The No. 12 Oklahoma Sooners took down the No. 3 Texas Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry, winning 34-30 on a great drive for a touchdown to close the game. Dillon Gabriel cemented his place in the Heisman Trophy conversation and more importantly, made up for last year’s debacle where Texas defeated Oklahoma 49-0. Here’s what the Sooners winning means for the College Football Playoff.
Oklahoma is now in prime position as the undefeated Big 12 leader to emerge in the committee’s first rankings later this month. The Sooners still have some games to navigate, including the Bedlam game against Oklahoma State. However, this win likely puts the Sooners into the top 10 and should give them the leg up in the CFP chase.
Texas is definitely still in the hunt. The Longhorns have one of the best wins of the season with the victory over Alabama on the road, so that sort of cancels out this loss if they can run the table. Running the table would also mean winning the Big 12 title game, which could be a rematch against Oklahoma. If the Longhorns were to knock off the Sooners there, it could push the committee towards Texas for the playoff.