National observers haven’t taken kindly to the Oklahoma Sooners second-half let down in their matchup with Tulane on Saturday. ESPN and Pro Football Focus dropped Oklahoma in their power rankings, and CBS expects the Sooners to dip in the polls when they’re released on Tuesday.
It’s not surprising. Analysts and experts can be a fickle bunch, often swaying week-to-week as the results on the field change the view of college football teams across the country. It was a poor second-half showing against Tulane. Of that, there is no doubt. However, there was a lot to like in the first half that can propel the Sooners if they can keep their minds right moving forward.
In ESPN’s latest College Football Playoff projections, the ESPN college football staff voted the Sooners fourth. Landing on the ballot of five of their 12 analysts, the Sooners come in behind Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio State. Alabama and Georgia each received votes on all 12 ballots, while the Buckeyes were selected on 11 of 12 ballots.
Here’s what ESPN had to say.
Unlike Georgia and Alabama, Oklahoma struggled out of the gates but held on to beat Tulane 40-35 in the season opener. Due to the close call, the Sooners land in only five of 12 lists. – ESPN
It isn’t surprising that some analysts chose to leave Oklahoma off their ballots. National observers have been looking for a reason to knock the Sooners after failing to advance in College Football Playoff appearances of the past.
However, when you look at the teams that did get votes, it just doesn’t make sense.
I can see an argument for Clemson, even if their week one performance was a letdown. They played a strong Georgia team, and their ACC schedule should provide them an opportunity to win the conference and be one of the top teams in the nation by the season’s end. There’s plenty of time to make people forget how bad you looked in your week one loss to Georgia.
Texas A&M, I can understand a bit as they were one of the hot teams. They finished just outside of the college football playoff after their lone loss to Alabama last season. In a tough SEC West, they’ll have a chance to make their case as one of the best four teams if they can navigate it relatively unblemished.
Those two teams are highly thought of squads. Clemson a recent two-time national champion, and A&M an SEC darling. But UCLA and Cincinnati, I struggle to understand.
Sure, UCLA looked good in their blowout win over LSU. But is LSU really that good? Their 5-5 record from 2020 seems to indicate they’re not very good. Are we ready to say that Chip Kelly is back? That UCLA is for real? That seems like a stretch after a half-decade of below .500 play.
Cincinnati is a really good Group of Five team that could one day be in the Big 12, but are they really a better squad than Oklahoma? Desmond Ridder will keep the Bearcats in the national title picture in a solid AAC, but it’s hard to make an argument that they’re better than the Sooners, despite OU’s second-half performance against Tulane.
That’s why expanding the playoff will make this all so much more fun. Instead of debating resumes and worthiness, the best teams will get to decide it on the field.
List
Big 12 Power Rankings after week 1 of the season
Stream college football games from the SEC, Big 12, The American, and more on ESPN+