With just three games left in the regular season, the Oklahoma Sooners sit on the cusp of something special: a clear path to the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff—if they can simply win out. 

Their remaining schedule is brutal, no question: a road trip to Tuscaloosa to face Alabama, followed by home dates against Missouri and LSU. Any single slip-up could derail the dream, and that’s exactly what most analysts are betting on. 

The consensus? Oklahoma stumbles once, finishes 9-3, and watches the playoff door slam shut from the outside.That’s where the bowl projections come in, and they’re remarkably consistent. 

For the second-straight week, none of the national talking heads have the Sooners making the College Football Playoff in their bowl projections.

However, we did see the Sooners promoted in their bowl pecking order within the SEC. CBS Sports moved Oklahoma up to the Citrus Bowl for a rematch against Michigan, who the Sooners beat 24-13 on September 6 in Norman. The Citrus Bowl is the SEC’s top non-College Football Playoff associated bowl game.

For the second consecutive week, zero national projections slot the Sooners into the College Football Playoff. Instead, there's upward mobility within the SEC's non-playoff bowl hierarchy. CBS Sports elevated OU to the Vrbo Citrus Bowl, pitting them in a high-profile rematch against Michigan. 

The Wolverines, whom Oklahoma defeated 24-13 in a non-conference matchup on September 6 in Norman, would provide redemption vibes for the Big Ten squad under head coach Sherrone Moore, who played at Oklahoma. 

The Citrus Bowl, held in Orlando's Camping World Stadium, serves as the SEC's premier non-CFP tie-in, traditionally featuring marquee matchups with strong TV draw.

The most frequent landing spot, however, is Tampa's Raymond James Stadium for the ReliaQuest Bowl on New Year's Eve. Multiple experts envision OU facing a Big Ten opponent, with Nebraska and Iowa emerging as the top candidates. 

This would mark Oklahoma's debut in the ReliaQuest (formerly the Outback Bowl), injecting freshness into a postseason routine that has included frequent trips to the Sugar, Cotton, or Alamo Bowls in recent decades.

A Nebraska matchup would resurrect one of college football's storied rivalries, dormant since OU's 49-14 thrashing in Lincoln during the 2022 non-conference slate. The series dates back to 1928, with the programs clashing as Big Eight foes from 1946 through 1995. 

Oklahoma owns a commanding 47-38-3 all-time advantage, including a 7-3 edge in bowl games—the most famous being the 1971 Game of the Century (35-31 OU win) and the 2000 Big 12 Championship (31-14 Nebraska). 

The 1970s belonged to the Sooners under Barry Switzer, who went 8-2 against Tom Osborne's Huskers, claiming national titles in 1974 and 1975 amid the bitterness. 

Nebraska flipped the script in the 1990s, but OU has won the last three meetings. A 2025 bowl encounter would whet appetites for the scheduled 2029 regular-season renewal in Norman, offering Nebraska—rebuilding under Matt Rhule—a chance to exorcise demons and Oklahoma fans an opportunity to relive glory days.

Iowa, alternatively, lacks the rivalry depth but packs personal intrigue via the Stoops family legacy. OU leads the series 2-0, with victories in the 1993 non-conference opener (24-14) and the 2011 Insight Bowl (31-14). 

The latter stands out: Bob Stoops, in his 13th season as OU's head coach, faced his alma mater for the first and only time. Stoops was a standout safety at Iowa from 1979-1982 under Hayden Fry. 

Current Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, in his 27th year, has stabilized the program with stingy defense, but offensive struggles could make for a low-scoring affair against Brent Venables' aggressive unit. The storyline writes itself: legacy, mentorship, and a rare intersection of paths.

Outliers exist among the projections. ESPN duo Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach slot OU into the Kinder's Texas Bowl in Houston against Big 12 foes TCU or Iowa State, respectively—a home-state feel with in-state recruiting implications. 

Sports Illustrated's Bryan Fischer opts for the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl in Jacksonville versus ACC runner-up Louisville, evoking OU's 2021 Alamo Bowl win over Oregon but in a new venue.

ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach:

Kinder's Texas Bowl

NRG Stadium (Houston)

Saturday, December 27 at 8:15 p.m. CT, ESPN

Bonagura: TCU vs. Oklahoma

Schlabach: Iowa State vs. Oklahoma

CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford:

Citrus Bowl

Camping World Stadium (Orlando)

Wednesday, December 31 at 2 p.m. CT, ABC

Crawford: Michigan vs. Oklahoma

USA Today’s Erick Smith:

ReliaQuest Bowl

Raymond James Stadium (Tampa)

Wednesday, December 31 at 11 a.m. CT, ESPN

Smith: Iowa vs. Oklahoma

Sports Illustrated’s Bryan Fischer:

Gator Bowl

TIAA Bank Field (Jacksonville)

Wednesday, December 27 at 6:30 p.m. CT, ESPN

Fischer: Louisville vs. Oklahoma

On3’s Brett McMurphy:

Raymond James Stadium (Tampa)

Wednesday, December 31 at 11 a.m. CT, ESPN

McMurphy: Nebraska vs. Oklahoma

The Athletic’s Scott Dochterman:

ReliaQuest Bowl

Raymond James Stadium (Tampa)

Wednesday, December 31 at 11 a.m. CT, ESPN

Dochterman: Iowa vs. Oklahoma

Athlon Sports’ Steven Lassan:

ReliaQuest Bowl

Raymond James Stadium (Tampa)

Wednesday, December 31 at 11 a.m. CT, ESPN

Lassan: Nebraska vs. Oklahoma

Saturday Down South’s Ethan Stone

ReliaQuest Bowl

Raymond James Stadium (Tampa)

Wednesday, December 31 at 11 a.m. CT, ESPN

Stone: Nebraska vs. Oklahoma