What a turnaround it’s been for [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] in Year 2 as the head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners. Seven weeks ago, there were questions whether Venables was the right guy to lead the program into the SEC.
Now, he has the Oklahoma Sooners as the favorite to win the national title, according to ESPN’s Allstate Playoff Predictor. According to the playoff predictor, the Sooners have a 22% chance of winning the national title.
The others in the top five are the Ohio State Buckeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions, the [autotag]Florida State Seminoles[/autotag] and the Michigan Wolverines.
Ohio State (19%) and Penn State (9%) currently have the second and third-best chance to win the National Championship according to the Allstate Playoff Predictor.
If PSU can win on Saturday, its chances double to 18%. OSU's chances jump to 25% with a win.
đź“Ť@Allstate pic.twitter.com/ZmcAJUg5A3
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 17, 2023
The Sooners could fall into second place if the Buckeyes defeat the Nittany Lions this weekend. But this is a testament to the work Venables and his coaching staff have done since arriving in Norman.
No, it doesn’t mean they will win the national title, but it shows they have the best chance. A big part of that is the schedule. While they could lose any game on their schedule, they are most likely going to be a double-digit favorite in every game until the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] Championship game.
To me, the Georgia Bulldogs should still be the favorite. No, they haven’t been impressive, but they are the back-to-back champions, and until someone knocks them off, they should be the favorite.
For now, the Sooners have to take it one game at a time. As the staff has said, it’s about going 1-0 each week. They have another chance to do that this Saturday against the [autotag]UCF Knights[/autotag].
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.