What else can be gleaned from the Sooners rising only from 10th to ninth in the rankings, after a 34-31 road victory at previously-unbeaten Baylor? The Bears, underrated last week at No. 13, fell to No. 14 this week. And now OU’s path to the playoff is clear.
The Sooners must have help. The Sooners can’t win their way in.
There is no other way to view the rankings less than three weeks before Selection Saturday. The Pac-12’s 9-1 teams, Utah and Oregon, are headed for a conference championship game, as are the Big 12’s 9-1 teams, Oklahoma and Baylor.