Oklahoma takes down LSU, strengthens College Football Playoff chances

Oklahoma entered Saturday with one goal in mind — beating LSU. Doing so would bring so much more than a normal victory, having major College Football Playoff implications. Currently ranked No. 8 in the country, the Sooners could get to 10-2 and effectively lock in a spot on Selection Sunday.

While the on-field performance might not have been super pretty, Oklahoma got the job done. A 17-13 win in Norman should be enough to get back into the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2019, when Lincoln Riley was still running the program with Jalen Hurts as the quarterback.

Now, it’s Brent Venables who is leading OU. In a season where he entered the hot seat, results piled up throughout the schedule. Taking down teams such as Tennessee and Alabama on the road will be remembered for a long, long time in Norman. All of it coming together for this specific moment.

As for the LSU game, Venables will walk off the field quite happy with the way his defense played. Nothing new for Oklahoma, as the unit dominated nearly start to finish. LSU quarterback Michael Van Buren wound up throwing for less than 100 yards, going 14-25 for 96 yards, one touchdown, and an interception. The Tigers run game did not get much going either, only accumulating 85 yards.

Venables and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle will likely want to clean some things up before taking the field again. John Mateer threw three interceptions on the afternoon, being the main reason LSU was in position to win at certain points. No matter who Oklahoma winds up facing in the first round, Mateer will need to put together a better performance.

Looking ahead, it’s a big waiting game for the program. They are not going to Atlanta for the SEC Championship, meaning it’s about a month off from game action. Tuesday night, when the new CFP rankings are released, and Selection Sunday are now the days Oklahoma fans should circle on the calendar.

Flipping to the other side, there were plenty of interesting storylines for LSU entering the day. None of them involved the game itself, though. Everyone in Baton Rouge is on Lane Kiffin watch, wondering if he will become the program’s next head coach. Frank Wilson has been serving as the interim, and unfortunately, did not get the job done in what is likely his last game in the role.