3 Reasons to Bet Against Oklahoma Winning the 2018 NCAAF Playoffs

The final four have been decided by the NCAAF Playoffs committee, but we now have to wait until the first day of 2018 before we get to see the semi-final games played. The Sugar Bowl will feature the Clemson Tigers going against the Alabama Crimson Tide, the 3rd straight year those two will hook up in the playoffs, while the Oklahoma Sooners and Georgia Bulldogs will meet in the Rose Bowl. While there are a ton of other bowl games to keep us occupied for the next few weeks, it’s the two big games, as well as the National Championship Game, that we are all looking forward to. We have already talked about how Oklahoma can win it all, but we also need to talk about what could potentially prevent them from winning a National Championship way beyond their NCAAF betting odds.

3 Reasons to Bet Against Oklahoma Winning the 2018 NCAAF Playoffs

.@OU_Football head coach @LincolnRiley will cross off a bucket list item on January 1, 2018. #RoseBowl #GranddaddyOfThemAll pic.twitter.com/nVNMvsdYva

— Rose Bowl Game (@rosebowlgame) 4 de diciembre de 2017

Team Information

• Conference: Big 12
• CFP Ranking: No. 2
• Record: 12-1

3 Reasons to Bet Against Alabama to Win College Football Playoff

The Sooners Defense is an Issue

The Sooner offense, led by likely Heisman winner Baker Mayfield, has been getting all the press this season, but there have been times this year where the big numbers they have posted have been required to bail out a sub-par defense. Of the 13 games that the Sooners have played this season, 7 of them has seen the defense give up at least 24 points. The worst offenses were giving up 41 points to the Baylor Bears and 5 points to the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The Sooners were able to win both of those games, but they might not be able to get the win when giving up that many points to the better teams that they will face in the playoffs.

The Offense Has an Off Day

The Sooners offense has put up some heady numbers this season, which is why Baker Mayfield is almost certainly going to be the Heisman winner, and potentially the top pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. As great as he and his offense have been, it stands to reason that they are due to have a bad day at the office. The Rose Bowl game versus the Georgia Bulldogs is where that could potentially happen. The Dawgs have one of the best defensive units in the nation, and given how well Georgia runs the ball, they could limit the amount of time that Mayfield and company spend on the football field. When the Sooners lost to the Iowa State Cyclones earlier in the season, they were playing catch-up the entire game, and that led to them turning the ball over 4 times. This team is at its best when playing with a lead, so how will they react if things don’t click offensively early on?

No NCAAF Playoffs Pedigree

Sure, this will only be the 4th time that we will have a playoff in college football, but two of the four teams in this group have been a part of it every single time. Clemson and Alabama have played for the last 2 National Championships, and at least one of them has been in the playoffs every single year. The Oklahoma Sooners have had a single appearance, and it did not end well, losing 37-17 to Clemson in the Orange Bowl during the 2015-16 season. Even if Oklahoma does get past the Georgia Bulldogs in the Rose Bowl, they are going to have to face the Clemson Tigers or the Alabama Crimson Tide in the National Championship Game. Playoff experience means something, and both of those teams have it.