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This week news broke that three Oklahoma Sooners players would be suspended for the Peach Bowl, the game vs. LSU that will act as the semifinal for the College Football Playoff.
It’s a devastating blow for Lincoln Riley and his Sooners team, as they were already underdogs heading into the game. LSU enters the game undefeated, with Heisman winner Joe Burrow starting at quarterback and running one of the best offenses in the country.
What happened? To whom? And how is it going to affect the semifinal game?
Let’s get to your questions and sort this whole thing out.
Who is involved?
Three players for the Sooners have been suspended. Defensive end Ronnie Perkins, running back Rhamondre Stevenson, and wide receiver Trejan Bridges.
What did they do?
Not totally clear as of now. The Athletic’s Jason Kersey first reported it was a “rules violation” that led to their suspension, then had sources tell him it was due the three failing a drug test. That is just a report as of now, and has not been confirmed by the school or the NCAA.
What did their coach say?
Not much. Oklahoma’s head coach Lincoln Riley gave a textbook non-answer, saying “”I’m aware of the report that is out there. Unfortunately at this time, I cannot comment on it.”
Is Oklahoma screwed?
This sure doesn’t help things. The Sooners were 14-point underdogs before the suspensions happened. Perkins is considered the team’s best pass rusher, with six sacks this season and 38 total tackles, 13.5 of them for a loss.
Stevenson is just one of three healthy scholarship running backs on the Sooners right now, so they will only have two for the Peach Bowl without him. An injury, and things get hairy for the Sooners at the running back position.
Going against a fearsome, No. 1 ranked LSU team? This isn’t going to help anything.
So they’re going to get destroyed, huh.
Who knows. Football is a funny old game, you know? Crazy things happen. It all gets settled on the field. Other cliches.
Yeah, no, LSU should win this game.
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