigan will go a long way to determining the Big 10’s representative in the College Football Playoff. Whichever team survives these games with just one loss on their resume and wins the Big 10 championship will be a shoo-in for the College Football Playoff.
Undefeated does help Cincinnati
Sep 4, 2021; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Desmond Ridder (9) looks to pass against the Miami (Oh) Redhawks in the first half at Nippert Stadium. Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
With Michigan State’s loss to unranked Purdue, it was going to be interesting to see what would happen with Cincinnati. In the playoff committee’s initial rankings, it was clear that they didn’t think much of the Bearcats resume, placing them sixth.
Moving them up a spot does provide the Bearcats with an opportunity to get in, but they’ll likely need a lot of help with their schedule not swaying the committee’s minds much. They’ll likely need Georgia to beat Alabama, the Big 10 East representative to lose in the conference championship game, and possibly an Oregon loss to get in.
It’s tough sledding for Desmond Ridder and the Bearcats, but like the Sooners, all they can concern themselves with is what they do on the field and hope their play speaks for itself.
Close Wins don’t Hurt top Teams
Nov 6, 2021; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Bryce Young (9) throws under pressure against LSU Tigers defensive lineman Neil Farrell Jr. (92) at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama won 20-14. Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports
Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon, and Cincinnati all won over the weekend, but they were narrow wins against unranked opponents. In the wake of the Michigan State loss, everyone behind them moved up a spot as the Spartans dropped to No. 7.
There’s certainly time for the committee to hold those close wins against the teams at the top, but it didn’t happen this week.
The style points argument is one of the reasons that the Oklahoma Sooners are still at eight despite their undefeated record. Will they matter over the final month of the season?
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