Oklahoma (9-0, 6-0 Big 12) came in at No. 8 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings for the 2021 season on Tuesday.
OKLAHOMA AT 8?! pic.twitter.com/Y4ozhiGpmg
— PFF College (@PFF_College) November 2, 2021
The Sooners’ No. 8 ranking is their highest in the initial poll since ranking seventh in 2018. OU was ranked No. 11 in the first CFP ranking last season.
No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Michigan State and No. 4 Oregon rounded out the poll's top four teams. Ohio State and Cincinnati came in at No. 5 and No. 6 in the poll, respectively. Michigan is ranked No. 7.
Other Big 12 teams in the poll include No. 11 Oklahoma State and No. 12 Baylor.
In its last outing, OU crushed Texas Tech 52-21 in Norman on Oct. 30. Freshman quarterback Caleb Williams threw for 402 yards and six touchdowns on 23-of-30 passing. The Sooners totaled 541 yards and forced three turnovers defensively.
After a bye week, Oklahoma travels to Waco, Texas, to take on Baylor on Nov. 13. The Bears (7-1, 4-1) are currently tied for second in the Big 12 standings alongside Oklahoma State. Kickoff time for the matchup has yet to be announced.
“To me, it’s just meaningless stuff to kill the time until we get to the end,” Riley said of the College Football Playoff rankings in a Tuesday press conference. “Go back and look where we were ranked in the first CFP poll all years that we’ve been to the CFP. The biggest games, the best games (and) the most important games all across the country have still yet to be played. There's a lot a lot of good teams that are vying for (a playoff spot). And the best ones tend to rise up this time of year and separate themselves. And that will happen again this year.”
"Where (the rankings) sit right now, and where they're going to be here in three or four weeks is going to be a big, big difference. If we win, then what they put out (tonight) is not going to matter."
