College Football Playoff expansion opens the door wider for Oklahoma Sooners, OSU Cowboys

Ryan Aber, The Oklahoman

Last December, the College Football Playoff committee’s final rankings were of significant consequence for OU.

The Sooners ultimately finished 12th, leaving them as the first team out of a New Year’s Six bowl as No. 23 Liberty earned an automatic bid as the top-ranked Group of Five champion.

So OU instead went to the Alamo Bowl, where it lost to Arizona.

Finishing in a similar spot this season would be an even bigger disappointment as OU would’ve been the first team out of the new-look 12-team College Football Playoff.

After a decade of a four-team playoff, the CFP is expanding to 12 teams in 2024.

The expanded playoff means expanded opportunity for teams that haven’t been able to crack the four-team field.

Cincinnati in 2021 was the only Group of Five program to make the four-team field.

More: These five OU football freshmen are worth monitoring in fall camp for Sooners

The new 12-team College Football Playoff field gives plenty of teams more opportunity to make the field, including both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
The new 12-team College Football Playoff field gives plenty of teams more opportunity to make the field, including both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

Only 15 programs have made the CFP field, with nearly half of those (seven) making it just once.

The Sooners have been to the playoff four times — more than anyone except Alabama (eight), Clemson (six) and Ohio State (five).

“I always thought the NCAA basketball tournament was just … like who doesn’t love that? That’s cool,” Sooners coach Brent Venables said in 2022 when playoff expansion was being discussed. “And who do we pull for? Loyola-Chicago, right? Or, you know, St. Bonaventure. Somebody like that, don’t you … pull for the underdog. So maybe it gives, again, a chance for people. But I think that’s good for the game.”

Oklahoma State is among those teams that have yet to make the CFP.

Cowboys coach Mike Gundy expressed hesitation for playoff expansion two years ago.

But his stance has shifted.

"It's not perfect, but it'll be better than if we just had four," Gundy said. "Because I always felt like there could be team No. 5 or 6 that might have won it. But I don't know if team No. 13 of 14 would have."

More: Three Oklahoma State football position battles to watch in 2024 preseason practices

The Cowboys would’ve made the expanded field in 2021 when they finished ninth in the final rankings and went to the Fiesta Bowl.

The first round of the new-look playoff adds another dimension for the sport.

The five through eight seeds will host games, while the top four seeds receive a bye into the quarterfinals — where the games will be played as part of the traditional bowl structure.

Both the Sooners and Cowboys have playoff aspirations this season.

OU is ranked No. 16 in the preseason coaches’ poll, while OSU is No. 18.

“When I came here, Oklahoma won six, seven conference championships in a row. Since I’ve been here, I haven’t been to one. My goal is to win championships,” Sooners safety Billy Bowman said. “We went to the college football playoffs four times also. I haven’t been there also. So that’s something I want to check off too.”

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: College Football Playoff expansion gives OU, OSU more opportunity

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