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Oklahoma football: CFP committee talks OU defense

By Christopher Dukes

NORMAN, OK - SEPTEMBER 29: Quarterback Kyler Murray #1 and wide receiver Marquise Brown #5 of the Oklahoma Sooners celebrate a touchdown against the Baylor Bears at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on September 29, 2018 in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated Baylor 66-33. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)
NORMAN, OK - SEPTEMBER 29: Quarterback Kyler Murray #1 and wide receiver Marquise Brown #5 of the Oklahoma Sooners celebrate a touchdown against the Baylor Bears at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on September 29, 2018 in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated Baylor 66-33. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) /
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There wasn’t much movement in the College Football Playoff rankings this week as Oklahoma stood pat at No. 6.

The Sooners (9-1) sit behind Alabama (10-0), Clemson (10-0), Notre Dame (10-0), Michigan (9-1) and Georgia (9-1).

Coming off a hard-fought 48-47 Bedlam win over Oklahoma State, the struggling Oklahoma defense was much talked about by the college football pundits. While the group – which has given up 40-plus points three times this season – was discussed by the committee, it was far from the only data point when it considered Oklahoma according to College Football Playoff Committee member Rob Mullens.

“Well we talk about Oklahoma in total, so we look at their whole resume and you start off by saying they’re 9-1 and their only loss is to a Texas team at a neutral site in a very close game,” Mullens said in the committee’s weekly teleconference. “But as you dig deeper, you see a great quarterback, one of the top offense in the country with a lot of playmakers, but you also notice particularly in the last two weeks that the defense has struggled and their offense is carrying them. That’s all part of the conversation.”

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While Oklahoma’s defense does ding them a few points in the committee’s eyes, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where a one-loss Sooners team with their current resume could scratch the top four.

There are still an unprecedented four undefeated Power 5 teams, the most at this point of the season in the College Football Playoff era.

Michigan has an identical record with its only loss coming to the Notre Dame team sitting one spot ahead of it. Georgia has amassed a 9-1 record in the media-friendly SEC.

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The Sooners do have a couple of chances left to impress the committee. They travel to Morgantown in what could be a top 10 matchup with West Virginia in two weeks and could also see another top 25 team in a potential Big 12 Championship Game, but to get into the playoffs, Oklahoma has to hope for some chaos ahead of it in the last few weeks of the season.

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