The Oklahoma Sooners are still not receiving the respect they deserve after making the College Football Playoff last season and dominating 51-0 the University of Texas at El Paso Miners in the season opener. For most teams that experienced the same type of success, they would be much higher on ESPN's playoff projection, but not the Sooners.
ESPN's Heather Dinich predicts Oklahoma will finish No. 12 in the final College Football Playoff ranking. However, she has the Boise State Broncos not being ranked in the top-12, despite having them being the highest-rated Group of Six champion. That means the Broncos would be in the College Football Playoff over the Sooners.
Dinich said there are still a few things she needs to know before moving the Sooners
up her ranking.
"Oklahoma travels to Michigan on Saturday, and ESPN's FPI gives the Sooners a 64.3% chance to win," Dinich wrote. "It's as close to a must-win situation as there can be in Week 2 because Oklahoma will need some margin for error with Georgia and Texas looming in two of the next three weeks. ESPN's FPI projects OU will lose both of those games. The Sooners can't have three losses before the rankings even begin and be in the playoff conversation."
The biggest concern for Oklahoma is what comes after the Michigan Wolverines. The Sooners face the New Mexico Lobos before traveling to the Georgia Bulldogs on Sept. 26 and then meeting the Texas Longhorns on Oct. 10, both teams Dinich has in the CFP. ESPN's FPI projects Oklahoma to lose both SEC showdowns, which would put Venables' team in a difficult position if it also loses to Michigan.
That is ultimately why Oklahoma's placement at No. 12 should not be viewed as a final judgment. The Sooners have a chance to change the conversation quickly, starting with Michigan on Saturday. A win in Ann Arbor would give Oklahoma the kind of résumé boost Dinich is looking for and provide some margin for error before Georgia and Texas arrive. If the Sooners can survive that stretch with only one, or even remain unbeaten, it will become increasingly difficult to justify leaving them outside the playoff field.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Oklahoma predicted to miss CFP in latest ESPN projection
