Oklahoma’s Playoff Hopes Dwindle After Crushing Ole Miss Defeat

The Oklahoma Sooners’ College Football Playoff hopes took a hit after a close loss to Ole Miss. With a tough schedule looming and several top-20 teams on the horizon, Oklahoma’s path to the playoffs looks rocky.

Let’s take a look at the main factors shaping their playoff outlook—and what the Sooners need to pull off to stay in the hunt.

Tough Schedule Ahead

Oklahoma’s schedule this year is, honestly, brutal. The Sooners, with Brent Venables at the helm, started strong at 5-0.

But recent losses to Texas and Ole Miss have left them in a tricky spot. November is packed with matchups against No. 17 Tennessee, No. 4 Alabama, No. 15 Missouri, and No. 20 LSU.

These games are going to tell us a lot about whether Oklahoma has a real shot at the expanded 12-team playoff bracket. It’s a gauntlet, no way around it.

Key Games in November

Here’s the November lineup:

• Nov. 1: at No. 17 Tennessee
• Nov. 15: at No. 4 Alabama
• Nov. 22: vs. No. 15 Missouri
• Nov. 29: vs. No. 20 LSU

These games are going to test the Sooners’ grit and ability to handle pressure. Realistically, winning three out of four would be huge for their playoff chances, but that’s a big ask with this slate.

Offensive Struggles

Oklahoma’s offense has had its moments, but consistency is a problem. Against Ole Miss, they only managed 342 yards—way below their usual numbers.

Most of that came from two big plays: a 76-yard catch-and-run by Isaiah Setagna and a 65-yard run by Xavier Robinson. Sustaining drives has been tough, and it’s showing up in the losses.

Quarterback Challenges

Quarterback John Mateer’s surprise hand injury hasn’t helped. His play has been up and down, and the offense has stalled at key times.

In the Ole Miss game, the Sooners had a shot to tie it with a touchdown and two-point conversion, but back-to-back incompletions ended the chance. Mateer’s injury and uneven play have people wondering if he can lead the team through this rough stretch.

Defensive Concerns

The defense hasn’t exactly been lights-out, either. They’ve given up big plays and struggled to slow down explosive offenses.

The Ole Miss loss really highlighted those issues—the Rebels put up 34 points and iced the game with a late touchdown.

Improving Defensive Performance

For Oklahoma to keep playoff hopes alive, the defense has to step up. Key areas to focus on:

• Limiting big plays
• Better tackling
• Creating turnovers

Coach Venables keeps talking about the team needing to play tough, even when things aren’t going their way. That mindset is going to get tested against some of the best offenses in college football soon.

Historical Context

Oklahoma’s current situation isn’t totally new. Last season, Clemson made the playoff as a three-loss team, but only because they got the ACC auto-bid.

Before the 12-team expansion, only four three-loss teams finished inside the top 12 of the final poll, and none made the four-team bracket. That list includes Utah and Kansas in 2022, Utah in 2021, and Washington in 2018.

Lessons from the Past

The Sooners can look to those teams for a bit of perspective. If they win out, they’re in the 12-team bracket for sure with 10 wins.

Even going 3-1 and finishing 9-3 would give them a decent shot at an at-large spot, if they can knock off some ranked opponents. But honestly, that’s going to take a level of play we haven’t seen from Oklahoma since 2015, when they last beat three ranked teams down the stretch in conference play.

Looking Ahead

Oklahoma’s season hasn’t been easy, but there’s still plenty of talent on the roster. They’ve got the potential to bounce back—if things come together.

• Maintaining offensive consistency
• Improving defensive performance
• Overcoming injuries

Head coach Brent Venables is still optimistic. He keeps pushing his team to lean into the tough schedule and find a way through.

As he put it, everything gets easier when you stop expecting it to be easy. I guess that’s one way to look at it, right?

If you want to dig deeper into Oklahoma’s playoff chances, check out the full article on CBS Sports.