Heading into the weekend, Oklahoma's hopes of making a New Year's Six bowl game faced a bit of an uphill climb. But things appeared to break right for the Sooners following the wins by Texas and SMU.
Alas, it still wasn't enough. The Sooners narrowly missed out on a NY6 game and will instead face No. 14-ranked Arizona in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28, it was announced Sunday during the ESPN College Football Playoff Selection Show. Kickoff is set for 8:15 CT and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.
It marks the second Alamo Bowl appearance for the Sooners in three seasons. They last made it in 2021, when they defeated Oregon 47-32 under interim coach Bob Stoops.
The Sooners stayed at No. 12 in the College Football Playoff rankings, which is where they were placed heading into the weekend. To make a NY6 game the Sooners needed to land inside the top 11, which would've involved jumping either Ole Miss, Penn State or Missouri in the rankings.
The weekend trended the right way for the Sooners. It started with Texas' 49-21 win over Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship game, then really boosted with SMU's 26-14 win over Tulane in the American Athletic Championship game. The Sooners, of course, defeated SMU 28-11 in Week 2 and Texas 34-30 in Week 6.
It also didn't hurt that Iowa lost to Michigan and Louisville lost to Florida State, making those two teams ineligible for a NY6 game. The Sooners' chances really increased when Texas finished No. 3 in the rankings with a spot in the College Football Playoff, seemingly clearing a path way for a spot in the Cotton Bowl.
But for the CFP Committee, it wasn't enough. Missouri and Ohio State will play in the Cotton Bowl, while Ole Miss and Penn State will face off in the Peach Bowl. The College Playoff games — also NY6 bowls — are Michigan-Alabama (Rose Bowl) and Texas-Washington (Sugar Bowl).
Despite falling short, the Sooners still have a solid opportunity ahead of them. Arizona (9-3) finished 15th in the CFP rankings after finishing the season with five straight wins, including a victory over No. 19 Oregon State.
With a win, the Sooners can finish the season with an 11-2 record in Brent Venables' second season, a marked improvement from their 6-7 campaign in 2021.
