Returning to the College Football Playoff seems like a long shot for the 2-2 Oklahoma Sooners right now, and that’s exactly why OU cheetah Reggie Powers III knows it’s already do-or-die time for the Sooners in Week 6.
The Sooners have a prime opportunity ahead against the top team in college football when they play No. 1 Texas in the Red River Rivalry on Saturday at the Cotton Bowl.
A win in Dallas would be threefold. Obviously, the Sooners want to beat their biggest rival, especially after back-to-back losses in the rivalry, and the opportunity to dethrone Texas as No. 1 would be the cherry on top.
But no matter who was on the other sideline this week, it would still be almost all-or-nothing for the Sooners after two early losses. A third loss with a treacherous road ahead would all but erase OU’s already minute chances of reaching the CFP.
“It has to happen this week. There’s no other option, really,” Powers answered when asked if OU has to turn the season around in Week 6. “That’s our mindset. It’s a must-win every week, but this week, we know if we want to turn around the season, then we have to do it right now. There’s no waiting or talking about it. We just gotta go to work this week, and then prove it on Saturday.”
“It has to happen this week. There's no other option really.”
— Colton Sulley (@colton_sulley) October 6, 2026
DB Reggie Powers III says this week is must-win for the #Sooners. pic.twitter.com/i6eAhTEunc
Texas upset would transform Sooners' season
The Sooners' schedule was set up for them to still have a path to the CFP, even with the 2-3 reality they're now staring down. It was front-loaded with three potentially ranked matchups within the first five games. Michigan fell from the rankings before Week 2, but Georgia and Texas grew to even larger challenges as the No. 2 and No. 1 teams in the country, respectively.
Respectable losses to both Georgia and Texas wouldn't dash any of the Sooners' dreams, but blowouts would, which is what they suffered in Athens. That loss to Michigan also keeps getting worse and worse by the week, as the Wolverines are 1-2 since then, and OU is still their lone win against a Power 4 team.
It's also been the way in which the Sooners have lost, and even won, games. Their offense has become a laughing stock of college football, and although turnovers have dampened the defense's numbers, that unit also isn't as solid as it was last season. OU even looked bad in a win while barely sneaking past New Mexico 14-6 at home in another disappointing showing.
There's no doubt the CFP committee doesn't just care about if a team wins, but also how.
It's laughable at the moment, though, to entertain the idea of what the selection committee thinks of OU in Week 6. The answer would be not much at all. But upsetting the top team in college football would no doubt flip the script, and it's probably the Sooners' final chance after a bye week.
"Just having the opportunity to play the No. 1 team in the nation, just like No. 2 last week, it's a great opportunity for us," Powers said. "We're excited for this opportunity. We know this season isn't going the way we wanted it to go, but we're not discouraged or anything like that. We're ready to go upset the No. 1 team in the nation."
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