Why Missouri is a critical must-win game for the Oklahoma Sooners in Week 11
It's fair to say that Oklahoma's first season in the SEC hasn't gone as planned. They've won just one game in SEC play and scored fewer than 20 points in all but one game in conference play. Still, they have a chance to salvage a season wrought by injuries and poor offensive play. It starts […]
It's fair to say that Oklahoma's first season in the SEC hasn't gone as planned. They've won just one game in SEC play and scored fewer than 20 points in all but one game in conference play.
Still, they have a chance to salvage a season wrought by injuries and poor offensive play. It starts with beating the Missouri Tigers.
Oklahoma Sooners finally have hope on offense with latest injury report
Murphy's Law took a sledgehammer to the Oklahoma Sooners' offense in their first season in the SEC. Everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong for the Sooners. They've benched their starting quarterback mid-game twice, they've gone through what feels like a dozen offensive line combinations, and they fired offensive coordinator Seth Littrell two […]
Missouri is still a solid team at 6-2 and is ranked 24th in the country. However, there is a good chance that Missouri's starting quarterback, Brady Cook, won't play in this week's game. The betting odds flipped as the week has gone on from Missouri -4 to Oklahoma -3, signaling that oddsmakers expect something bad to break for the Tigers this weekend.
This is something the Sooners have to capitalize on. The offense has had some solid momentum behind it the last two weeks. If they can build up enough points in this one, Oklahoma's defense should be able to finish the job against a backup quarterback. In their last game, backup quarterback Drew Pyne completed just half of his passes and threw three interceptions as Missouri got shut out.
If Oklahoma can win this one, they'll be able to clinch a bowl game by earning their sixth win of the season. Then, the team can enter their final bye week of the season focused on getting healthy and playing with nothing to lose heading into their last two games (Alabama, LSU).
Clinching a postseason berth would be a welcome sight with just how bad the Sooners' season has been derailed. Not only does it help mask the dreadful season, it will also allow for extensive bowl game practices. With how young the Sooners are, those extra practices go a long way in player development and will help give players a step up for next season.
However, if Oklahoma can't win this week, their path to a bowl game becomes significantly harder. They won't be getting a backup quarterback and a struggling offensive line. Instead, they'll be squaring off against the Jalen Milroe-led Alabama Crimson Tide and the LSU gunslinger Garrett Nussmeier. Both of those teams are firmly in the hunt for the SEC title and a shot at the College Football Playoff and won't be taking it easy on the Sooners.
While you can never say never in college football, it would be pretty unlikely for Oklahoma to win either of those games. Thus, they have to win this week against Missouri to have any shot at the postseason.
If Oklahoma and Brent Venables can enter the end of the season and say, "Look we played one of the toughest schedules in the country with the worst offense we've had in a decade and still made the postseason", that looks and feels a lot better than the alternative.
A postseason berth also likely helps Venables' job security, something that has been a rather uncomfortable topic with how poorly this season has gone. While he's not totally on the hot seat, he'll be able to point to having three straight bowl game bids in his three seasons with Oklahoma.
Win, and you're in. Go head to the bye week focused on making life difficult for Alabama and LSU and play free without that hanging over your head. Let the young players get some much-needed development ahead of the bowl game and head into 2025 with some momentum.
