Ranking every College Football Playoff team in history

SANTA CLARA, CA - JANUARY 07: Adam Choice #26 and Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Clemson Tigers celebrate with the trophy after their teams 44-16 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide in the CFP National Championship presented by AT&T at Levi's Stadium on January 7, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

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31 December 2015: Oklahoma Sooners running back Samaje Perine (32) in action during the College Football Playoff Semifinal – Orange Bowl Game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Clemson Tigers at Sun Life Stadium, in Miami Gardens, FL. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire) (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire/Corbis via Getty Images) /

17. Oklahoma Sooners – 2016

Lost to Clemson in Semifinal (Orange Bowl), 37-17

Having been in the College Football Playoff numerous times throughout the five-year run of the system in this sport, we’re going to see the Oklahoma Sooners a few times throughout these rankings. And the one thing that’s going to come up when talking about them is their lack of prowess on the defensive side of the football. That was evident when they faced the Clemson Tigers in the 2015-16 CFP.

In truth, Deshaun Watson didn’t have a great game throwing the ball in the 20-point win over Oklahoma, which is a credit to the Sooners defense to a degree. He threw for just 187 yards, one touchdown and also tossed an interception. However, the bigger reason for that is likely that the Tigers could do whatever they wanted to in regards to running the football.

Oklahoma’s run defense was abysmal as Wayne Gallman and Watson combined for 295 yards rushing on 50 carries and found the end zone three times on the ground. The Sooners had no answer for it and it completely allowed the Tigers to control every aspect of the game.

What ultimately makes this iteration of the Sooners the lowest among the others, though and at 17th in these overall rankings is that their offense was also pedestrian in this game. Baker Mayfield wasn’t at his full form yet and looked shaky in a two-interception outing while the run game was nearly nonexistent. In the end, that makes this team not all that impressive, even if the score wasn’t a total blowout.

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