The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Oklahoma Sooners both have two losses, and most are assuming the College Football Playoff Selection Committee will have a spot for both of them. OU is ahead of Notre Dame in the AP Top 25 Poll, but FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt has the Fighting Irish ahead of the Sooners in his own personal rankings.
Klatt explained that Oklahoma’s offense, which has fallen off a cliff following quarterback John Mateer’s hand injury earlier this year, is behind enough of Notre Dame’s under Mike Denbrock, and with redshirt freshman CJ Carr leading the charge to pull them ahead, given their comparably talented defenses.
“Running back Jeremiyah Love in the first half had like, eight carries for 171 yards. But this is why I moved Notre Dame up: since Week 4, the defense has basically been as good as Oklahoma's defense, and the offense has been light-years better. In the last eight games, Notre Dame's defense has been No. 3 in the country. Their offense is No. 4 in the country in scoring. Over that same span, Oklahoma's offense has been 73rd, their defense 15th. I totally get that the schedules have been different, I'm just saying that is a huge difference, though,” Klatt said.
Klatt believes the Sooners’ offense could hold them back from doing much damage in the College Football Playoff if/when they make the 12-team field, a potential formality if they can beat the LSU Tigers at Gaylord Memorial on Saturday afternoon.
“At No. 9 is Oklahoma. I moved them down one. Here's what OU is: an unbelievably good defense. They really are. Love watching them on defense. And … they're a really bad offense. So you know what Oklahoma is? They're a souped-up version of Iowa. That's all they are,” Klatt said.
“And you know, in some circles, people will be like, ‘Oh, well that's an insult.’ I don't view it as that, because I've respected Iowa for a long time, because they do the right things to win games. And that's what Oklahoma is. So, this is a compliment, but it's also a ceiling. We've known for a long time, even those of us who have been Iowa backers, that there's a ceiling on the level that Iowa can get to playing that way. And in particular, playing with an offense that can't generate points.
“OU is in that boat: they've got eight offensive touchdowns over the last four games, and they are hugely reliant, I mean massively reliant, on big plays and field position to do it. There is a ceiling on that, because someone will prevent that, and at some point, someone will score 20, 24, 27 on your defense. It just happens, even to the great defenses of yesteryear. Oklahoma is earning their way into this playoff in a massive way. I love watching their defense, but their offense gives me pause.”
There shouldn’t be much controversy about either team making the CFP with wins this weekend. The Fighting Irish are taking on the Stanford Cardinal on Friday night in the Golden State in what should be a one-sided affair with little spoiler potential.
The real controversy comes when it comes to seeding, and it appears that’s already favoring Notre Dame, as these things tend to.