Oklahoma football: A few more numbers to ponder pre-Playoff
By Chip Rouse
Few teams can boast the history and the lengthy accolades associated with Oklahoma football and the pigskin kings of the south, the Crimson Tide of Alabama.
The Sooners are making their third appearance in the four-year history of the College Football Playoff, while Alabama has a perfect attendance record, having made it into the Playoff all four years.
Clemson and Notre Dame, the other two participants in the 2018 Playoff, are making their fourth and first appearance, respectively, in college football’s version of the Final Four.
Three of the four Playoff teams this year are among the top eight winningest college football programs, all with more than 800 all-time wins: No. 2 Notre Dame, No. 7 Alabama and No. 8 Oklahoma. And Clemson is attempting to claim its second national championship in the last three seasons.
On the subject of national champions, three of this year’s Playoff participants have won a combined 27 national titles in the sport of football and represent the top three teams with national championships in the 82 years of the Associated Press rankings (Alabama with 12, Notre Dame 8 and Oklahoma 7).
Here are a Baker’s dozen more notable numbers worth noting with four days to go before all the waiting ends and the fun begins with No. 4 Oklahoma taking on No. 1 Alabama:
2 — Alabama’s rank in the Associated Press All-Time Top 25; Oklahoma is No. 3.
7-13 — Oklahoma’s record all-time against the No. 1 team. When the Sooners are ranked in the top 10, however, they are 7-6-1 against the country’s top-ranked team.
10 — Alabama ranks 10th in the nation this season in total defense (averaging 295.4 yards allowed per game.
12 — OU’s 12 Orange Bowl wins are the most all-time.
20 — Number of Orange Bowl appearances by Oklahoma, more than any other school.
25-1 — The combined records of OU and Alabama in the 2018 season.
31.3 — Percentage of Oklahoma offensive plays this season that gained at least 10 yards. Alabama is second in that category on a nationwide basis, with 29.3 percent of its plays going for 10 or more yards.
39 — Minimum points scored by Oklahoma in its last nine games.
51.2 — OU’s third-down conversion rate this season, fifth best in the nation.
108 — Where Oklahoma ranks this season in total defense (out of 129 FBS teams), giving up an average of 448.1 yards per game.
151 — Career starts by the five members of Oklahoma’s offensive line, named the best in college football this season and winner of the Joe Moore Award.
253.9 — The Sooners averaged 253 rushing yards per game this season, 11th best in the country.
904 — Alabama’s all-time win total. The Sooners are eight wins behind the Crimson Tide, with 896.
The statistical information contained in this article was extracted, in part, from the Oklahoma-Alabama Game Notes prepared by the OU athletic department.