Where the Sooners landed in penultimate College Football Playoff Rankings
Oklahoma is in a good place heading into conference championship weekend.
The Sooners landed at No. 8 in the Week 14 College Football Playoff Rankings, which were unveiled Tuesday night. The Sooners have remained steady at No. 8 in the last three weeks and stayed there following their 17-13 win over LSU last weekend, finishing their regular season with a 10-2 overall record and 6-2 SEC record.
If the playoff began today, the Sooners would host No. 9 Alabama for a first-round game in Norman. The Crimson Tide rose one spot in the rankings, jumping Notre Dame. The playoff begins the weekend of Dec. 19-20.
The final CFP rankings will be unveiled at 11 a.m. on Sunday (ESPN).
While there is still a weekend of games left to be played, the Sooners are in good position to hold firm in the rankings at No. 8. Last year, the only team who fell out of the top eight after conference championship weekend was SMU, who lost to Clemson in the ACC title game. The CFP Committee has been adamant that teams who do not play in conference championship weekend typically stay where they are in the rankings.
However, while the Sooners are seemingly locked into the playoff field, there could be an interesting wrinkle in their hopes of hosting. With No. 9 Alabama facing No. 4 Georgia in the SEC Championship game on Saturday, the Crimson Tide could bolster their resume and jump in the rankings with a win. The Sooners beat the Crimson Tide, 23-21, in Tuscaloosa on Nov. 15.
But OU coach Brent Venables isn’t too concerned with whether the Sooners are a host site.
“I’d just love an invitation,” Venables said after last Saturday’s win. “I don’t care if it’s on the road. And I say I don’t care, of course I would love to be here, but I spend no time looking at that and I’m going to fight for this or that. I don’t know. They’re not listening to me. There’s plenty of things to look at for them to make the decisions they make. I’m sure it’s not easy. Wherever they ask us to play, we’ll show up.”
Not a subscriber? Join OUInsider now and get your first week for just $1. No, this deal is NOT too good to be true! Take advantage today and get the market’s best Oklahoma football and recruiting intel!
Click HERE to subscribe today!