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Can Oklahoma still make the College Football Playoff after loss to Houston?

By Michael Whitlow

Sep 3, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) is sacked by Houston Cougars defensive tackle Ed Oliver (10) for a loss on third down in the second quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) is sacked by Houston Cougars defensive tackle Ed Oliver (10) for a loss on third down in the second quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports /
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After a season-opening loss to No. 15 Houston, can Baker Mayfield and the Oklahoma Sooners bounce back and make the College Football Playoff?

Oklahoma’s woes from last season’s Orange Bowl loss to No. 1 Clemson carried over into their showdown with No. 15 Houston on Saturday and they fell 33-23 in their season opener.

Baker Mayfield got off to a hot start against the Cougars, but a great performance from Greg Ward Jr. and a kick-six from Brandon Wilson was too much for Mayfield and the Sooners to overcome.

Just like last season after getting upset against Texas in the Red River Shootout, the Sooners find themselves climbing uphill in the rankings. They’ll take a plummet likely out of the top-10 in the polls in Week 2 and it’s going to be a struggle to make the College Football Playoff again this season.

But, it’s better to lose early (and away from home) if you’re Oklahoma. Houston is rightfully ranked among the top 15 teams in the country and it was virtually a home game for the Cougars. There’s still a ton of football left to be played and anything can happen in college football.

However, things won’t get any easier for the Sooners. They still have meetings with No. 6 Ohio State in two weeks, at TCU on Oct. 1 and then a rematch with rival Texas the next week. There’s a couple late-season matchups with Baylor and West Virginia, but the schedule eases up until then for the Sooners.

Can they get back into the College Football Playoff race? Absolutely. Will they? That remains to be seen. There’s a lot of football left and there’s plenty of adjustments to be made for the Sooners if they want another shot at a national title.

For the Sooners to get back into the chase, a few things need to happen:

  • Houston needs to beat teams down in the AAC this season. Tom Herman, Greg Ward Jr. and Co. need to dominate their remaining schedule for the Sooners to have a shot. The better the Cougars look throughout this season, the better OU’s loss will look in the eyes of the voters.
  • The Oklahoma offensive line must play better than they did against Houston. The Cougars defense is legit, but it was a struggle for Mayfield throughout most of the day and Samaje Perine had nowhere to run when OU tried to run the ball (which didn’t happen much on Saturday). Plus, Perine needs to remain healthy to provide the power of the 1-2 punch with fellow back Joe Mixon.
  • The Sooners will need help from the other powers around the country. Some big losses among the SEC contenders and teams like Stanford, Florida State and Notre Dame need to fall along the way for OU to rise back up the rankings.

Next: Ranking The Top 25 College Football Dynasties Of All-Time

Saturday’s not the end of the world for Oklahoma, but they didn’t help themselves by starting out 0-1 after last season’s CFP appearance.

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