Is OU football a playoff contender or pretender? Examining cases for SEC’s ranked teams

Nine’s a crowd.

The SEC hogged the spotlight in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll. The expanded powerhouse conference’s nine preseason ranked teams are a record.

But, nine SEC teams cannot make the playoff. It’s mathematically impossible, because the playoff’s format reserve spots for at least four teams from other conferences.

Realistically, the SEC will qualify four or five teams.

No singular one loss would eliminate an SEC team from playoff consideration, but we should have reliable indicators before Halloween as to whether a team is a playoff pretender or a contender.

Here’s the moment in the schedule when we’ll know more about each ranked SEC team’s playoff bona fides:

More: Why OU football’s Kani Walker is ‘most consistent’ cornerback for Sooners in preseason

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No. 1 Georgia

Pretender or contender reveal: vs. Clemson (in Atlanta), Aug. 31.

You can’t be eliminated from the playoff in Week 1, and you can’t seal a spot, either, but this opener will be a bell weather for each team. Georgia drew one of the tougher SEC schedules, so an upset loss to Clemson would cast doubt on its playoff credentials. In contrast, a convincing victory against one of the ACC’s top teams would cement Georgia as not only a playoff contender but a national championship frontrunner.

No. 4 Texas

Pretender or contender reveal: at Michigan, Sept. 7

Despite the hoopla surrounding Texas’ SEC arrival, the most important game to the Longhorns’ playoff quest comes in Week 2 against the defending national champions. A win at the Big House would deliver a stinging blow to the Big Ten and solidify Texas’ playoff positioning. Conversely, if Texas can’t handle Michigan, it probably can’t stand up to an SEC schedule that includes Georgia, Oklahoma and Texas A&M.

No. 5…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ou-football-playoff-contender-pretender-101552489.html

Author : The Oklahoman

Publish date : 2024-08-18 10:15:52

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