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Oklahoma Leaps Up in College Football Playoff Rankings Following Alabama Win

The Sooners have put themselves in position to host a first-round CFP contest following their win over the Crimson Tide.
Ryan Chapman|
Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer throws a pass in the Sooners' win over Alabama.
Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer throws a pass in the Sooners' win over Alabama. | Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images

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Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma’s win over Alabama garnered plenty of respect from the College Football Playoff Committee. 

Following the 23-21 road victory, the Sooners jumped to No. 8 in the CFP Rankings.

The 12-team CFP consists of the five highest-rated conference champions and seven at-large bids. 

OU’s move up the rankings means that not only are the Sooners currently safe from the ACC Champion and highest-ranked Group of 5 Champion knocking the No. 11 and No. 12 team out of the CFP field, but if Oklahoma takes care of business in the final two weeks of the regular season, it’ll have a chance to host a contest in the first round of the CFP in Norman. 

As of now, Oklahoma would host Notre Dame in the first round of the CFP. 

Alabama dropped to No. 10 following the loss to the Sooners.

The rest of Oklahoma’s resume has come in handy in the rankings. 

The two losses came to Ole Miss, who sits at No. 6, and No. 17 Texas. 

The Sooners also have wins at No. 20 Tennessee and against No. 18 Michigan.

Potentially, there could be more shakeups around the Sooners in the rankings. 

This week, No. 15 USC heads to Eugene to take on No. 7 Oregon. 

A win by the Trojans would not only help the Sooners move up if OU takes care of business against Missouri, but it could potentially open up a path for Lincoln Riley to return to Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in the CFP. 

There is one scenario remaining that could potentially see the Sooners have to hit the road for the first round of the CFP.

Notre Dame’s remaining contests are against Syracuse and Stanford, making it unlikely that the Irish will jump Oklahoma again if both teams finish 10-2.

Things could get interesting if the Crimson Tide win out, however, which would include a victory in the SEC Championship game. 

It is unclear how the CFP Committee would balance the Sooners’ head-to-head win over Alabama in comparison to the Crimson Tide winning the SEC title. 

Regardless, if OU wins out, it will be in the CFP.

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The Sooners close the season with a pair of home games. 

First, Oklahoma will battle the No. 22 Missouri Tigers this Saturday at 11 a.m. That contest will be broadcast on ABC. 

Missouri’s impressive victory over Mississippi State gives OU an opportunity to notch one more ranked win in the regular season. 

Then the Sooners will close the regular season against LSU on Nov. 29 at 2:30 p.m. on either ABC or ESPN. 

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Ryan Chapman
RYAN CHAPMAN

Ryan is co-publisher at Sooners On SI and covers a number of sports in and around Norman and Oklahoma City. Working both as a journalist and a sports talk radio host, Ryan has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the United States Men’s National Soccer Team, the Oklahoma City Energy and more. Since 2019, Ryan has simultaneously pursued a career as both a writer and a sports talk radio host, working for the Flagship for Oklahoma sports, 107.7 The Franchise, as well as AllSooners.com. Ryan serves as a contributor to The Franchise’s website, TheFranchiseOK.com, which was recognized as having the “Best Website” in 2022 by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. Ryan holds an associate’s degree in Journalism from Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City, OK. 

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