Oklahoma football: What 12-team Playoff would mean for Sooners

Oklahoma football is one of only four teams that has made at least four trips to the College Football Player under the current four-team format.

Now that a proposal to expand the playoff to 12 teams appears to be favorably moving forward through the College Football Playoff management structure to an almost certain reality, the true benefits are obviously greater for some than others.

But the universal feeling throughout much of college football is that expanding the playoff — as well as the national championship hopes of teams that might not otherwise have a realistic chance of competing for the top four spots under the current format — is good for the game.

Under the expansion proposal, the top four teams would be given a bye week, while the remaining will the remaining eight playoff teams would play a first-round game at the higher seed’s campus site.

Oklahoma Sooners Football

That, in itself, sets up a mild controversy in that the top four teams in the CFP rankings miss out on the extra home game and the opportunity for the added revenue that comes with it. Although the schools with the opening-round bye also avoid the possibility of  injury and the wear and tear and mental fatigue of having to play an extra game.

The new proposed structure rewards the six highest-ranked conference champions, who receive an automatic bid in the postseason. The six remaining teams will receive at-large bids, regardless of whether they are conference champions, based on how they finish in the final CFP rankings.

Sooners would have qualified for 6 of the 7 Playoffs under proposed format

With Oklahoma missing the College Football Playoff this past season, a 12-team tournament would have included the Sooners. OU would have finished within the top six teams in the CFP rankings and would have been given a chance to play for a national championship rather than a New Year’s Six bowl game against a depleted Florida team.

In fact, if the new 12-team format had been in place since 2014, Oklahoma would have advanced to the playoff in six of the seven years and would have received a top-four bye in five of them, including last season.

With an expanded amount of teams qualifying for the playoff, players won’t be so inclined to opt out of postseason action in order to protect their NFL Draft resume. It also will give more meaning to the regular season and playing for conference titles, something that coaches like Lincoln Riley have been strong advocates for.

The most recent of Oklahoma’s CFP appearances was in 2019, when the Sooners, as the No. 4 seed were paired against No. 1 LSU and were embarrassed in a 63-28 blowout.

The Sooners were unable to capture a top-four spot in 2020, but still realized much success after suffering two early season, ending the season on a high note with a 55-20 rout of Florida and a No. 6 finish in the final Associated Press poll.

If the expanded playoff proposal is given the go-aehad by the CFP managers’ board when it meets on June 22 in Dallas, there is expected to be a study period over the summer to explore the many details that still need to be worked out.

The earliest time that a final approval could be reached is September, according to CFP executive director Bill Hancock, and it could easily take longer.

There still will be huge advantages to being a top-four CFP seed

A top-four seed remains just as important as it does currently. Getting a bye week in a tough college football season is crucial in this format. Having to play as the No. 5 seed against a good No. 12 seed is extra wear and tear against a good team.

Teams like Alabama and Clemson will gain a great advantage with a week of rest and having to play four games instead of five to win the championship. As long as Oklahoma continues to win the Big 12 championship, they will always be in excellent position to secure a top-four bid as a conference champion.

“The most important impact is the way it continues to value the regular season. We have to get that right. Any move we make only should enhance it, not take away from it.” — OU athletic director Joe Castiglione on what the proposed 12-team Playoff expansion means for the Sooners

The Sooners and any Big 12 champion has the chance to meet a conference opponent a third time in the Playoff, depending on if a team like Iowa State or Texas advances enough to do so.

A team like last year’s Oklahoma team gains a great gift by being given an opportunity outside of the top four to play for and win a national championship. Many argued that the Sooners truly hit their stride at the end of the season and were playing like they could beat anybody.

While a bowl game against Florida was a satisfying end to the 2020 season, most would have preferred a chance to be part of a larger playoff tournament with a shot at college football’s grand team instead of an inconsequential postseason bowl win.

The new format could also give Oklahoma an extra home game, which would be good for fans, fun for the players to have a home-field environment and good for the school in terms of the financial benefit.

Historically speaking, Oklahoma should benefit from this change by being in position to make the College Football Playoff every year. Of course, the Sooners have been in that same position under the four-team playoff structure, but the proposed new format only enhances their playoff opportunities by expanding the number of teams.

It is important to remember, though, that although it appears to be fait accompli that we will see an expanded playoff format, the earliest such a change would be implemented would be the 2023 season.

Maybe Oklahoma is able to one day capture that elusive eighth national championship as a result of this — and perhaps even a couple more. In that case, no Sooner fans are going to complain about the expansion to a 12 team College Football Playoff.