The Oklahoma Sooners came in at No. 11 in the College Football Playoff rankings released on Tuesday night. That’s a one-spot bump from the first rankings release a week ago. Though they’re considered among the 12 best teams in the nation, they’d still be left out of the playoff if it were to start today.
The ACC champion and the highest-ranked Group of Five team would get representation in the playoff field, and the Sooners would be the first team out of the playoff bracket. But if the Sooners continue to win, they’ll force the committee’s hand and likely be included as an at-large bid.
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One thing that the committee is taking into consideration is the health of quarterback John Mateer. Mateer was injured in Oklahoma’s win over Auburn and returned for the Texas game, but was clearly not 100%. CFP committee member Mack Rhoades was asked how Mateer’s injury plays into the discussion on the Sooners.
“So, Oklahoma, we’ve got obviously great respect for them, ranked 11th, really good quality wins against No. 18 Michigan, going to Tennessee, beating Tennessee,” Rhoades said during the CFP teleconference. “We’ve had conversation about quarterback John Mateer. Felt like he was playing at a really high level prior to the hand surgery. Obviously, the first game back, big game versus Texas, we, the committee, probably did not think he was at full strength, and it seems as the season has moved on, he’s getting closer to that. Certainly have great respect for him as a quarterback and hope he continues to heal.”
Mateer was playing like the best quarterback in college football through the Sooners’ first four games of the season, which included top 25 wins over Michigan and Auburn. In those wins, Mateer averaged 322 combined passing and rushing yards and 2.8 touchdowns per game. Since returning from the injury four games ago, Mateer is averaging just 212 total yards per game and 0.8 touchdowns per game.
That’s a stark contrast. Though he insists he’s healthy, Mateer hasn’t looked like the same player. He looked better against Tennessee, but he will need to take his game to the pre-injury levels if Oklahoma wants to be a playoff team.
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Win out against Alabama, Missouri, and LSU, and the decision for the committee is simple. If they lose to Alabama, the task of making the CFP is more complicated.
I guess there’s just one thing left to do.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Oklahoma Sooners getting consideration in CFP Rankings
