The Sooners could not escape this time.
Kansas upset No. 6 Oklahoma 38-33 in Week 9 - just one week after the Sooners' escaped with a 31-29 victory against UCF. Devin Neal's nine-yard touchdown with 55 seconds remaining gave the Jayhawks the lead, and a desperation drive led by Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel fell short.
That gave Kansas its first victory against Oklahoma (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) since 1997.
This was a season-shifting upset for the Big 12 and the College Football Playoff – one that could hurt the conference in the long run. A look at the impact of the Jayhawks' upset.
How far will Oklahoma fall in CFP rankings?
This will be an interesting question for the committee. The Big 12 is the only Power 5 conference with no remaining unbeaten teams left, and the Sooners have allowed 33.5 points in the last two weeks.
It's not good – and Oklahoma allowed 225 rushing yards to the Jayhawks. The Sooners committed three turnovers in a game that was delayed by lightning. Gabriel totaled 167 passing yards, 64 rushing yards and four total TDs, but it was not enough this time.
This means the Big 12 will be the conference without a top-four team in the initial CFP rankings that come out Tuesday. Now, the Sooners must win out to have a chance – and that task will not be easy considering the final installment of Bedlam against Oklahoma State is in Week 10. The Sooners have West Virginia, BYU and TCU left on the Big 12 regular-season schedule.
Will Texas be ranked ahead of Oklahoma now?
Logic would say no given Oklahoma beat Texas 34-30 in the Red River Rivalry, and the CFP committee tends to value head to head. The Longhorns beat BYU 35-6 without starting quarterback Quinn Ewers, but Maalik Murphy has proven to be a capable backup. There is at least one reason why Texas could jump ahead of Oklahoma.
That non-conference victory against Alabama might carry weight with the CFP committee. Either way, the Big 12's best bet for a CFP berth likely would be a rematch between the Longhorns and Sooners, but they have to get to that farewell game without another regular-season loss on either side. Texas' remaining schedule includes Kansas State, TCU, Iowa State and Texas Tech. That is no guarantee either.
Our guess is the Sooners are ranked ahead of the Longhorns, but they likely will be back-to-back in the rankings at the edge of the top 10.
Who will make Big 12 championship game?
Oklahoma and Texas (7-1, 4-1) are the only teams in the Big 12 with one loss.
Five teams have one conference loss, a list that includes the Sooners and Kansas State (6-2, 4-1), the defending conference champion which beat Houston 41-0 on Saturday and faces Texas in Week 10. The Wildcats had a non-conference loss against Missouri that does not look as bad now.
Iowa State (5-3, 4-1) beat Baylor 30-18 on Saturday. Oklahoma State (5-2, 3-1) played Cincinnati on Saturday. Kansas (6-2, 3-2) also could in the mix by virtue of the victory against the Sooners. This has created a mess for the conference that could make it difficult for a team to get back to the College Football Playoff. Remember, no two-loss team has made it in the four-team format.
