With the Sooners on the bubble, many experts have this team just outside the CFP at this point in the year. That’s true for CBS Sports, as they don’t have Oklahoma in the playoffs in their latest bowl projections.
Instead, CBS has the Sooners in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, which will be played in Orlando, Florida, on December 31. The game pits the SEC against the Big Ten, with Illinois defeating South Carolina in the matchup a year ago. CBS believes OU’s opponent on New Year’s Eve will be a familiar face.
Oklahoma’s projected matchup is the Michigan Wolverines, and the two teams played in Norman during Week 2 of this season. The Sooners won in primetime by a score of 24-13, in one of the big wins of Brent Venables’ tenure. Additionally, the two teams will play again in 2026 in Ann Arbor for the second half of the two-way deal. Three meetings in a calendar year would ensure that no love is lost between the two teams and their fans.
While a trip to the playoffs is obviously the goal for the Sooners, a spot in the Citrus Bowl would be the best possible consolation prize. The Citrus Bowl is the primary landing spot for SEC and Big Ten teams that don’t make the CFP, and would represent a big push forward for Oklahoma, coming off a 6-7 season and a Lockheed Martin Armed Forced Bowl bid in 2024.
This week’s game against Alabama is a must-win for OU’s playoff hopes, and a loss could drop the Sooners even further than the Citrus Bowl. The SEC will be absolutely loaded again in 2025, and the only way to keep up is to keep winning games.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X.@Aaron_Gelvin.