Where are the Sooners headed in latest bowl projections?
To win the national championship, the Sooners will have to do something theyve been unable to do in the College Football Playoff; win a game. 2021 is supposed to be the best chance the Oklahoma Sooners will have to end their national championship drought. Theyre a good football team on paper, and with a full offseason of work, they should be better than they were last year. None of that matters when the games are played, but the Sooners have a shot at contending for the national title. Not only that. Theyll have to win two. In the seven-year history of the playoff, this is the Sooners best shot to make some noise, and according to the latest bowl projections, theyll return to the site of their last national championship win. According to the latest bowl projections produced by Athlon Sports, the Oklahoma Sooners will be headed to the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, on December 31st. Athlon Sports is projecting the Sooners will be in one of the two College Football Playoff Semifinals and will face the Clemson Tigers, with the winner moving on to play for the National Championship. The Sooners have had mixed results in the Orange Bowl over the last 20 years. Following the 2000 season, the Sooners played Florida State on January 1st, 2001, for the National Championship. They held Chris Wienke and the Seminoles to two points in a smothering defensive effort by Mike Stoops defense. Their next appearance after the 2004 season did not go as well, as the Sooners were thoroughly dominated by the USC Trojans 55-19. Again, in 2014, the Sooners had a disappointing end to their season in the Orange Bowl, falling 37-17 to Dabo Swinney, Deshaun Watson, and the Clemson Tigers. In both of their losses in the Orange Bowl since the 2000 season, the Sooners opened the scoring with touchdowns in the first quarter. Unfortunately, they could not keep pace with their counterparts and ended up getting blown out by their opponent. If the projection holds, it would mark the fifth time the Oklahoma Sooners will have made the College Football Playoff. In 2021, the Sooners are still looking for their first win in the four-team playoff. Since the College Football Playoffs inception in 2014, only Alabama and Clemson (tied with six) have more appearances than the Oklahoma Sooners four. The Sooners are tied with Ohio State. The only difference is that the Crimson Tide, the Tigers, and the Buckeyes each have a .500 record or better in the College Football Playoff, and each has won a National Championship. While 2021 looks to be the year the Oklahoma Sooners will finally break through the College Football Playoff glass ceiling, theyll have to overcome past disappointments against tough competition to find themselves playing for their first national title in more than 20 years.