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Following upset losses to unranked opponents, Alabama and Mississippi both fell out of the top 10 in the AP Top 25 poll when the latest rankings were released on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Miami and SMU moved into the top 10 with Oregon remaining at No. 1 in the rankings for the sixth consecutive week.

In a dramatic week of college football, Arizona State moved up seven places to No. 14 following an upset win over Brigham Young on Saturday, making the Sun Devils the top-ranked Big 12 team in the poll.

Ohio State, Texas and Penn State, all of whom won on Saturday, occupy the next three spots behind the Ducks, who are now the only undefeated team in the AP Top 25 poll.

Indiana’s 38-15 defeat against Ohio State – its first loss of the season – sees the Hoosiers drop five places but still cling on to a top-10 position, while Alabama and Mississippi were the two biggest fallers with both dropping six spots.

The Crimson Tide is now ranked No. 13 following a shock 24-3 loss to Oklahoma. According to ESPN, it was Alabama’s lowest point tally in a game since 2004 and the first time that the team has been held to under 10 points since 2011.

Ole Miss also dropped out of the Top 10 with a stunning defeat to an unranked opponent, going down 24-17 against Florida to leave the team with slim chances of making the playoffs.

1. Oregon Ducks (11-0)

2. Ohio State Buckeyes (10-1)

3. Texas Longhorns (10-1)

4. Penn State Nittany Lions (10-1)

5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-1)

6. Georgia Bulldogs (9-2)

7. Tennessee Volunteers (9-2)

8. Miami Hurricanes (10-1)

9. SMU Mustangs (10-1)

10. Indiana Hoosiers (10-1)

11. Boise State Broncos (10-1)

12. Clemson Tigers (9-2)

13. Alabama Crimson Tide (8-3)

14. Arizona State Sun Devils (9-2)

15. Ole Miss Rebels (8-3)

16. South Carolina Gamecocks (8-3)

17. Iowa State Cyclones (9-2)

18. Tulane Green Wave (9-2)

19. BYU Cougars (9-2)

20. Texas A&M Aggies (8-3)

21. UNLV Rebels (9-2)

22. Illinois Fighting Illini (8-3)

23. Colorado Buffaloes (8-3)

24. Missouri Tigers (8-3)

25. Army Black Knights (9-1)

Oklahoma stunned their fanbase, the SEC, and the college football world on Saturday night putting a stamp on the 2024 season with an upset over the No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide 24-3. It was Alabama’s first visit to Norman since 2002.

There have been very few things to be excited about this season for Oklahoma football. Oklahoma dominated Alabama along the line of scrimmage for three hours. The Sooners’ season could end on a high note, depending on how they fare in Baton Rouge against LSU and how the Sooners perform in their bowl game.

Saturday’s win was a masterclass in desire, toughness, and physicality. The Sooners were the aggressors from the opening snap, and it didn’t stop until the clock read 0:00.

Oklahoma needed heroic performances to pull off this upset, and we wanted to highlight the three stars we thought lost pivotal to the win.

No. 1 Star – Jackson Arnold/Xavier Robinson

It would be a disservice to not include both Jackson Arnold and Xavier Robinson as the No. 1 star. The two combined for 43 carries, 238 yards, and two touchdowns. Robinson scored twice, but Arnold’s toughness as a runner showed the type of competitive fire we’ve come to expect from Oklahoma quarterbacks.

Robinson’s ability to run through contact as a freshman may be his best trait.  It looks even more impressive against a veteran Tide defense.

Joe Jon Finley routinely hit the right button for the offense and Arnold and Robinson rewarded his faith in the run game. With a dominant performance from the offensive line, the Sooners rode the run game to a monumental win.

No. 2 Star – Eli Bowen, Cornerback

The younger of the two Bowens, Eli, brother is entirely out of his five-star brother Peyton’s shadow. Eli has become one of the best freshman defensive players in the country.

Not only did he hold budding superstar freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams to two catches, but he did so by traveling with Williams most of the game. Wherever Williams lined up, Bowen was there, and the effectiveness never waned. When Bowen was in coverage on Williams, Alabama’s true freshman phenom had just one reception on four targets. The one catch went for 30 yards, but other than that, Bowen put the clamps on.

He completely shut down an entire facet of Alabama’s offense, which made Jalen Milroe’s job even more complicated, considering the Sooners had bottled up the run game.

Did we mention Bowen’s incredible interception? He read the play before Milroe even threw it and blew up the screen while picking off the pass in the process. That’s the highlight that will stand out, but Bowen put together a complete performance in coverage and in run support for the Oklahoma Sooners defense.

No. 3 Star – The Offensive Line

Bill Bedenbaugh’s finest work this season was on display last night. Whatever was said, practiced, or reviewed leading up to the game was flawless. The Sooners had a plan, and they executed it to perfection.

Clearly, the offensive brain trust watched what Vanderbilt did to Alabama earlier this season, and they wondered if they could do the same. It started with the boys up front who just beat up on the Alabama defensive line for 60 minutes. Even though the Crimson Tide knew the Sooners weren’t going to ask their quarterback to drop back and throw it 40 times, Alabama still struggled to stop the Sooners rushing attack. 

Oklahoma started the game with this offensive line combination

• Left Tackle – Logan Howland
• Left Guard – Heath Ozaeta
• Center – Troy Everett
• Right Guard – Febechi Nwaiwu
• Right Tackle – Spencer Brown

The Sooners rotated in true freshman Eddy Pierre-Louis, too, and the aggression and movement they created didn’t drop off. Could this be the game that helps spark a massive step forward for the younger Sooners offensive linemen and something they can build on over the remainder of the season?

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Bryant on X @thatmanbryant.

https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/coaches/kalen-deboer/Paul Finebaum didn’t pull any punches when reacting to Alabama’s 24-3 loss to Oklahoma on Sunday morning.

Finebaum made his usual appearance on the Matt Barrie Show on Sunday morning and he was very clear about what he thought of the Tide’s performance in Norman.

“Let me cut to the chase,” Finebaum said. “It was simply inexcusable. And you can blame anyone you want, but you would be smart to start at the very top. Because that team did not look prepared. They didn’t look focused. They didn’t look like they had a clue what they were getting in to and I don’t know how that could be the case, because everyone who watched football knew that Brent Venables had an elite defense.”

For Alabama, this is the third loss of the year for Kalen DeBoer in his first year in Tuscaloosa. That puts Alabama’s College Football Playoff hopes in serious jeopardy entering the final week of the regular season.

“I don’t understand how Alabama can be considered a legitimate Playoff team,” Finebaum said. “And I realize that there are probably schools in there that aren’t legitimate either. But they’ve lost to Vanderbilt, a 5-loss team. And now Oklahoma, a 5-loss team. If you were looking at a chart of the SEC, they’re probably 12th and 13th out of the 16 teams in the league.”

Finebaum also indicated that the fan base’s trust in DeBoer has been further eroded by this performance.

“In the middle of the night, I’m getting texts from old-line Alabama fans going, ‘what have we gotten ourselves into?’” Finebaum said. “It’s a worse Alabama team than we saw against Vanderbilt. I mean, this team was completely clueless.”

Alabama may still have a path to the College Football Playoff at 9-3 depending on how the rest of the season plays out. The Crimson Tide will finish out the regular season next weekend against Auburn.