A look at how the Oklahoma Sooners stack up in the ESPN Football Power Index after Week 6
Though a football program never wants to get too ahead of itself, the Oklahoma Sooners’ win against Texas opens a world of possibilities in 2023.
Coming into the season, many expected the Sooners to be a Big 12 title contender, but most preseason predictions pegged them with at least two losses. Having overcome the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl, the Sooners have a chance to do something special this season.
This was a signature win for Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners. While they have much higher expectations than simply winning the Red River Rivalry, this was an important monkey to get off the program’s back after what happened a year ago.
We’ve been saying all season that this team looked different. On Saturday in Dallas, the Sooners proved that to be the case. Brent Venables has the Sooners on a strong trajectory, and they’re just getting started.
With the win, let’s see how the Oklahoma Sooners stack up nationally in the ESPN Football Power Index.
Ohio State Buckeyes (5-0)
ESPN Football Power Index: 27.1
Projected Win-Loss: 11.2-1.2
Chance to Win the Conference: 41.8%
Chance to make College Football Playoff: 52.4%
Chance to Make National Championship Game: 29.6%
Chance to Win National Championship: 16.4%
Ohio State built off its win over Notre Dame with a strong performance against Maryland. The Buckeyes, Wolverines and Nittany Lions will sort it out later in the season, but the Big Ten East is going to be a lot of fun.
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Oklahoma Sooners (6-0)
ESPN Football Power Index: 26.3
Projected Win-Loss: 12.2-0.8
Chance to Win the Conference: 63.2%
Chance to make College Football Playoff: 71.3%
Chance to Make National Championship Game: 40.8%
Chance to Win National Championship: 23.1%
The computers love the Oklahoma Sooners in 2023. After their win over Texas, no team has a higher chance to win its conference, make the College Football Playoff, make the national title game or win the national championship than the Oklahoma Sooners. Brent Venables has to keep his team focused on the moment and not allow the Sooners to get too far ahead of themselves.
Alabama Crimson Tide (5-1)
ESPN Football Power Index: 24.4
Projected Win-Loss: 10.6-2.3
Chance to Win the Conference: 43.8%
Chance to make College Football Playoff: 29.6%
Chance to Make National Championship Game: 15.4%
Chance to Win National Championship: 7.9%
Despite the loss to Texas, the Alabama Crimson Tide are still a threat in the national title race. Jalen Milroe is beginning to figure some things out, and the Tide simply keeps on winning.
Georgia Bulldogs (6-0)
ESPN Football Power Index: 24.3
Projected Win-Loss: 11.6-1.3
Chance to Win the Conference: 47.5%
Chance to make College Football Playoff: 41.5%
Chance to Make National Championship Game: 21.1%
Chance to Win National Championship: 10.6%
The back-to-back defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs earned a huge win over the Kentucky Wildcats in a top-25 matchup. Georgia is proving, week by week, that the dynasty is far from over.
Oregon Ducks (5-0)
ESPN Football Power Index: 24
Projected Win-Loss: 11.2-1.6
Chance to Win the Conference: 48.3%
Chance to make College Football Playoff: 40%
Chance to Make National Championship Game: 19.4%
Chance to Win National Championship: 8.7%
The Oregon Ducks have been rolling on both sides of the ball through five games. Tougher tests await, but Dan Lanning has Oregon playing like a contender.
Texas Longhorns (5-1)
ESPN Football Power Index: 24
Projected Win-Loss: 10.6-2.1
Chance to Win the Conference: 33.4%
Chance to make College Football Playoff: 32.1%
Chance to Make National Championship Game: 17.1%
Chance to Win National Championship: 8.8%
Though Texas suffered its first loss of the season, it is a team to keep an eye on as 2023 plays out. It is still a good team and have a lot to play for the remainder of the season.
Penn State Nittany Lions (5-0)
ESPN Football Power Index: 23.6
Projected Win-Loss: 10.7-1.6
Chance to Win the Conference: 21.6%
Chance to make College Football Playoff: 27.2%
Chance to Make National Championship Game: 13.6%
Chance to Win National Championship: 6.5%
Though they’re ranked ahead of Michigan in the Football Power Index, their chances for postseason success are slightly lower. For the Nittany Lions, it will come down to how they perform against the Wolverines and Ohio State.
Michigan Wolverines (6-0)
ESPN Football Power Index: 23.3
Projected Win-Loss: 10.7-1.5
Chance to Win the Conference: 22.2%
Chance to make College Football Playoff: 28.8%
Chance to Make National Championship Game: 9.4%
Chance to Win National Championship: 3.8%
While the human polls love the Wolverines, the computers aren’t sold yet. They’re ranked six spots lower than they are in the US LBM Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25. Still, they have a strong path to the College Football Playoff, given the perceived strength of the Big Ten.
Washington Huskies (5-0)
ESPN Football Power Index: 20.3
Projected Win-Loss: 10.4-2.1
Chance to Win the Conference: 26.3%
Chance to make College Football Playoff: 22.8%
Chance to Make National Championship Game: 9.4%
Chance to Win National Championship: 3.8%
Washington was off this week, but the Huskies look like a dangerous team given the way Michael Penix is playing.
Florida State Seminoles (5-0)
ESPN Football Power Index: 19.6
Projected Win-Loss: 11.3-1.5
Chance to Win the Conference: 52.4%
Chance to make College Football Playoff: 26%
Chance to Make National Championship Game: 10.3%
Chance to Win National Championship: 4.2%
The Florida State Seminoles are a legit national title contender. If it can navigate the ACC unscathed, it will find a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Ole Miss Rebels (5-1)
ESPN Football Power Index: 18
Projected Win-Loss: 9.4-2.6
Chance to Win the Conference: 1.3%
Chance to make College Football Playoff: 3.3%
Chance to Make National Championship Game: 1.3%
Chance to Win National Championship: 0.6%
The loss to Alabama hasn’t slowed the Ole Miss Rebels, who have beaten LSU and Arkansas in consecutive weeks to stay alive in the SEC West race.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-2)
ESPN Football Power Index: 17.7
Projected Win-Loss: 8.9-3.1
Chance to make College Football Playoff: 0.1%
Chance to Make National Championship Game: 0.0%
Chance to Win National Championship: 0.0%
After suffering their second loss, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are pretty much dead in the water. All that’s left to do is play spoiler on the schedule and hope to earn an invite to a New Year’s Six bowl.
USC Trojans (6-0)
ESPN Football Power Index: 17.7
Projected Win-Loss: 9.7-2.8
Chance to Win Conference: 19%
Chance to make College Football Playoff: 9.2%
Chance to Make National Championship Game: 3.6%
Chance to Win National Championship: 1.3%
The USC Trojans are the only undefeated team to drop in the ESPN Football Power Index after Week 6. The Trojans suffered another close call in their triple overtime win over Arizona. It’s only a matter of time until someone beats Lincoln Riley’s bunch.
LSU Tigers (4-2)
ESPN Football Power Index: 17.5
Projected Win-Loss: 8.4-3.8
Chance to Win the Conference: 4.1%
Chance to make College Football Playoff: 1.1%
Chance to Make National Championship Game: 0.4%
Chance to Win National Championship: 0.2%
The LSU Tigers survived a shootout with Missouri over the weekend, but will need a lot of help in the national title race. The losses to Florida State and Ole Miss loom large at this point. They can’t afford another slip up.
Texas A&M Aggies (4-2)
ESPN Football Power Index: 16.2
Projected Win-Loss: 7.9-4.1
Chance to Win the Conference: 0.5%
Chance to make College Football Playoff: 0.2%
Chance to Make National Championship Game: 0.1%
Chance to Win National Championship: 0.0%
The Aggies had their shot to make a statement this weekend against Alabama, but couldn’t hold on. Now the road to the College Football Playoff is dicey and probably completely shut down for Texas A&M.
