3 teams that need to impress the College Football Playoff committee in Week 9

Oklahoma State Cowboys

Oklahoma State started the season with a bang. The Cowboys’ explosive offense drew a flurry of eyeballs as they put up points left and right. Mason Rudolph was looking extraordinary, and so was his top target, James Washington. Then, the loss to TCU happened. The Horned Frogs, now ranked fourth in the country, took it to the Pokes in impressive fashion. It still stands as one of the best victories of the season for any team in the country. And TCU stymied Oklahoma State’s offense (to an extent) which was all the more impressive.

Now, though, the Pokes can get back on the right track when they go up against the West Virginia Mountaineers on Saturday. The Mountaineers are ranked 22nd in the nation heading into this matchup. While WVU might not land in the Top 25 in Tuesday’s CFP rankings, the victory would certainly help Okie State. To this point, their best win is arguably at Texas Tech, and the Red Raiders don’t figure to be in the CFP rankings conversation. So, a quality win against a solid WVU team can only help, especially since the game is in Morgantown.

The Pokes haven’t lost a road game all season. A win against WVU would be their most impressive win away from Stillwater this season, should they get it. It could also put them back in the Top 10 for Bedlam next week if they impress the committee enough.