All is right with the world after the Oklahoma Sooners looked like the team many thought they’d be in their 52-21 win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders. The Sooners made plays on both sides of the football in their route of the Red Raiders.
It’s the type of performance that everyone’s been looking for from this Oklahoma team, and it was easily their most complete when of the year.
With the win, the Oklahoma Sooners see their chances of making the College Football Playoff improve from last week when they were given just a 45% chance to make the playoff by FiveThirty Eight. After the big win, FiveThirtyEight gives Oklahoma a 50% chance of making the College Football Playoff.
FiveThirtyEight, led by Nate Silver, uses statistical analysis for polling and predicting results. ESPN has used its analysis to predict the College Football Playoff participants, college football predictions, and bowl games for years. Yesterday, FiveThirtyEight released its College Football Playoff Projections, and the Oklahoma Sooners come in with the third-best chance to make the College Football Playoff.
The Sooners held firm at number three in FiveThirtyEight’s projections, but Cincinnati, Ohio State, Oregon, and Michigan State all saw their chances to make the playoff improve over the weekend.
With games coming up against Baylor, Iowa State, and Oklahoma State — and likely a rematch against either Baylor or Oklahoma State in the Big 12 championship — the road to a seventh-straight Big 12 championship won’t be smooth. Each of those teams has a strong defense and a strong running game that can gash a defense.
Though Oklahoma will have the quarterback edge in each of those games, Gerry Bohanon, Brock Purdy, and Spencer Sanders can get hot and make plays that can beat your defense.
The Georgia Bulldogs, the unanimous No. 1 team in the country, saw their chances of making the College Football Playoff improve from 72% to 78%. For them, it’s simple. Go undefeated heading into the SEC Championship game, and there’s a good chance that they make the College Football Playoff, even if they lose to the Alabama Crimson Tide. Alabama, who held steady in this week’s playoff projections from FiveThirtyEight, needs to win out and beat Georgia in the SEC title game to have a shot.
For the Oklahoma Sooners, it should be pretty straightforward. Stay undefeated and win the Big 12, and they’ll be in the playoff. There’s the potential for chaos, however, if Alabama beats Georgia in a close game, Cincinnati remains undefeated, and Michigan State wins the Big 10. The College Football Playoff Committee would have a very interesting decision to make.
As the initial College Football Playoff rankings will be released, we’ll find out how the committee feels about the 9-0 Sooners tonight. Those aren’t the final rankings, but they’ll provide a good indication of how the committee feels about the Oklahoma Sooners’ first nine games of the season.
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