Oklahoma football has survived but not thrived from championship controversy
By Chip Rouse
Oklahoma football has been no stranger to championship controversy the past two decades.
Several of the Sooners’ championship runs over the past 20 years have been the subject of controversy. For example, in each of the last two years, Oklahoma was the final team to make it into the College Football Playoff, and both times it was surrounded by some controversy.
The same was true in 2015, when the Sooners got the nod over Ohio State for the fourth and final CFP spot and became the first Big 12 team to make an appearance in the new playoff format to determine the national champion.
There is a common thread that runs through all three of these years in which Oklahoma has been a Playoff participant. While the Sooners were fortunate to have survived the debate surrounding their selection as one of the four Playoff teams, they were unable to take advantage of the good fortune when they were there.
Oklahoma has played in the national championship game or been involved in the CFP format to make it into the national championship game a total of eight times since the 2000 season. That is tied with Alabama for the most among FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) teams.