Oklahoma football: Beating UCLA now becomes even bigger

Oklahoma football’s strength of schedule is typically boosted by a nonconference slate that is more challenging than most.

In recent years, the Sooners have played Ohio State, Tennessee, Florida State and Notre Dame in home and home series.

Oklahoma went 6-2 against those four teams, but the Sooners three wins over nonconference foes this year — by 18 points over Houston, 56 points over South Dakota and 34 over UCLA —  is overshadowed by the reality that one was against a team a level down, out of the Football Championship Series, and the three opponents had only one win between them out of nine games over the first three weeks of the season.

Oklahoma’s nonconference strength of schedule this year is not going to hold much weight if it becomes a point of discussion by the College Football Playoff selection committee later this season, but the 34-point victory at UCLA became a little bigger thanks to the Bruins dramatic come-from-behind win on Saturday over No. 19 and previously unbeaten Washington State.

Down by 32 points eight minutes into the third quarter, UCLA outscored WSU 50-14 over the final 23 minutes of the game and came away with an improbable 67-63 victory. The 130 combined points is a new Pac-12 record. For a complete recap, click here.

With nearly 1,400 yards of offense between the two teams, the game was reminiscent of the 2017 battle between Oklahoma and Texas Tech, in which the two teams combined for an NCAA-record 1,702 total offensive yards in a 66-59 Sooner victory.

UCLA sophomore quarterback accounted for seven touchdowns in the game (five passing and two rushing) and Washington State’s Anthony Gordon threw a school-record nine touchdown passes in what turned into a Wild West shootout.

Forty-three points were scored in the fourth quarter alone (29 by UCLA and 14 by the Cougars). That reminded me of the 2008 Bedlam game with Oklahoma State, when the two teams put up 39 points in the final quarter (24 by Oklahoma and 19 by Oklahoma State). Oklahoma won that game 61-41, but the Sooners lead was only three points, 37-34, at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

The UCLA win was its first over a ranked team since 2015. It also was the second largest comeback in Bruin history. UCLA overcame a 34-point deficit in defeating Texas A&M in 2017.

UCLA’s miraculous comeback win over Mike Leach’s Washington State Cougars likely won’t have any impact on Oklahoma’s College Football Playoff chances, but the Sooners can make sure of it by controlling their own destiny and winning a fifth straight Big 12 championship..

Texas looms as OU’s biggest challenger. That showdown — at least round one —  is just three weeks off.