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Oklahoma Football: How Sooners Compare with Other Playoff Contenders

By Chip Rouse

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With the Sooners almost certain to secure one of the four spots in this season’s College Football Playoff, we thought it would be interesting to see how Oklahoma football this season compares with the other Playoff contenders.

We’ve selected eight different offensive and defensive statistical categories to see how the Sooners compare with the top seven teams in the current Playoff rankings (Clemson, Alabama, Iowa. Michigan State, Ohio State and Stanford).

Oklahoma, with the nation’s seventh-best offensive output among FBS teams, will enter the Playoff with the best offensive production both in terms of total offense and scoring. Coming from the Big 12, easily the conference with the most prolific, high-scoring offenses in the country, it is not surprising the Oklahoma would lead the Playoff contenders in offensive firepower and scoring.

The power behind the Sooners’ offensive production, however, is the run game with brusier-back Samaje Perine and his fleet-footed running mate Joe Mixon. Between them, Perine and Mixon average 170 rushing yards a game, and Mayfield adds another 35-plus-yards to the mix, providing OU with more than enough firepower on the ground to exploit pass-receiving matchups and mismatches in the passing game.

Nov 28, 2015; Stillwater, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners running back Samaje Perine (32) takes the hand off from quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium. The Sooners defeated the Cowboys 58-23. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Oklahoma is likely to face some stern run-game challenges in the Playoff. Alabama, Clemson and Iowa all have top-10 rush defenses, with Alabama and Clemson ranking 1 and 4, respectively, in the nation in that category. It will take a near miracle for Ohio State to make it back into the Playoff top four, but if they were to be so lucky, the Buckeyes also are extremely stingy in giving up yards on the ground.

While both Alabama and Clemson have played outstanding on defense this season, it also can be said that they have not faced offenses that are as balanced and difficult to defend as Oklahoma’s and the other top teams in the Big 12.

When you get into the postseason and Playoff-caliber football, turnovers can play a huge part in determining the outcome of games between evenly or closely matched teams. Iowa and Michigan State have made a living this season capitalizing on their opponents’ mistakes. Both the Spartans and the Hawkeyes are at plus-14 in the turnover department heading into their showdown in the Big Ten Championship.

The Sooners started a bit slowly this season in the turnover department, but have been gaining a lot of steam down the stretch, particularly in picking off passes. OU has 19 interceptions this season, four of them have been returned for touchdowns. Overall, Oklahoma owns a turnover ratio of plus-10 through 12 games, better than all but two (Iowa and Michigan State) of the other viable Playoff contenders.

Clemson will be the best pass defense the Sooners would face in the Playoffs. The Tigers, with former Oklahoma defensive assistant Brent Venables as defensive coordinator, are allowing opponents 161 yards per game through the air. Oklahoma is averaging 308 passing yards per game, but that number would be greatly impacted if the Sooners are not able to have success on the ground as well.

Here is how the top Playoff contenders compare with each other across several statistical categories:

Rushing Offense

  1. Ohio State – 242 yards per game
  2. Oklahoma – 235
  3. Stanford – 222
  4. Clemson – 214
  5. Alabama – 206
  6. Iowa – 204
  7. Michigan State – 160

Passing Offense

  1. Oklahoma – 308 yards per game
  2. Clemson – 288
  3. Michigan State – 239
  4. Alabama – 216
  5. Stanford – 216
  6. Iowa – 201
  7. Ohio State – 187

Total Offense

  1. Oklahoma – 543 yards per game
  2. Clemson – 502
  3. Stanford – 437
  4. Ohio State – 429
  5. Alabama – 421
  6. Iowa – 404
  7. Michigan State – 399

Rushing Defense

  1. Alabama – 79 yards per game
  2. Iowa – 110
  3. Michigan State – 118
  4. Ohio State – 127
  5. Clemson – 128
  6. Stanford – 145
  7. Oklahoma – 149

Passing Defense

  1. Clemson – 161 yards per game
  2. Ohio State – 176
  3. Alabama – 186
  4. Oklahoma – 202
  5. Iowa – 222
  6. Michigan State – 231
  7. Stanford – 231

Total Defense

  1. Alabama – 265 yards per game
  2. Clemson – 286
  3. Ohio State – 304
  4. Iowa – 332
  5. Michigan State – 349
  6. Oklahoma – 351
  7. Stanford – 395

Scoring Margin

  1. Ohio State – 21.0 (35.0-14.0)
  2. Alabama – 20.2 (34.5-14.3)
  3. Oklahoma – 20.0 (45.8-20.8)
  4. Clemson – 19.1 (37.9-18.8)
  5. Iowa – 15.0 (33.7-18.7)
  6. Stanford – 13.7 (36.9-23.2)
  7. Michigan State – 12.3 (33.4-21.1)

Turnover Margin

  1. Iowa – +14
  2. Michigan State – +14
  3. Oklahoma – +10
  4. Alabama – +7
  5. Stanford – -1
  6. Ohio State – -2
  7. Clemson – -5

 

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