Oklahoma Sooners Reach College Football Playoff as No. 4 Seed
For a second straight season, and third time in four years, the Oklahoma Sooners are going to the College Football Playoff.
The Sooners were selected as the No. 4 seed in this year’s Playoff after capping off a 12-1 season with a 39-27 win over the Texas Longhorns in the Big 12 Championship Game on Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The top three seeds were rarely in doubt, as the Alabama Crimson Tide land the No. 1 spot after beating Georgia in the SEC Championship Game on Saturday. Then, it was the undefeated Clemson Tigers in the No. 2 spot, followed by No. 3, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who also capped off an undefeated season, but did not play in a conference championship game over the weekend.
The debate came down to the Oklahoma Sooners, Georgia Bulldogs and Ohio State Buckeyes. OU’s argument circled around its one loss being on a neutral site by three points to its biggest rival, a loss they got revenge in over the weekend in the Big 12 Championship Game. Georgia argued that they had Alabama on the ropes on Saturday before another comeback from the Crimson Tide shot down their hopes of winning the SEC. And Ohio State argued it might have the best win of any of the three, with a 20+ point drubbing of Michigan last weekend, along with a conference title won on Saturday against Northwestern.
Alas, despite clear SEC media bias, the committee chose the Sooners, who will try to get their first win in the College Football Playoff era, and the first win in the CFB Playoff era for the Big 12, when they take on the Alabama Crimson Tide.
The Crimson Tide and Sooners will face each other in the Orange Bowl in South Florida on Saturday, December 29th. Notre Dame and Clemson will face off in the Cotton Bowl in the other semifinal.
The Sooners are 3-1-1 all-time vs. Alabama and 1-1-1 in bowl games. OU won the Sugar Bowl after the 2013 season 45-31. Then there was the 1970 Bluebonnet Bowl which ended in 24-24 tie. Also, Alabama won the Orange Bowl after the 1962 season 17-0.
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