Oklahoma Football: Did Loss to Texas Crush the Sooners' Playoff Dreams?

Oklahoma had authored one of the best stories of the 2015 college football season, turning 2014’s 8-5 disappointment into a 4-0 record and Top 10 ranking entering Saturday’s Red River Rivalry showdown against Texas.

The Sooners can still have a special season with quarterback Baker Mayfield at the helm, but the disappointing 24-17 loss to the Longhorns ends the Sooners’ hopes of making a run at the College Football Playoff.

College football is topsy-turvy, and this season has shown that anything can happen (as proven by the four Top 10 teams that fell in Week 5), but the difficult, nine-game Big 12 slate leaves no room for error.

League rivals Baylor and TCU can attest to that. A year ago, both teams finished with one loss (Baylor defeated TCU 61-58 and West Virginia dealt the Bears a 41-27 defeat), but both were left on the outside looking in when the dust settled on the four-team College Football Playoff field.

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While we only have one year of history to draw on with the CFP selection committee, recent history doesn’t smile kindly on multiple-loss teams. Since 2010, when the final regular-season poll featured three undefeated teams (Auburn, Oregon and TCU, then of the Mountain West Conference), the final poll has featured exactly one undefeated team entering the postseason, and no two-loss teams in the top four.

Oklahoma’s remaining schedule is unforgiving, too. Next week brings a trip to a gritty Kansas State team, followed by a visit from Mayfield’s old team, high-powered Texas Tech. And the Sooners still have a pair of Top 5 teams with Baylor (Nov. 14) and TCU (Nov. 28) left on the schedule.

Mayfield has been a revelation as the Sooners’ new starting quarterback. Entering Saturday, he had 1,382 yards passing with 13 touchdowns against three interceptions, completing 65.2 percent of his passes. Even while struggling at times against the Longhorns, he was efficient, completing 20 of 28 passes for 211 yards and a touchdown.

He showed grit leading the Sooners from a 24-10 deficit to within a touchdown with eight minutes left, but it wasn’t enough. Texas’ defense also contained dynamic backfield duo Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine, holding them to 60 combined yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.

That kind of offensive production just won’t be enough against the high-octane Baylor, Texas Tech or TCU offenses. A year ago, the Bears and Horned Frogs combined to put up 85 points on the Sooner defense.

Oklahoma’s pass defense held Texas to 55 passing yards Saturday, but the Sooner secondary has been a liability. While it is improved from a year ago, OU entered this week allowing 203.3 passing yards per game, No. 51 nationally.

Meanwhile, Texas Tech entered this week with the nation’s top passing offense, rolling up 423.4 yards per game. TCU was No. 4 with 396.4 yards, and Baylor was No. 8 with 368.5 yards. The Bears, Horned Frogs and Red Raiders were 1-2-3 in national scoring offense, piling up 63.8, 50.8 and 50 points per game, respectively.

That’s a huge warning sign for OU’s defense.

The Sooners have the talent to threaten for the Big 12 title, and they should be taken seriously by every opponent. But a College Football Playoff run doesn’t seem to be in the cards this season, given the tough slate ahead and historical precedent.