3 teams Oklahoma needs to lose in Week 13 to improve CFP situation

As long as they win their last two games of the regular season, it seems the Oklahoma Sooners have locked in their spot in the College Football Playoff, but hosting a first-round game in Norman is still a possibility that’s no guarantee, even with two more wins. 

The Sooners, at 8-2, were at No. 8 in the latest CFP rankings that were released Tuesday as the highest-ranked two-loss team. OU had been behind Notre Dame and Texas, but the Sooners’ upset over Alabama and Texas suffering a third loss to Georgia was enough to vault them three spots and over Notre Dame. 

Based on the current rankings, the Sooners would host No. 9 Notre Dame in the opening round at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The winner would then play No. 1 Ohio State at a neutral site. 

The Sooners control their own destiny to get into the playoff. Home wins over No. 22 Missouri on Saturday and LSU next week would make that happen. However, if the Sooners want the benefit of beginning the playoff in their home stadium, then more needs to go their way beyond just winning. 

Who Sooner Nation can hate watch Week 13

Even though Oregon has one loss compared to OU’s two, there’s still an argument for the Sooners to be ahead of the No. 7 Ducks because of strength of schedule and quality of wins. The Ducks haven’t beaten anyone included in the latest CFP rankings. OU, though, has three wins over currently ranked teams. 

Regardless, the committee admitted the eye test was basically the difference between OU and Oregon’s ranking this week. Simply, the Ducks look better on Saturdays. The Sooners can’t change that and impressive wins clearly aren’t enough to impress the committee. 

However, Oregon hosts No. 15 USC on Saturday, and as agonizing as it is for OU fans to root for Lincoln Riley, the Ducks losing would be the best thing for the Sooners. But if the Ducks win, they notch one more ranked victory with just Washington left on their schedule, so would likely stay in front of OU until the end. 

The Sooners finally rightfully jumped Notre Dame this week, but don’t fool yourself into believing that will be permanent. 

The committee already proved it has an attraction to the Fighting Irish’s shiny gold helmets. If Notre Dame and OU are both 10-2 come Selection Sunday, especially if other SEC teams are already getting to host first-round games, don’t rule out the committee putting the Fighting Irish higher than OU to get the home game. Multiple college football experts have already predicted the Sooners to travel to Notre Dame as the 9-seed instead of staying in Norman.

Notre Dame plays 3-7 Syracuse on Saturday, so OU needs a major upset to just erase the Fighting Irish from the equation completely and to also avoid overcrowding when one of those weaker conference champions still needs a spot. 

The last thing OU needs is a conference like the Big 12 getting an extra bid. 

Texas Tech is the Big 12’s lock right now, with BYU on the outside looking in at 9-1 and ranked 11th. There’s a scenario, though, where the Cougars make the Big 12 Championship Game and avenge their only loss to Texas Tech. That would probably give the Big 12 two bids, and both might even be worthy of hosting depending on how that final game goes. 

However, that will never even have to be determined if BYU loses to Cincinnati on the road Saturday night.