Oklahoma Slides in Both Polls Following Defeat to Ole Miss

Oklahoma took a step back in both polls following its 34-26 loss to Ole Miss.

Brent Venables' Sooners fell to No. 18 in both spots in the AP Poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll.

The defeat marked Oklahoma's second of the season, as they fell back to 6-2 on the year and 2-2 in the Southeastern Conference, and the Sooners will have to regroup to hit the road and battle Josh Heupel's Tennessee Volunteers.

Lane Kiffin's Rebels creeped up to No. 7 in the AP Poll and they stayed put at No. 8 in the Coaches Poll.

The path ahead for the Sooners is still tough.

Following Saturday's 56-34 win over Kentucky, the Volunteers rank No. 14 in the AP Poll and sit at No. 14 in the Coaches Poll.

Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar threw for 396 yards and three touchdowns on 20-of-26 passing against the Wildcats, and three different Volunteers combined to add three additional scores on the ground.

Following the trip to Knoxville, the Sooners will get an extra week to heal up and prepare for Alabama.

The season's first College Football Playoff rankings will also come following OU's reunion with Heupel. On Nov. 4, Oklahoma will learn its standing in the eyes of the CFP committee for the first time.

Venables' team no longer controls its own destiny to get to Atlanta to compete in the SEC Championship game, but a late-season rally would still have the Sooners at the forefront of CFP discussions.

Alabama is ranked at No. 4 in both polls, and any victory over the Crimson Tide — especially in Tuscaloosa — will turn heads across college football.

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Oklahoma will close with a pair of home games against Missouri and LSU.

Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula will be out "awhile" per coach Eli Drinkwitz after suffering a lower leg injury against Vanderbilt.

The Tigers checked in at No. 19 in the AP Poll and No. 20 in the Coaches Poll.

Closing the season with LSU does not appear to be as tall a task as it looked to be preseason.

Brian Kelly's Bayou Bengals dropped out of both polls following Texas A&M's demolition of LSU in Death Valley on Saturday night.

Last year, all three two-loss SEC teams made the CFP, while the four three-loss SEC teams all were left out of the playoff.

The Sooners will their chance to rebound on Saturday night when they take on the Volunteers at 6:30 p.m. on ABC.