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Oklahoma football: What to watch for in the penultimate CFP rankings

By Christopher Dukes

STILLWATER, OK - NOVEMBER 04: Members of the Oklahoma Sooners spirit squad celebrate a touchdown against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium on November 4, 2017 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated Oklahoma State 62-52. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
STILLWATER, OK - NOVEMBER 04: Members of the Oklahoma Sooners spirit squad celebrate a touchdown against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium on November 4, 2017 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated Oklahoma State 62-52. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /
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Oklahoma football had a good week when it came to its standing in the College Football Playoff rankings, but will it be enough to get them in?

Here are three things for Oklahoma football watch for when the second-to-last College Football Playoff come out.

Where are Oklahoma State, Iowa State and Kansas State?

The middle of the Big 12 has placed a pair of teams in the past two CFP rankings, but with ranked teams Oklahoma State and Iowa State going down this past Saturday, will any of this trio be ranked in the top 25?

The Sooners need all the boost they can get and the higher the Cowboys and Cyclones are ranked, the better their wins look. The higher Kansas State is, the better the road loss at Manhattan will seem in the eyes of the committee. Keep an eye on where these teams are especially in relation to USC, which beat fellow contender Utah earlier this season.

Does Baylor jump Alabama? Do the Bears stay ahead of Florida?

With Minnesota and Alabama both losing the Bears stand to make another jump in the CFP rankings, but we’ve seen the committee under-respect Baylor and over-respect the SEC all year. Did Baylor’s dominant 61-6 win coupled with two losses from top contenders do enough to move the Bears directly behind Utah and Oklahoma?

Also, will the committee continue its love affair with Florida, which for some reason jumped Baylor in both the AP and Coaches’ Polls on the back of a lopsided win over a mediocre Florida State program that is barely bowl-eligible in the worst Power Five conference in America.

Did Oklahoma jump Utah?

File this one under duh, but one has to wonder if a quality win over a ranked opponent on the road – a lopsided win at that – will be enough to move the Sooners ahead of the Utes, a team with no ranked wins on its slate to this point.

The Sooners would have to feel great about their chances to get in to the CFP should they jump the Utes this week considering they play a higher-ranked opponent in their championship game. If they don’t jump Utah (which most people don’t expect to happen) next week may turn into a beauty contest.

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