Oklahoma football’s road to the College Football Playoff hasn’t been an easy one, but how exactly did the Sooners get here?
What a road it’s been for Oklahoma. Just weeks prior to the 2017 regular season, the Sooners received news that long-time head coach Bob Stoops was stepping down, leaving the program in 34-year-old assistant coach Lincoln Riley’s hands.
The former offensive coordinator was always thought to be the heir apparent to Stoops, but no one assumed it would be this soon. He went on to lead Oklahoma to a 12-1 record and a berth in the College Football Playoff. On top of that, he helped mold Baker Mayfield into a Heisman-winning quarterback.
Georgia is next up on the schedule for the red-hot Sooners in the Rose Bowl but let’s take a look back at just how the Sooners got here and what lies ahead.
September
The season started with Oklahoma taking its spot as the No. 7 team in the preseason poll. That may have been too low for some, but the Sooners were under a new direction after the sudden retirement of Stoops and that could have had an effect on this team after missing the playoff in 2016.
Oklahoma responded well right out of the gate, demolishing UTEP in the opener. The next game would prove just how good this Sooners team could be. They traveled to Columbus to take on the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes and Mayfield put on quite a show. This was the start of his Heisman campaign as he passed for 386 yards and three touchdowns in a road upset of Ohio State, planting the Sooners’ flag at midfield following the 31-16 win.
After riling up some Buckeye fans with the flag-planting, Mayfield and the Sooners went back home to take on Tulane and, to no one’s surprise, they routed the Green Wave as well, 56-14. The Sooners’ defense looked to be much improved from the 2016 season.
With a Week 5 bye looming, the Sooners’ final game of the month was a road battle against a winless Baylor team. The Bears put up much more of a fight than anyone expected — or maybe Oklahoma wasn’t as good as we thought — as the Sooners squeaked out the victory, 49-41. Right when it looked like the Sooners’ defense was getting better, it allowed over 460 passing yards and four touchdowns to the hapless Bears.
October
Coming off a shaky performance against Baylor and a Sept. 30 bye week, Oklahoma needed to prove that it was no slouch and the poor play versus the Bears was an anomaly. The doubters would soon be out in full force.
Iowa State, a notoriously poor football team, traveled to Norman in Week 6 and it looked as if the Sooners were going to mop the floor with the Cyclones. However, Matt Campbell had injected new life into the program in Ames and it showed with a come-from-behind victory after falling behind 24-13 at the half on the road before coming back to win, 38-31. Kyle Kempt became an unlikely hero for the Cyclones as they pulled off the shocking upset which looked to be a major dagger in the Sooners’ playoff hopes.
How would Oklahoma respond to its first loss of 2017? In the Red River Shootout, anything is possible. Texas and Oklahoma matched up for the annual rivalry game and, like always, it was a classic. The Sooners jumped out to a 20-point lead before surrendering 10 points before the half. This was Sam Ehlinger’s breakout game for the Longhorns, passing for 278 yards and rushing for 110, but ultimately Oklahoma found a way to win thanks to a late touchdown pass by Mayfield, 29-24.
Following the big rivalry win, momentum seemed to be on Oklahoma’s side, even if the defense was slightly shaky still. Traveling to Kansas State is never easy and the Sooners had a slight Texas win hangover in the first half against the Wildcats the following week, but they came back to win 42-35 after trailing 21-10 at the half. Mayfield had a 400-yard showing and Rodney Anderson added nearly 150 rushing yards.
The 6-1 Sooners somehow dropped one spot to No. 10 in the Week 9 rankings. They had a chance to gain some confidence with a big win over a reeling Texas Tech squad, and they did just that. After a sloppy first quarter, giving up 20 points and trailing by 6, the Sooners out-scored Tech 35-7 to close the game and the battery of Mayfield and Anderson seemed to be gaining traction.
November
Taking advantage of some upsets, the Sooners jumped five spots in the AP rankings following the win over Texas Tech, putting them in prime position to jump into that top-four discussion.
November would begin with a bang, though, as No. 11 Oklahoma State hosted Oklahoma in a major rivalry game which looked to decide the Big 12. There was still a month of action left, but these two teams were arguably the best heading into the contest and everyone was excited for a Mayfield vs. Mason Rudolph quarterback battle. The game was back-and-forth and finished with essentially no defense being played. Rudolph passed for 448 yards and five touchdowns, but the Cowboys received a loss thanks to 598 yards and five scores from Mayfield, 62-52. Defensive battle? No thanks, this is the Big 12.
The schedule didn’t get much easier for the 8-1 Sooners after another emotional rivalry win as they were set to host No. 6 TCU the following week. The Sooners took a 38-14 lead at halftime and held on in the final 30 minutes, despite not scoring again, thanks to the duo of Mayfield and Anderson yet again. This was when everyone realized the Sooners were for real.
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Earning two straight wins over top-15 foes was nice, but getting a “bye” against Kansas was a well-deserved break. The Jayhawks didn’t really stand a chance. Mayfield spouted off about Kansas being a basketball school, raising more eyebrows during his Heisman campaign, and the Sooners sleep-walked to a 41-3 win.
The final regular season game of the season happened to be senior day for Mayfield, but he wouldn’t get the start because of his antics against Kansas the week before. He did enter the game shortly after, though, and led Oklahoma past West Virginia with ease, 59-31. If he hadn’t already locked up the Heisman, he did in this one with a dazzling 14-for-17 performance with 281 yards and three scores.
December
For the first time in years, the Big 12 brought back the title game — seemingly to give the conference a better chance at making the playoff. A rematch with TCU was on the schedule as the conference went with the top two teams in the standings than forming divisions. The No. 11 Horned Frogs looked to put up a better fight than in the first battle. That didn’t quite happen as the Sooners rolled to victory thanks to a big third quarter, 41-17.
The victory locked up a playoff berth and also a Heisman Trophy for Mayfield. Those two came to fruition in the week that followed and the Sooners earned a matchup with Georgia in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.
Overall, it was a successful season, to say the least, for Oklahoma. Not many people expected the Sooners to contend for a national title after losing their head coach, but they did just that and they are in a better spot this season for the playoff than they were two years ago. The road wasn’t the smoothest, but it has prepared Oklahoma for what lies ahead.