College Football Playoff Rankings 2017: Projected final rankings

2

Oklahoma Sooners (12-1)

Last week: W 41-17 vs. TCU
Last rank: 3

The Oklahoma Sooners punched their ticket to the College Football Playoff on Saturday afternoon, as they steamrolled the TCU Horned Frogs in the Big 12 Championship Game. Heisman Trophy front-runner Baker Mayfield had a statement game against TCU, leading his Sooners to a 41-17 blowout victory over the Horned Frogs. With the win, the Sooners moved to 12-1 on the season, with only a loss to Iowa State as the only thing holding them back from an undefeated campaign.

Mayfield threw for four touchdowns in the game, as the Sooners won their third straight Big 12 title. The game played on Saturday was the first Big 12 Championship Game since 2010, and for the first two quarters, it looked like this would be a close one. However, the Sooners scored 17 unanswered points after halftime, beating the Horned Frogs soundly, while moving to 12-1 on the season.

The only loss for the Sooners came early in the year, as they were beaten at home by the Iowa State Cyclones. Since then, they have been one of the more dominant teams in all of college football, and Mayfield has been arguably the best player in the country. He made throw after throw on Saturday, showing why he is going to be selected in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft next April.

Mayfield came back to school for a shot at the national title, as his Sooners were not included in the College Football Playoff last year, despite winning the Big 12 championship. For first-year head coach Lincoln Riley, this has to be an incredible feeling, as there were plenty of questions on both sides of the ball when he took over for Bob Stoops this offseason. His team has answered all those questions, and it is going to be very hard to stop this offense no matter which team they face in the national semifinals.