As college football coaches across the country whine and give their divisive opinions about College Football Playoff expansion, Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables gave the only answer fans really want to hear.
The CFP expanding from 12 teams to 16, or even 24, in the near future has been the hottest topic as SEC coaches, administrators and media are in Destin, Florida, this week for the conference's annual spring meetings. SoonerScoop's George Stoia asked Venables specifically about the divisive subject, and Venables delivered what might be the only response so far that all fans across college football could agree on.
Brent Venables gives take on College Football Playoff expansion after Sooners backed up his statement
“If you want to be in complete, total control, win your games," Venables said. "It worked in our favor in November, where we had a really challenging last four games, and we took care of business.”
That goes for if the CFP is at four, 12, 16, 24 or whatever the future number is.
Venables just led the Sooners to the College Football Playoff for the first time in his tenure last year after they went 10-2 during the regular season with one of the toughest schedules in the entire country. OU was handed a daunting SEC slate, plus added a massive nonconference top-15 clash with Michigan early in the season.
Instead of promoting its strength of schedule and right for a spot, even after losing to Texas and Ole Miss, the Sooners ended their regular season on a four-game winning streak and there was really no doubt about if they would be in or not after accomplishing that. And OU got through maybe the toughest stretch of the season for anyone to get to that point.
After losing to future playoff contender Ole Miss at home and having their own CFP chances slashed, the Sooners had to head to Tennessee, where they won 33-27 while playing the Volunteers under the lights at Neyland Stadium.
The Sooners then had what seemed like another impossible task with a road game against Alabama, which at the time had the longest home winning streak in college football. OU abruptly ended that streak with a 23-21 upset, and it was made clear then that the Sooners were headed to the playoff as long as they didn't slip in their final two games. OU then took advantage of being at home and beat Missouri and LSU at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium to secure its spot in the CFP.
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Programs outside of the SEC and Big Ten, especially from the Group of Six level, are the biggest advocates for playoff expansion. They feel like they don't get a fair shot at a spot, but no matter where a team comes from or the logo on their helmet, if they win they will be in, even with 12 teams, which also has a designation for at least one Group of Six team. Heck, two Group of Six teams got in the CFP just last year because they won the games they should have. Notre Dame, the whiniest of the bunch last year, would have had no worries if the Fighting Irish beat Miami early on. Just win.
Even months before Venables delivered his recent quote, he backed up his future words as the Sooners' CFP dreams simply came down to winning, no matter who was on the other sideline. Had OU lost any of those last four games, the Sooners would have been left out, and Venables might have even been fired. But even then, Venables still would have known that winning erases all complaints.
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