Tramel's ScissorTales: Oklahoma State gets good news from College Football Playoff committee
An Oklahoma team is headed to Arlington next week to not only play for the Big 12 championship, but to make its case for a College Football Playoff berth.
We just don’t know which Oklahoma team.
The 10-1 Cowboys host the 10-1 Sooners on Saturday night, and the winner will be ranked no worse than sixth by the playoff committee next week.
The committee released its weekly rankings Tuesday night, with OSU up to seventh and OU up to 10th.
The Wednesday ScissorTales asks if Mike Gundy has been too conservative in Bedlam and checks in on Colt McCoy, still helping out after 12 pro football seasons. But we start with Bedlam and the College Football Playoff.
Even without upsets over Thanksgiving weekend, OSU figures figure to rise with a victory. The Ohio State-Michigan loser should drop below the Cowboys. And heck, a Bedlam victory could propel OSU past No. 6 Notre Dame, since a victory by the Cowboys would give OSU wins over Baylor (now ranked eighth) and OU. Notre Dame’s two best wins are Wisconsin and Purdue; not nearly as impressive.
Even No. 4 Cincinnati would be a potential target for OSU to pass, since while the Bearcats have a victory over Notre Dame, the rest of their schedule is rather dubious.
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OU probably would not be a threat to pass Notre Dame or Cincinnati, since the Sooners lost to Baylor and have played mostly uninspiring football against a mundane schedule.
Still, Lincoln Riley expressed excitement over OU’s opportunity.
“Absolutely. And I have for a long time this year, and I've always felt that way,” Riley said. “We can't forget the past. You know, we've been through this so much. And if you win, things could take care of themselves.”
Of course, the Sooners never have been this far down the rankings this deep in the season. But there is a path for OU to make up ground quickly – beat the Cowboys on Saturday, then beat them again in Arlington. That would be back-to-back wins over top-10 teams, even if it’s the same squad.
"People are going to lose games, people are going to fold down in the month of November,” Riley said. “I mean, it happens every single year, and all these people, these teams and everybody thought, ‘Oh, there's no doubt they're going to do this, going to do that, and it always happens this way.’ And so you just keep winning.”
That’s what I’ve been saying about the Sooners for several weeks. The rankings and the committee are the least of OU’s problem. Winning is the primary duty.
There are a few things to ponder as we approach a wild two weekends.
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► OSU clearly would benefit from a Baylor victory over Texas Tech. If Baylor loses to Tech, OU makes the championship game no matter how it fares in Stillwater.
Beating the Sooners and the Bears back-to-back would be more impressive than back-to-back Bedlam victories, though students of Bedlam history would disagree.
► If we end up with back-to-back Bedlams, the winner Saturday night is much better off with a close win in Stillwater than a blowout.
I know, it makes no sense. But if we have a blowout in Stillwater, a repeat victory of any kind in Arlington would not be deemed as impressive.
► Good news Tuesday night from committee chairman Gary Barta, the Iowa athletic director.
Barta revealed that OSU was included in the discussion among Cincinnati, Notre Dame and Michigan. A week ago, Barta said, the Cowboys were more in the discussion with Wake Forest, Baylor, Ole Miss and OU.
“Oklahoma State, their defense has been terrific,” Barta said. “They have a great win against Baylor. Texas Tech couldn't do anything against Oklahoma State's defense this past weekend. Their offense shows signs at times. They do enough, Spencer Sanders and that group do enough, but they're more defensive-minded. They have the loss on the road at Iowa State.”
“Oklahoma only has one loss,” Barta said. “You've heard us talk previously about the strength of their schedule not being as difficult as some of the others. The Iowa State win (28-21) was a heck of a football game, first of all. The fact that they were able to hang on and win that game, the committee certainly considered that.
“Their only loss is to a really good Baylor team. There's never a discussion about separation; right now it's 7, 8, 9 and 10. When this week occurs, obviously Oklahoma State and Oklahoma play each other, and that will be a piece of information that will be important to add to the conversation.”
No kidding.
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Does Mike Gundy go conservative in Bedlam?
Mike Gundy sometimes is criticized for going conservative in Bedlam. It’s a hollow argument. When a coach is on the wrong side of a one-sided series, criticism will come his way. Some of it deserved. Some not.
It’s not like OSU has been losing a lot of 14-13 Bedlams.
Among the Cowboy defeats over the last 13 years have been OU wins of 51-48 in overtime, 62-52, 48-47, 47-41, 61-41. Doesn’t sound like close-to-the-vest games.
And the last two years, OU wins of 41-13 and 34-16, the Cowboys played without quarterback Spencer Sanders for either all or much of the game.
Gundy pleads not guilty on the charge of getting tight in Bedlam.
“No, we’ve been more open than we have been” in non-Bedlam games, Gundy said. “Sometimes we’ve been cautious if we don’t feel like we can execute certain things. If we feel like it’s going to create negative plays.
“Negative plays on the offensive side of the ball are not good. You know, you hear people say ‘stay on the chains.’ Now, if they’ve had teams that were overpowering to us and we couldn’t function, it may look that way.”
Gundy points out that in 2020, OSU in the second half had three freshmen offensive linemen on the field.
“And they had a pretty good pass rush,” Gundy said. “So, it may look conservative, but it didn’t do us or me or the team any good to put them in a situation where they’re working down-the-field pass routes that are 2.8 to three (seconds) to throw and somebody is in the backfield in 1.7 (seconds). It just didn’t make any sense. So, our approach to every game has probably been more wide open against them than would it be a normal opponent, during my time here as a head coach.”
Gundy recalled the 2008 Bedlam game, when the Cowboys used an empty backfield much of the game, after rarely doing that during the season. That was the 61-41 game.
"So no, it’s not been that way,” Gundy said. “But we also, unfortunately at times, try to work with the ebb and flow of the game and manage the best we can.”
Nobody could blame Gundy for going conservative Saturday night in Stillwater, considering he’s got one of the nation’s best defenses, and OU freshman quarterback Caleb Williams has struggled the last two weeks against the best defenses the Sooners have faced.
This game does not figure to be 61-41 or 48-47 or 47-41.
Let’s get to the predictions:
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Oklahoma at Oklahoma State: Cowboys 17-16. Other than an eight-year span (1995-2002) in which OSU won five of eight, the Sooner lead Bedlam 87-13-1. So a Cowboy win would be monumental.
Texas Tech at Baylor: Bears 34-14. This seemed like a potential upset. Then OSU cut off the legs of Tech quarterback Donovan Smith, and you wonder if he’ll ever be the same.
Kansas State at Texas: Longhorns 24-20. The status of K-State quarterback Skylar Thompson (ankle injury) remains unknown. My prediction is based on Thompson not playing.
Texas Christian at Iowa State: Cyclones 44-17. If ISU wins, it staggers in with a 7-5 record, quite nice by Cyclone historical standards but quite disappointing by ISU’s contemporary standards.
West Virginia at Kansas: Mountaineers 30-20. WVU needs this win to become bowl eligible. Beating Kansas since mid-October is not quite so easy.
Ole Miss at Mississippi State: Bulldogs 27-23. Mississippi is ranked ninth by the College Football Playoff committee, but unranked Mississippi State is favored. Welcome to the Egg Bowl.
Alabama at Auburn: Crimson Tide 31-7. This game might have been interesting if Auburn had not lost quarterback Bo Nix to injury. Now? Not so much.
Texas A&M at Louisiana State: Aggies 28-19. LSU becomes bowl eligible with a victory, which would extend the Ed Orgeron era one extra game.
Clemson at South Carolina: Tigers 30-13. Shane Beamer’s remarkable first season with the Gamecocks has resulted in bowl eligibility, but Beamer is not completely covered in gold dust. Arch-rival Clemson has come alive just in time to keep smoking South Carolina.
Florida State at Florida: Seminoles 31-21. The winner become bowl eligible. The loser lives in shame for a year.
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Missouri at Arkansas: Razorbacks 32-14. The Hogs are 7-4; the Tigers are 6-5. Seems close. They’re not. That’s the difference between playing in the Southeastern Conference West and the SEC East.
Kentucky at Louisville: Wildcats 24-19. All the momentum Mark Stoops built with UK early in the season is gone, but I’m not sure. Kentucky still is 8-3; beat the Cardinals, and that’s a heck of a season.
Georgia at Georgia Tech: Bulldogs 38-0. This once upon a time was a good rivalry. Don’t believe it? The Yellow Jackets have the most recent national championship from the state of Georgia. Tech won in 1990. Georgia in 1980.
Vanderbilt at Tennessee: Volunteers 42-16. What a season for Josh Heupel. His Vols can get to 7-5. Some predicted four wins for Tennessee.
Ohio State at Michigan: Wolverines 24-23. Upset special. I remain convinced that Jim Harbaugh is a heck of a coach, and at some point, he’s got to beat the Buckeyes.
Wisconsin at Minnesota: Badgers 26-13. The Badgers win the Big Ten West with a victory.
Penn State at Michigan State: Nittany Lions 27-10. Are the Spartans’ wounds from Ohio State too deep to put up a fight?
Iowa at Nebraska: Hawkeyes 20-17. If Minnesota beats Wisconsin, Iowa can win the Big Ten West by beating the Cornhuskers – and make Nebraska perhaps the best 3-9 team in college football history.
Northwestern at Illinois: Illini 23-20. Illinois can get to 5-7, which would be a solid maiden season for Bret Bielema.
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Indiana at Purdue: Boilermakers 51-17. Purdue can’t win the Big Ten West, but if the Boilermakers, Minnesota and Nebraska win Saturday, it creates a four-way tie that sends Minnesota to the Big Ten Championship Game.
Maryland at Rutgers: Terrapins 26-24. Another matchup of 5-6 teams, with bowl eligibility on the line. Somehow, it’s more noble when it’s Maryland-Rutgers than when it’s Florida State-Florida.
Notre Dame at Stanford: Fighting Irish 41-7. Notre Dame’s schedule gets worse and worse. Of the Irish’s victims this season, only Wisconsin and Purdue are guaranteed winning records in the regular season.
Brigham Young at Southern Cal: Cougars 41-17. USC needs to beat BYU, plus California next week in a rescheduled game, to become bowl eligible, though I’m not sure the Trojans want to go bowling.
Oregon State at Oregon: Ducks 38-35. The Beavers still have a shot at the Pac-12 North Division title. They need Washington to beat Washington State on Friday, then Oregon State must beat Oregon on Saturday.
Washington State at Washington: Cougars 30-27. If WSU wins the Apple Cup, they win the Pac-12 North with an Oregon State win at Oregon. That would create a three-way tie that the Cougars would win by virtue of a better division record.
California at UCLA: Bruins 36-14. Cal, 4-6, still could become bowl eligible, with victories over the Los Angeles schools.
Colorado at Utah: Utes 34-21. Utah already has secured the Pac-12 South title, so this game is relevant only for preventing a four-loss team from possibly reaching the Rose Bowl.
Arizona at Arizona State: Sun Devils 29-14. Lots of people still speculating that Herm Edwards could lose his job at ASU. I don’t know why. He’s 7-4.
Wake Forest at Boston College: Demon Deacons 44-31. With a victory, Wake wins the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Atlantic Division.
North Carolina at North Carolina State: Tar Heels 33-31. If Wake loses at BC, N.C. State can win the Atlantic with a victory over UNC. If both Wake and the Wolfpack lose, Clemson goes to the title game.
Miami at Duke: Hurricanes 33-13. Miami limps into its regular-season finale with a 6-5 record. Quick. Of the three former powers from Florida – Florida State, Miami and Florida – which is in the best shape? Could it be Florida State, which started 0-4 and lost to Jacksonville State?
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Pittsburgh at Syracuse: Panthers 44-20. Pitt is on its way to the ACC Championship Game. The league sure could use a Pitt victory Saturday, else a championship game with little luster loses all allure.
Virginia Tech at Virginia: Cavaliers 33-24. The Hokies need a win to become bowl eligible, but again, do programs that have just fired their coach even want to go to a bowl?
Tulsa at Southern Methodist: Golden Hurricane 26-24. TU, 5-6, needs an upset to become bowl eligible. If the Hurricane had just taken care of Cal-Davis, it wouldn’t have to worry about it.
Cincinnati at East Carolina: Bearcats 27-20. Cincy has broken into the coveted top four. Can the Bearcats stay there?
South Florida at Central Florida: Knights 38-16. Disappointing first season at UCF for Gus Malzahn, but the Knights can get to 8-4 with a win.
Houston at Connecticut: Cougars 56-7. UofH has won 10 straight since losing its opener to Texas Tech. Has Houston fortified enough to challenge Cincinnati next week in the American Conference title game?
Navy at Temple: Midshipmen 30-20. Navy somehow is just 2-8 yet is a 12½-point road favorite.
Tulane at Memphis: Tigers 35-25. Memphis needs the victory to be bowl eligible.
Nevada-Las Vegas at Air Force: Falcons 27-9. With a victory, Air Force wins the Mountain West’s Mountain Division. If the Falcons lose, they need both Boise State and Utah State to lose.
Boise State at San Diego State: Broncos 24-17. With a win, the Aztecs win the Mountain West’s West Division. If San Diego State loses, it needs a Fresno State loss to San Jose State. Boise State needs an Air Force loss to stay alive for the Mountain Division.
Fresno State at San Jose State: Bulldogs 31-19. The Mountain West did a nice job stair-stacking the games. Fresno State-San Jose State is Thanksgiving Day. Boise State-San Diego State and Utah State-New Mexico are in the early Friday window. Air Force-UNLV is in the middle Friday window.
Utah State at New Mexico: Aggies 38-19. Utah State inexplicably lost to Wyoming last week, else the division title would be in their control.
Hawaii at Wyoming: Cowboys 26-16. Wyoming became bowl eligible with the upset of Utah State; the 5-7 Rainbow Warriors can’t get to bowl eligibility.
Nevada at Colorado State: Wolf Pack 31-20. Jay Norvell’s Nevada team is solid but will have to settle for a middling bowl.
Last week: 37-11. Season: 435-150.
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Colt McCoy still winning games
Oklahomans grew to know Colt McCoy quite well when he was the Texas quarterback. Four-year starter, big-time winner. McCoy went 7-1 against the Oklahoma teams.
Over the next decade, we wondered why the Longhorns never solved their quarterback dilemma. I mean, Vince Youngs don’t come around often. But we figured Texas ought to be able to find another Colt McCoy.
Turns out, McCoy is quite special beyond the college game.
McCoy is in his 12th National Football League season, mostly as a backup, but he’s still proving he can play quarterback at the highest level. McCoy is 2-1 as the Arizona Cardinals starter, while Kyler Murray recovers from an injury.
Last week, McCoy completed 35 of 44 passes for 328 yards and two touchdowns as Arizona beat Seattle 23-13. Two weeks earlier, McCoy completed 22 of 26 for 249 yards and one TD as the Cardinals beat the 49ers 31-17.
McCoy got 21 starts his first two years in the league, for the hapless Cleveland Browns. But that was a decade ago. Since then, McCoy has become a journeyman backup, with only nine starts, sprinkled among the Giants and Washington.
But at 35, with college contemporaries Sam Bradford and Zac Robinson and Josh Freeman long gone from the league, McCoy still is helping good football teams win games.
“To be honest, it's my responsibility," McCoy said of filling in ably for Murray. “When your number is called, that's my role."
McCoy completed eight passes to new Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz.
“These past three weeks have been fun,” Ertz said. “Everyone knew what a great mentor (McCoy)'s been for Kyler, but he's a great football player, and people should never take that for granted."
Arizona is off this week. The Cardinals have the NFL’s best record, 9-2, and Murray should return soon. Which will send McCoy back to the bench.
But McCoy, 15 years after he started winning games for Texas, remains a viable NFL quarterback.
Let’s get to the predictions:
Bears at Lions: Chicago 26-17. I know Detroit is grandfathered in as a permanent Thanksgiving Day host, but at some point, CBS and Fox are going to stand up and say, enough.
Raiders at Cowboys: Dallas 31-17. Las Vegas is in free fall. The Cowboys are more like on a trampoline. Up, down. Up, down.
Bills at Saints: New Orleans 23-20. Buffalo is in trouble. The Bills have lost three of five, and the only wins were over the Dolphins and Jetropolitans. And New Orleans starts a three-game stretch that includes New England and Tampa Bay.
Steelers at Bengals: Pittsburgh 20-17. If someone can figure out Cincinnati, let me know. I’m pulling heavy for the Bengals because of Zac Taylor, but you never know what you’re going to get.
Buccaneers at Colts: Tampa Bay 31-21. Indianapolis is hot, with three straight victories, drawing within two games of first-place Tennessee. But Tom Brady has a way of stopping momentum.
Panthers at Dolphins: Miami 17-16. Carolina is somehow still in the National Conference playoff chase, at 5-6. The NFL is nothing if not parity.
Titans at Patriots: New England 23-17. Most people plug these two as the AFC’s two best teams. Time will tell, but nobody is excited about meeting Bill Belichick down the stretch.
Eagles at Giants: Philadelphia 26-14. Jalen Hurts is playing well for the Eagles, and New York this week fired offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. The Giants are a mess.
Falcons at Jaguars: Atlanta 30-20. The Falcons are 4-6, and four of their next five games are against Jacksonville, Carolina, San Francisco and Detroit. The playoffs are possible.
Jets at Texans: New York 18-13. Somehow, each of these teams has won twice. What a country.
Chargers at Broncos: Los Angeles 24-13. Can Denver must enough offense to keep it close? The Broncos are 5-5 and still alive in the playoff chase.
Rams at Packers: Green Bay 23-21. Los Angeles is considered the NFL’s most talented team, but lose at Lambeau Field, and the Rams are two games behind Arizona in the NFC West.
Vikings at 49ers: San Francisco 25-17. Both teams have been largely anonymous this season, but this winner gets to 6-5 and is in great shape for the playoffs.
Browns at Ravens: Baltimore 23-20. The AFC North is jam-packed. If Cleveland wins, one game could separate first place from last place.
Seahawks at Washington: Seattle 21-19. Could Washington really make the playoffs? At 4-6, it’s possible.
Last week: 8-7. Season: 103-59-1.
Mailbag: College Football Playoff scenarios
We’re reaching the climax of the College Football Playoff chase, and scenarios are run amok.
John: “Just for fun, let's assume Georgia, Ohio State, Cincinnati, Oklahoma State and Notre Dame win their remaining games. This means Alabama is a two-loss team. Georgia and Ohio State are understandably 1-2 of the CFP field. Who gets the other two spots?”
Tramel: I think Alabama and OSU. But maybe Cincinnati and OSU.
I don’t believe the committee will penalize Bama for playing Georgia, especially if it’s a good game. But lots of people smarter than I believe two losses eliminates Alabama.
As for Cincinnati, I just don’t see how OSU, closing with wins over OU and Baylor, wouldn’t jump the Bearcats, who close with East Carolina and Houston.
Take a Ride on the Reading: Presidents Can’t Punt
OU football history is rich with a variety of books. But only one was written by a university president.
George Lynn Cross, who led OU from 1943-68, in 1977 wrote Presidents Can’t Punt, looking at the Sooner football program from a president’s perspective.
Cross was instrumental in the hiring of Jim Tatum and Bud Wilkinson in 1946. Cross hired Jim Mackenzie in 1966, then Chuck Fairbanks a year later when Mackenzie tragically died of a heart attack after only one season.
Cross was on the inside of NCAA investigations and Big 12 expansion and OU’s 47-game winning streak.
His book is a look back at an incredible time in OU history.
“Dr. Cross had a unique position in building the tradition,” the University of Oklahoma Press wrote in promoting the book. “He was administrator, teacher, fan (he himself went to college on a football scholarship and has always loved the game), and he ran interference for the university with regents, politicians, Monday morning quarterbacks, NCAA officials. He was the measured voice that cooled when tempers flared, wrought peace at the bargaining table, exerted force when necessary. As he has said of his years at OU, ‘presidents can’t punt.’ He didn’t.”
Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at 405-760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. Support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OSU gets good news from College Football Playoff committee
