Oklahoma upset shakes up Playoff

Oklahoma’s defense came up short in a shocking 48- 41 loss at Kansas State, sending the Sooners reeling in the College Football Playoff race and calling into question whether the Big 12 will be represented in the field.

The defeat ends one of the most impressive streaks in college football: Oklahoma hadn’t lost a true road game since falling to TCU on Oct. 4, 2014. The 22- game winning streak was the longest in the Bowl Subdivision.

There was reason for optimism surrounding the Sooners’ defense. New coordinator Alex Grinch had a profound impact during the unbeaten start, trimming the defense’s per- play average by one full yard compared to a year ago – OU entered Saturday ranked 37th nationally in yards allowed per snap – and molding together a unit that seemingly meshed with an offense again ranked among the best.

Stranger still, the defense entered playing its best football of the season: OU gave up just 242 yards across 64 plays last week against West Virginia and had nine sacks in the rivalry win against Texas on Oct. 12.

Then came Kansas State, with a ball- control offense that negated the Sooners’ greatest asset – keeping Jalen Hurts and the offense on the side

line – while taking advantage of two OU turnovers. In all, the Wildcats gained 428 yards on 72 plays, 215 coming on the ground across 44 carries, and possessed the ball for more than 37 minutes.

Conversely, the Sooners ran only 53 plays and trailed 48- 23 two minutes into the fourth quarter before a burst of scoring to draw within a TD. While Hurts threw for 395 yards and ran for 96, the rest of Oklahoma’s running game combined for 6 yards on seven carries.

So there’s the blueprint for beating the Sooners: Don’t let the Oklahoma offense operate. In this case, Kansas State operated the blueprint nearly to perfection while the Sooners’ defense was unable to hold up its end of the bargain.

For the first time this season, one of the gold- standard postseason contenders has stumbled. It had been the status quo since August for teams such as the Sooners, Clemson, Alabama, LSU and Ohio State. Now the Playoff race takes on a different feel.

One of the big winners, beyond the Wildcats, might be Oregon. The current Pac- 12 Conference favorite had been shipped to the outskirts of the Playoff chase after losing in the opener to Auburn. Since then, however, the Ducks have built a case for being included among the best teams in the FBS. Oregon finds a potential path for eventually joining the top four.

Here are the rest of Saturday’s winners and losers.

Winners

Kansas State: If everything ends up according to plan for the Wildcats’ new coaching staff – and there are major expectations surrounding first- year coach Chris Klieman, formerly of North Dakota State – the win will be seen as the turning point. But Kansas State’s style of play, with its more methodical offensive approach and dedicated running game, seems almost an outlier in a conference built around offensive ingenuity along with speed and tempo. After losing two in a row to open Big 12 play, the Wildcats are 5- 2 and a lock for a return to the postseason.

Ohio State: The Buckeyes continue to impress. A 38- 7 win against Wisconsin was once a close game, believe it or not, with sloppy weather and the Badgers’ defense keeping Ohio State off the scoreboard until a field goal more than midway through the second quarter, though the Buckeyes added a TD before halftime. Then OSU flexed: Wisconsin scored a TD to make it 10- 7 a few minutes into the second half and the Buckeyes responded by scoring the game’s final 28 points to cruise to 8- 0 heading into an off week to open November.

Chase Young: A second Ohio State item: Young is beginning to build some Heisman Trophy momentum from his spot at defensive end, with a particularly disruptive performance against the Badgers’ solid O- line. While it’s almost impossible to picture a defender winning the award, Young has at least proved himself more than worthy of being the first pick in next year’s NFL draft.

LSU: LSU passed another test, though Auburn made the unbeaten Tigers sweat. Auburn led 13- 10 with five minutes left in the third quarter until Joe Burrow and the LSU offense began to wear down Auburn’s defense with two scoring drives. While freshman quarterback Bo Nix led Auburn to a late TD to draw within 23- 20, the Auburn offense struggled – Nix ended his day with 15 completions in 35 attempts for 157 yards and the Tigers gained just 287 yards overall – while LSU rallied around Burrow, who hit on 32 of his 42 throws for 321 yards and a TD. LSU will have a week off before the winner- take- all matchup with Alabama on Nov. 9.

Clemson: Clemson scored only one touchdown in the fourth quarter against Boston College. What’s wrong with the

Tigers? ( Clemson led 52- 7 after three quarters and finished with 674 yards of offense.)

Losers

Big 12: While on the topic of things that don’t make sense, the Big 12 saw three perceived front- runners lose. The first was Oklahoma. Later, Texas lost 3727 at TCU after another impressive performance by Horned Frogs freshman quarterback Max Duggan, who looks the part of a multiple- year starter. That gives the Longhorns two losses in three games, sandwiching last week’s 50- 48 win against Kansas, and three losses overall. Worse yet, Iowa State suffered its second conference loss after falling 34- 27 at home to Oklahoma State. That leaves just Baylor without a Big 12 loss. ( As everyone predicted in August.)

Michigan State: The Spartans trailed 21- 0 at halftime in a listless, rainsoaked 28- 7 loss to Penn State. To put the team’s offensive ineptitude into perspective: Michigan State ended the month with 17 points. That’s 17 points, added up, across three games. Coach Mark Dantonio can no longer afford to keep ducking questions about the continued nosedive on this side of the ball.

ACC Coastal Division: Pittsburgh entered the matchup with reeling Miami with a good chance at drawing even with Virginia atop the division – though the Cavaliers own the tiebreaker – and maybe squeezing into the final spot or two of the Amway Coaches Poll. But this is the Coastal, where nothing goes according to plan. After the Hurricanes’ 1612 win and the Cavaliers’ 28- 21 loss to Louisville, six of the seven Coastal teams are either 3- 2, 2- 2 or 2- 3 in league play. ( Georgia Tech is the exception at 1- 3.) There’s still a shot at every team in the Coastal minus the Yellow Jackets finishing tied atop the conference standings come the end of November.

Notre Dame: Michigan’s 45- 14 win keeps the Wolverines in the thick of things for a New Year’s Six bowl while giving Jim Harbaugh’s team a reason to be positive amid a season thus far defined by losses to Wisconsin and Penn State. For Notre Dame, the loss means the Irish might end the regular season without one win against another team in the Top 25, since Virginia has already fallen out of the Coaches Poll. ( Navy and Stanford may sneak into the Coaches Poll by Nov. 16 or Nov. 30, respectively.)

JAMIE SABAU/ GETTY IMAGES Defensive lineman Chase Young posts one of his four sacks Saturday of Wisconsin’s Jack Coan in unbeaten Ohio State’s victory.

SCOTT SEWELL/ USA TODAY SPORTS Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley looks on during his team’s loss Saturday to Kansas State, its first defeat of the season.