Brent Venables, Sooners head into College Football Playoff with chip on their shoulder
Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables has clearly heard the outside chatter about his football team.
The Sooners were firmly in the College Football Playoff field, finishing at No. 8 in Sunday’s final rankings. With a top-eight seed, they’ll host No. 9-seed Alabama in a first-round game on Dec. 19.
But as the playoff committee deliberated on the final rankings, several national pundits argued the legitimacy of OU’s playoff resume.
A lot of those arguments centered around the Sooners’ lackluster offense, despite their impressive resume and strong finish to the season. Venables made it clear he heard all of the noise before the rankings were unveiled.
“I know, for some people, maybe we don’t belong in the playoffs,” Venables said Sunday. “But we’re here. I know a lot of teams were hoping they’d get matched up with Oklahoma, potentially, in the playoffs.”
Despite the noise, there was no question whether the Sooners were in.
Despite things looking dire after their loss to Ole Miss in October, the Sooners rattled off four consecutive wins in November to finish the season with a 10-2 overall record and 6-2 record in the SEC. The Sooners finished the regular season with the eighth-best strength of record and the 12th-hardest strength of schedule — a big reason why the Sooners landed in the top eight.
The issues with OU’s offense — which ranks 54th in efficiency, per ESPN — were overshadowed by elite defense and special teams. The Sooners rank fourth in the country in defensive efficiency and second in special teams efficiency.
But the chatter about OU’s offense has been there all season, and OU’s chances of making the playoff weren’t great after the Ole Miss loss. The Sooners have been playing with a chip on their shoulder since that loss.
“Every game we’ve played all year is the biggest game of my career, and surely we can’t beat the next team,” Venables said. “And so, yeah, (the chip) been there. It’s been there all year — not throwing it back at anybody, but that has been the narrative, and (there) hasn’t been a lot of people that believed we were able to do what we’ve done. Whether that’s justifiable or not, who knows? It doesn’t really matter. Again, the same thing: We’ll go into this with very slim odds, whatever that means.
“… We don’t need any extra incentive, motivation to play. I’ll be honest, it’s the freaking playoffs. You’ve got a chance to compete for a national championship if you’re able to find a way to win, one week at a time. And so that’s where our focus is.”
Venables is right about that.
The Sooners’ clash against Alabama won’t just be their first appearance in the 12-team field. The Sooners beat Alabama, 23-21, in Tuscaloosa last month, making this first-round rematch in the playoff. The Sooners and Crimson Tide are one of two first-round games that’ll be rematches, joining Ole Miss and Tulane.
Despite winning that previous matchup on the road, the Sooners are listed as a 1.5-point underdog against the Crimson Tide. Most expect the Sooners to be a quick exit in the playoff.
Venables is confident his team will be ready to go.
“Our focus, our energy, detail is to be able to play for a championship no matter how crazy that might seem to everybody else,” Venables said. “Our team believes we have everything we need to be able to do so. It’s going to be incredibly challenging, but something that we’re looking forward to.
“We’re just thankful to have the opportunity that’s sitting in front of us. I know our guys are looking forward to the challenge. Going against one of the best teams in college football — in the history of the game — and two iconic programs matching up here in Norman, Oklahoma. What a treat that’s going to be for all people that love Sooner Nation, Alabama and just love college football overall. But, at the same time, not a lot of people think that we’ll last very long in the playoffs.”
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