An OU football fan's rooting guide to conference championship weekend
NORMAN — OU’s chances of making a New Year’s Six bowl aren’t completely dead.
But after last weekend’s results — Ole Miss’ win over Mississippi State, Alabama’s wild comeback over Auburn, Oregon cruising past Oregon State, Missouri’s blowout of Arkansas, Florida State’s late surge vs. Florida, and Penn State’s blowout of Michigan State — the Sooners’ hopes are mostly dead though.
Miracle Max can’t save the Sooners, but it might take a miracle to elevate OU into a major bowl.
Otherwise, it’s very likely OU makes its second-ever appearance in the Alamo Bowl against a Pac 12 opponent (likely Arizona) at 8 p.m. Dec. 28 in San Antonio.
Here’s an OU fan’s rooting guide for this weekend’s conference championship games, including one very difficult decision:
More: Jackson Arnold is OU football's QB of the future. How does he view Sooners' OC situation?
Friday's college football games
Pac-12
Oregon vs. Washington
7 p.m. ABC
Who OU fans should root for? Washington in a rout. It seems unlikely Oregon would fall outside of the top 12 but if the Huskies win handily, there’s a strong case to be made. As of now, the only ranked team the Ducks have beaten as Colorado and Utah have faded out since their meetings. The Sooners’ win over Texas shines much brighter than any on Oregon’s schedule. With the Rose Bowl being a College Football Playoff semifinal, there’s at least some chance that Washington could be the conference’s lone CFP/New Year’s Six representative.
More: Is Oklahoma State football the best coaching job in new-look Big 12? Cowboys have company
Saturday's college football games
Big 12
Texas vs. Oklahoma State
11 a.m., ABC
Who OU fans should root for? Take a big gulp here, Sooners fans, but you need to root for the Longhorns. OU is already ahead of Oklahoma State in the rankings but a Cowboys win here would guarantee OSU a NY6 spot, Texas figures to make a major bowl regardless. It wouldn’t be completely devastating for the Sooners if OSU wins — Sooners fans would relish Texas’ national title hopes, however remote, going up in flames — but a Texas win would eliminate a competitor and burnish OU’s resume. The Sooners’ resume needs all the boost it can get, with two of OU’s primary competitors for a berth — Penn State and Ole Miss — also not playing this weekend. The committee has shown it considers overall resume week to week rather than projecting, so a Texas win would help the Sooners’ best win look even better. Penn State’s best win right now is Iowa and Ole Miss’ is LSU.
More: USA TODAY Sports Network 2023 All-Big 12 football team: Gordon, Sarkisian earn top awards
SEC
Georgia vs. Alabama
3 p.m., CBS
Who OU fans should root for? Georgia in a rout. Alabama’s lone loss so far came to Texas, so if the Sooners’ can boast a win over the Longhorns with the record otherwise being the same, OU would have a chance to overtake the Crimson Tide. It’s hard to imagine the SEC only getting Georgia into the big-bowl field but it remains a possibility. It would take a decisive win for the Bulldogs, though, to knock Alabama down enough to put the Sooners ahead of them.
Big Ten
Michigan vs. Iowa
7 p.m., Fox
Who OU fans should root for? Michigan. If Iowa wins, the Hawkeyes would get an automatic New Year’s Six berth and Michigan would also make it — likely still in the CFP field.
ACC
Louisville vs. Florida State
7 p.m., ABC
Who OU fans should root for? Florida State. About the only thing that did go well for the Sooners last week — outside of their own win — was Louisville’s loss to Kentucky that took the Cardinals out of the running for an at-large New Year’s Six spot. Louisville could steal a spot with a victory here.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Who should OU football fans root for in conference championship games?
