No. 6 Oklahoma locked up its sixth-straight Big 12 Championship on Saturday and learned of their postseason fate on Sunday. Though the Sooners will be missing out on the College Football Playoff for the first time under head coach Lincoln Riley, the Sooners still get a prestigious matchup in the form of No. 7 Florida in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl.
Oklahoma gets ten days to prepare before returning to AT&T Stadium (the suite of the Big 12 Championship) to take on a Florida team that’s seemingly more dangerous than their 8-3 record would suggest. The Gators lost games to No. 1 Alabama and No. 5 Texas A&M by a combined nine points with their third loss coming at home to LSU on a game-winning, fog-obscured 57-yard field goal.
It’s an intriguing matchup as Florida’s identity largely matches with Oklahoma’s as of the the last few seasons. The Gators possess a high-flying offense but below-average defense, leading to a lot of shootouts.
In contrast, Oklahoma’s identity this season has shifted to the defensive side of the ball, where a dominating defensive line leads to low-scoring affairs. Let’s get right into the matchups.