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After running the table a year ago and not suffering a Big 12 loss in 17 consecutive games dating back to the 2015 season, it took just two games into the conference schedule this season for a Big 12 team to hang a loss on the preseason Big 12 favorites in 2017.
Oklahoma is ranked No. 9 in the country in both the Associated Press Top 25 and the Coaches Poll — that’s down two spots from where it began the season and seven from where the Sooners rose to after the Ohio State win — but with one conference loss already, the Sooners find themselves a game back of league-leading and undefeated TCU and in a five-way tie for second place with Oklahoma State, West Virginia, Iowa State and Texas after three games.
With games remaining against TCU, Oklahoma State and West Virginia — two of which (TCU and Oklahoma State) are ranked in the top 10 this week and the other (West Virginia) at No. 23 — still have all their season goals out in front of them, but with one league loss already, they can ill afford another regular-season defeat.
Oklahoma has TCU at home (Nov. 11), but the game the week before that, a Bedlam Series battle at Oklahoma State, may just be the biggest game of the season for the Sooners. If they aren’t able to win at Oklahoma State, their College Football Playoff chances will be gone for sure and it will be a big stretch for them to be one of the two teams that play for the Big 12 crown.
Of course, all of this assumes that OU doesn’t stumble in games they have left with K-State and Texas Tech.
Still lots to play for, as there is virtually every year at this time for fans of Oklahoma football, but also plenty of land mines in the road directly ahead. November is shaping up as a big month for Sooner football, but for that to happen, OU must first survive the scary month of October.