[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz7cqqgxy50qwt player_id=none image=https://soonerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
With all of the buzz surrounding the stuff that takes place off the field — losing a coach, bringing on an interim, hiring a new one, and recruiting classes falling apart — it’s easy to forget that the Oklahoma Sooners will play a game in a few weeks.
Albeit, it’s not the game they hoped to be in when the 2021 college football season started, it’s a game nonetheless. The Sooners will square off with Oregon in the Alama Bowl on Dec. 29 in San Antonio. And while this matchup has some historical storylines to relive, it’s unlikely any of the current players recall the game from 2006.
The Sooners had higher expectations for the 2021 season but found themselves with an intriguing matchup against Pac-12 power Oregon later this month. But where does the Alamo Bowl rank among all 42 bowl games this season? Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports ranked all 42 bowl games and placed the Sooners matchup with Oregon at No. 21.
Here’s what he had to say:
Not long ago, this was a potential College Football Playoff matchup. Oregon started the year well, beating Ohio State on the road, and spent a few weeks in the top four of the rankings. Oklahoma was on the periphery while the world waited for it to kick its offense into overdrive and steam toward an eventual Big 12 title. Alas, it was not meant to be.
The Ducks ran into a buzzsaw named Utah and were cut in half. Unfortunately, the half with the legs managed to stand up and walk right back into the Utah buzzsaw last week, costing Oregon a Pac-12 title and a New Year’s Six berth. The Ducks will also be playing under an interim coach with Mario Cristobal off to Miami. But at least they made their conference title game?
That’s more than the Sooners can say about the Big 12. Oklahoma lost to rival Oklahoma State for the first time since 2014, and it started a mass exodus in Norman. The next day, Lincoln Riley left to take the USC job, and he’s taken a lot of assistants with him. Former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops will lead the team into this game as the interim, and I suspect new coach Brent Venables will be there. Just look for a guy in a skybox being held back by a strength coach.
In the end, both teams’ late-season disappointment and uncertainty around the coaching situations make it hard to include this game in the top 20. There should be plenty of offense and inconsistent defense, which could make for a shootout. – Fornelli, CBS Sports
Both teams will be welcoming new coaches after Lincoln Riley and Mario Cristobal step away for other opportunities. The matchup loses a bit of luster with Nik Bonitto and Kayvon Thibodeaux opting out of the late-December exhibition game.
With the Sooners losing Spencer Rattler, Jadon Haselwood, Theo Wease, and Austin Stogner to the transfer portal, it’ll be on Marvin Mims, Mario Williams, Jeremiah Hall, Brayden Willis, and Drake Stoops to lead the way for the Sooners offense.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.
[listicle id=49643]