Oklahoma football panic meter: Can Sooners still make CFP push despite ugly Michigan loss?

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Oklahoma football faced, arguably, the most questionable 1-0 team in the nation Saturday. Now fans are questioning coach Brent Venables, quarterback John Mateer and company. Michigan stunned the No. 11 Sooners 17-10 in Ann Arbor to spark early panic out of OU.

And the Wolverines pulled off the upset following a widely scrutinized week. Michigan became criticized and ridiculed following its controversial finish against Western Michigan. Quarterback Bryce Underwood then faced a potential benching following some strong words from head coach Kyle Whittingham.

But now it’s the Sooners who’ll face the critics. Including determining if the panic meter is high already in Norman.

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Early loss is more costly than Oklahoma fans think

And it’s more than the fact that Michigan beat them.

Oklahoma’s loss fuels this continuous growing narrative: That the Big Ten has catapulted the SEC as the premier conference in America.

Except OU entered “The Big House” as the far superior team. One expected to frustrate Underwood and pummel the proud Wolverines with their front seven. Plus OU lured out the more consistent QB on this field from week one in Mateer.

So Michigan ends up humbling Oklahoma. But sounds off the alarm for both OU and the SEC. Now OU must win out to garner any hope of returning to the College Football Playoffs. Looking ahead, that won’t be easy.

Oklahoma faces fierce gauntlet post Michigan

New Mexico won’t be a pushover on Sept. 19 for OU. The Lobos are a trending Mountain West Conference favorite carrying their own CFP hopes. New Mexico will aim to add to the new deflated energy in Norman next week.

But the road gets rougher from there for Mateer, Venables and OU. Because the SEC gauntlet enters the picture afterward. And it begins with the hostile Sept. 26 road trip to Athens, Georgia to take on the No. 2 Bulldogs.

Then the Red River Rivalry follows to open the October slate, with Texas already ranked in the top five. So OU could be looking at two of three losses already before November.

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