OU makes stunning call as entire campus pauses for historical playoff game

The Sooners continue to prove it really does just mean more in Oklahoma. 

After earning hosting rights as the No. 8 seed in the College Football Playoff, the Sooners’ rematch with No. 9 Alabama between two college football icons got the biggest stage the first round of the playoff had to offer by getting the primetime Friday night slot on ABC for Dec. 19. Next, everything else in Oklahoma had to pause, at least for the day, for the historical game. 

Oklahoma reschedules Friday finals

Although Friday night gave the Sooners the brightest spotlight as the only playoff game of the day, it’s also technically a school day. In fact, it was supposed to be the final normal school day of the year at OU before next semester as the last day to take finals and graduation ceremonies scheduled for the next day. Not anymore, though, thanks to the Sooners’ 10-2 season. 

OU announced that classes were canceled for Friday, Dec. 19, because of the home playoff game, and any finals on that day were rescheduled for earlier in the week. Norman Public Schools also canceled classes. 

There might be some outcry about prioritizing football over education, but the fact is, it was just logistically impossible to have class on a game day, especially one as massive as this with thousands of fans expected to flood in. Campus can hold only so many people between parking, traffic and space for everything else an OU football game requires. And no student would rather take a final instead of tailgate and watch their Sooners in the first home playoff game in school history. 

One day of class wasn’t going to bump the state from being last in in the country in education to the top. However, a win over Alabama would be a massive step forward in Oklahoma having the best college football team in the country to go along with already having the best NBA team in the world.