Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Oklahoma's stunning loss to Kansas could keep Big 12 out of CFP

And then there were none.

Associated Press No. 6 Oklahoma lost to Kansas 38-33 in Week 9, its first loss in the series since 1997, snapping a streak of 18 consecutive wins. The loss gives every Big 12 team at least one this season, drastically hurting the conference's chances of being represented in the four-team College Football Playoff.

Every program in the conference besides Oklahoma and Texas has at least two losses, and unless one of those two runs the table, the Big 12 will be left out of the CFP for the third time in four seasons. Even that might not be enough.

Both teams have challenging games before a potential "Red River Rivalry" rematch in the Big 12 Championship Game.  

The Longhorns play last year's Big 12 champion, Kansas State (6-2, 4-1 in Big 12), as well as Iowa State (4-3, 3-1), another team with a shot of playing in the Big 12 title game. Meanwhile, the Sooners travel to Oklahoma State (5-2, 3-1) next Saturday. Both teams also have to play a TCU team that is nowhere near as good as it was last year when it made the CFP but still has enough talent to pull off the upset.

It's possible either Oklahoma or Texas end the season with one loss, but it's difficult to see where top teams in other conferences will stumble to give either a path back to the CFP conversation.

Georgia is the class of the SEC and looks set for another undefeated regular season. The Michigan-Ohio State winner will probably have a perfect record, too. It's easy to see a scenario where Florida State is undefeated as well.

Chaos hitting the Pac-12 is likely the Big 12's best chance at getting into the CFP, but even then, will a one-loss Pac-12 champ such as Oregon (or Washington, if it loses a game) be leapfrogged by Oklahoma or Texas? The Ducks and Huskies have been better than the Sooners and Longhorns this season, so probably not.

With a month to go of regular season action, the Big 12 might already be out of playoff contention.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Pressure mounts on Nuggets as Nikola Jokic wins third MVP Award
Jalen Brunson shakes off injury to lift Knicks to Game 2 win
Panthers dominate Bruins to even series
LSU HC pins transfer portal struggles on reluctance to 'buy players'
Pirates announce date for 2023 No. 1 overall pick's MLB debut
Shohei Ohtani showing what would happen if he only focused on hitting
Joe Burrow shares 'support' for Bengals who requested trades
Canucks erase three-goal deficit to stun Oilers in Game 1
Watch: Pacers star ties playoff high in threes in one half
Former NFL player has major warning for Steelers QB Justin Fields: 'You can't fall into this'
Watch: Brad Marchand hurdle Panthers player on Charlie Coyle goal
LeBron James rues 'missed opportunities' against Nuggets
Cardinals star gives update on timeline for injury rehab
Police investigating Patrick Beverley incident
J.J. Watt addresses possibly ending retirement to play for Texans
Inter Miami's Lionel Messi could surpass two major MLS records
Reporter weighs in on potential Giants quarterback controversy
Cowboys to release veteran WR
Lakers want Anthony Davis' opinion in search for next head coach
Patriots exec explains why team drafted two QBs in 2024 NFL Draft

Want more Sooners news?

Join the hundreds of thousands of fans who start their day with Yardbarker's Morning Bark, the best newsletter in sports.