Over the course of the weekend, the Sooners snatched victory from the hands of La’Michael Pettway after squandering a 21-point lead. The last second heroics keep the program’s College Football Playoff hopes alive. In the latest rankings, however, Oklahoma slipped to No. 10 in the eyes of the committee.
After a showdown on Saturday, CBS tagged OU as the final member of the four teams included in the National Title hunt. But, unless chaos ensues, the reality of Lincoln Riley returning to playoffs for a third consecutive year remains slim at best. At the moment, the PAC-12 is biggest obstacle standing in the way.
Why?
Currently, the conference boasts two teams ahead of the Oklahoma with a single loss — the No. 7 Utah Utes as well as the No. 6 Oregon Ducks. Expected to meet in the conference championship game, the pair retains one final opportunity to impress the CFP Committee while the No. 5 Alabama Crimson Tide sits idle. That single chance pushes one of two ahead of Nick Saban’s crew.
In conjunction, the No. 1 LSU Tigers are favored to stand atop the SEC when Championship Weekend comes to a close. A second loss to any contender from the East removes the runner-up from the playoff conversation. Additionally, if that program is No. 4 Georgia, the final spot comes up for grabs.
For Oregon/Utah a convincing win allows the PAC-12 Champion to leap frog Georgia into the final spot. Of course, all of this is based on the argument that the committee will favor conference champions over the others.
With plenty of football left to be played, it’s anyone’s guess as to who will remain standing when it’s all said and done.