Last weekend's upset-packed action shook up the outlook for the first-ever College Football Playoff, but the twists and turns in this race are far from over.
Five of the teams ranked in the top 10 of the CFB 24/7 Top 25 Power Rankings fell -- Oregon, Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and UCLA.
The level of mayhem generated that weekend might not be repeated, but we're not going out on a limb to suggest that won't be the last time this season that we see a significant reshuffling at the top of the deck. In fact, the four teams that made the biggest leap in the rankings each face daunting challenges this weekend.
As such, the five aforementioned teams that were upset shouldn't all be counted out when it comes to the CFB Playoff.
However, one team stands out from that group as having the best chance to recover and find its way into the CFB Playoff. For me, the pick is Oklahoma.
There's cause for concern with each of the five teams, to be sure. The Sooners just happen to have fewer issues and a more manageable road ahead than others in this conversation.
Alabama and Texas A&M play in the SEC West, which is proving itself to be the toughest division in college football. Escaping that division without another loss is an extremely formidable task. UCLA and Oregon, who will face off on Saturday, have both struggled to protect their star quarterbacks, and that's a recipe for trouble.
Oklahoma still has its share of tests with Kansas State, Baylor and Oklahoma State remaining on the schedule, but all three of those games are at home for the Sooners, who should be able to get back on track this weekend against Texas in Dallas. They'll need a little help along the way in Big 12 competition -- TCU owns the tiebreaker over Oklahoma after its win over the Sooners last week -- but I don't think Bob Stoops' team is going away in this playoff race.
With that schedule, Oklahoma has a chance to run the table from here on out, and I think not having to play in a conference championship game could end up being beneficial to the Sooners this year.
Oklahoma's a good team, despite the loss to TCU, which is showing itself to be a strong contender, too, heading into a tough test Saturday at Baylor. Oklahoma's defense was gashed for 469 yards and 37 points against TCU, but I think the Sooners' defense will find some answers as the season progresses.
I'm more concerned about the Oklahoma offense's ability to throw the ball consistently. QB Trevor Knight has to be more consistent and the team needs to develop some targets to complement Sterling Shepard. Right now, he's the offense's only major threat at receiver.
Most importantly, though, Oklahoma has to commit to running the ball against stacked boxes and avoid putting it all on Knight's shoulders. The Sooners have a big, strong offensive line and a nice group of backs led by Samaje Perine. They have to find a way to manufacture a ground game even when defenses are putting as many as nine in the box, and Knight has to hit the open throws that will be there for him when the box is stacked.
They're down right now coming off last week's loss, but don't be surprised if it all comes together for Oklahoma. The Sooners are still a very viable contender for one of the four playoff spots.
Follow Charles Davis on Twitter *@CFD22.*
