Oklahoma proves a true champion is all it takes to crack the CFP code
The Big 12 still doesn't have a conference championship game, yet Oklahoma is in the College Football Playoff semifinal.
Related: Clemson gets Oklahoma, Alabama draws Michigan State
A year ago, the conference was up in arms because TCU and Baylor were snubbed of a playoff spot. At the time, coaches went on about how the Big 12 is at a disadvantage because there is no conference championship.
Fast forward almost a year to the day, and the Big 12 still doesn't have a title game. Instead, it has one true champion.
Life at the top is easy for Clemson and Alabama - they were the givens. But Oklahoma shouldn't care whether it's in third or fourth, because at the end of the day, the Sooners are in.
So how exactly did they crack the code? It's not about the championship game itself - it's about the best team in the conference, period.
Baylor and TCU came into the season as the powerhouses in the Big 12. For a while Texas Tech made a name for itself. The Red Raiders quickly faded. Then unbeaten Oklahoma State made its case as the conference's best team, yet was never good enough for the top four.
But just when it seemed like the Cowboys were on their way to glory, Oklahoma snuck up behind them, beating Baylor, TCU, and Oklahoma State in successive weeks, solidifying itself as the Big 12's best shot at a national title.
When the semifinals were announced, CFP chairman Jeff Long sat on national television and said, "There were people in the room that thought Oklahoma could be the No. 1 team."
Oddsmakers seem to agree, pegging the Sooners as three-point favorites against Clemson, the nation's only unbeaten school, and they got it right.
The Sooners ended their season on a seven-game winning streak, averaging a scoring margin of plus-32.5 points per game. They ranked third in points per game (45.8) and 21st in points allowed (20.8). Stick Baker Mayfield under center and the air-raid system has worked to perfection, as he threw for 35 touchdowns to only five interceptions.
Clemson has been ranked No.1 in the country for most of the season mainly because of its stellar balance of offense and defense. It also helps that quarterback Deshaun Watson is a front-runner for the Heisman.
But Heisman talks don't win championships (ask Marcus Mariota), the best team does. Right now, that team is Oklahoma, the only top four school without a conference championship game under its belt.