The race is on.
With Alabama’s 48-45 loss to Auburn in the Iron Bowl, the door has been blown wide open for Oklahoma and Utah, who moved to No. 6 and No. 5 respectively in the Amway Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Without star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama fell to Auburn, effectively ending their playoffs hopes.
Just a few hours later, Oklahoma and Utah were both handedly winning games of their own, each claiming their case for the fourth spot.
The Sooners beat the then-No. 21 Oklahoma state 34-16, using a combination of offense and defense to put the Cowboys away. OSU fell out of the top 25 of the Amway Coaches poll following the loss and the Sooners vaulted to No. 6.
Now No. 5 Utah defeated unranked Colorado 45-15, and ended their regular season at 11-1 along with the Sooners.
Next weekend, Oklahoma and Utah will face-off in their respective conference championships, and look to earn the fourth playoff spot.
The Sooners will face No. 8 Baylor, who jumped Minnesota and Alabama this week. Utah will face No. 13-ranked Oregon. The Big 12 title game could be an auto-bid for the fourth spot, but Utah will need to win big for the Pac-12 to have a chance at the national championship.
The Sooners and Bears face off at 11 a.m. in Arlington, and the Utes and Ducks play at 7 p.m. in Santa Clara for their respective championships.