The first College Football Playoff rankings are set to be released on Tuesday night. And, fittingly for a release on Halloween night, Oklahoma Sooners fans might need to be scared about what the CFP Selection Committee is going to do with their favorite team on the heels of its upset loss to Kansas.
Yes, the loss in Lawrence was the Sooners' first of the season. Yes, Oklahoma also has the Red River SHowdown win over rival Texas as a feather in Brent Venables' cap. Yet, there is a growing belief that the committee might have the Longhorns ranked ahead of the Sooners in the initial CFP rankings.
ESPN insider Heather Dinich is among those who believe that's the way the Selection Committee will ultimately rank the Big 12 (and soon-to-be SEC-bound) rivals.
Appearing on Monday's episode of The Paul Finebaum Show, Dinich made a strong case for why the first College Football Rankings will have Oklahoma behind Texas, via On3:
"I think it will be interesting to see — does the Selection Committee completely ignore Oklahoma's head-to-head win against Texas in what is one of college football's most storied rivalries? I think they do," Dinich said. "Oklahoma lost to Kansas, they did not look good in that win to UCF. I think they drop below."
Insider predicts Oklahoma will be behind Texas in first College Football Playoff rankings
Dinich also added that Texas' win over Alabama in Tuscaloosa makes the Longhorns the biggest CFP contender in the Big 12, a sentiment that was echoed by head coach Steve Sarkisian as well.
Having Oklahoma behind Texas when they have a head-to-head win in that matchup would be strange. At the same time, if you're stacking resumés, Dinich's reasoning holds plenty of water.
The Longhorns lone loss was to the Longhorns, but they also have a win at Alabama, a 40-14 win over Kansas and a pair of other dominant showings in Big 12 play with wins over Baylor and BYU. Oklahoma, on the other hand, has a better-looking 50-20 win over Iowa State to its credit, but there's no win outsde of beating Texas by four points on a neutral site that truly looks all that impressive.
In the end, this is all speculation until the first CFP rankings are revealed. Having said that, don't be surprised if we see Oklahoma fans up in arms on Tuesday night when the Selection Committee reveals its Top 25.