The CFP is Coming to Oklahoma

Oklahoma is College Football Playoff-bound, as its quest for a national championship begins Friday, December 19th at 8:00 p.m. ET. On Sunday, the Sooners were cemented as the 8th-best team in the field, putting to rest any doubt about missing the postseason. They will kick off this year’s playoff in Norman, as they look to take down 9th-ranked Alabama for a second time this season. The winner of this game has a date in Pasadena with the number one team in the land, Indiana, for the Rose Bowl. In over a week, Oklahoma and seven other teams will begin their journey for college football glory, but before that, why not rewind and revisit how the Sooners got to this point?

How Oklahoma is Playoff Bound

For the first four weeks of the 2025 college football season, Oklahoma was playing at a national championship level. They would score 24 or more points a game and would beat a top-15 team in Michigan. By week four, quarterback John Mateer stood above the nation as the Heisman favorite, scoring three total touchdowns against the Wolverines. In week four against Auburn, it was the defense on display, sacking Jackson Arnold nine times. After beating the Tigers, Oklahoma would catapult into the top 10, landing at No. 5. The issue after this game and the setback for the remainder of the season would be an injury to Mateer’s right thumb, which required surgery.

Rocky River and Return

With Mateer’s injury, backup quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. would start the following week against Kent State. The Sooners would win, giving them an undefeated record heading into the Red River Rivalry game. Mateer, expected to still be sidelined for the Red River, would return in time to face unranked Texas. Mateer’s return would be spoiled, ultimately losing 23-6, throwing three interceptions. On the other side of the ball, the Sooners’ defense, for the first time, looked human. They would ultimately drop out of the top ten and the playoffs, landing at 14. The following week, they rebounded, beating South Carolina 26-7 on the road. Still, Mateer looked like a shell of himself, only throwing for 150 yards.

A week after South Carolina, the Sooners hosted Ole Miss and would suffer their second loss of the season, losing 34-26. The Sooners’ offense played well, as it was the defense that let them down. At this point, Oklahoma’s playoff hopes seemed over, as one more loss would end their season.

Back Against the Wall

With a 6-2 record, the Sooners could not afford to falter in any of their four games left, three of which were against top-25 teams. One week after falling to Ole Miss, Oklahoma was immediately tested, traveling to 14th-ranked Tennessee. For four quarters, they forced quarterback Joey Aguilar into difficult predicaments, forcing three turnovers and sacking him four times. The Sooners would win 33-27, punctuating it with a Mateer rushing touchdown.

Oklahoma would jump up to number 11 with this win. They would still remain outside the playoffs, due to Texas being ranked one ahead of them. After a much-needed bye week, Oklahoma was once again on the road. This time at Tuscaloosa versus 4th-ranked Alabama. With the season on the line and the difficult task of ending Kalen DeBoer’s undefeated home streak, Oklahoma’s odds were slim. In response to everything, Oklahoma captured a victory 23-21. They would seal it with a Payton Bowen pass-breakup on fourth down. With a crucial pick-six in the first quarter by Eli Bowen, a missed field goal at the end of the first half by Bama, and a forced fumble in the third by Taylor Wein, Oklahoma was able to win. The same day, Texas fell to Georgia, catapulting the Sooners back into the playoffs at eight.

Holding off the Tigers

With two games left in the season, both at home (Missouri and LSU), Oklahoma would need to win both, securing a berth in the playoffs. Against Missouri, the Sooners would struggle early, giving up a field goal on the first drive. They would not scratch in the first. In the second, Oklahoma would block a field goal and score three plays later on an 87-yard touchdown by Isaiah Sategna. They would not look back, scoring another touchdown a drive later. They would not let Missouri back in the game, forcing three turnovers in the second half.

A week later, against LSU, they would once again struggle offensively in the first half. They punted the ball four times and turned it over twice. In the second half, their first two drives ended in interceptions. Still, by the end of the third, Deion Burks would knot the score at 10. LSU would recapture the lead with a field goal in the fourth. With four minutes left, Oklahoma would score a game-changing touchdown by Sategna for 58 yards. With one last chance, on 4th & 2, on the Oklahoma 29, Payton Bowen would break up a pass. This created pandemonium in Memorial Stadium, as Oklahoma clinched its ticket to the College Football Playoff.

Now, for the first time since 2019, the Sooners are back in the playoffs. They have a chance to win their first-ever playoff game. This will be their fifth playoff berth. With over a week to prepare for Alabama and a week of rest for Mateer, Oklahoma has a chance to continue its championship aspirations in front of its students. Stay tuned for more news on the Oklahoma vs. Alabama and the rest of the playoff.