Schedule Review: A Look at Oklahoma's Opponents After Week 12

A dive into each of Oklahoma's 12 opponents, including their records, what they just did and what's ahead for them.

Missouri quarterback Drew Pyne and Oklahoma defensive lineman Ethan Downs. / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

After a bitter loss at Missouri, Oklahoma got the weekend off to heal up — both physically and emotionally.

The Sooners are 5-5 overall and 1-5 in Southeastern Conference play, and after their second bye week can now focus on the next two games and how to attack the game plan against Alabama and LSU.

OU hosts the Crimson Tide this Saturday in a 6:30 p.m. kickoff at Owen Field, and despite the records, it should be a classic matchup of college football blue bloods.

Next week the Sooners close the regular season with a trip to Baton Rouge.

Bama and LSU are on different tracks. The Tide owns three straight blowout wins, while the Tigers have endured three consecutive double-digit losses. Those include a 42-13 Crimson Tide victory last week in Tuscaloosa.

For Oklahoma, the opponent matters less than the result. The Sooners need to win one of their final two games to salvage at least a bowl game from a miserable maiden voyage in SEC play. According to Draft Kings, OU is a 13 1/2-point underdog this week.

Here's a look at how OU's 12 opponents fared this weekend and have performed this season:

Temple

The Owls beat Florida Atlantic 18-15 in overtime on Saturday in Philadelphia, surviving a wild fourth quarter. Temple (3-7) trailed 7-6, scored a touchdown but the 2-point conversion failed, then got the ball back and kicked a field goal to go up 15-7, but then gave up a last-second touchdown and 2-pointer to send the game to OT. The Owls had a 98.5 percent win probability, but still needed Maddux Trujillo’s walk-off field goal to win it. That, however, was not enough to save coach Stan Drayton’s job. He was fired on Saturday night, meaning OU’s trip to Philadelphia next fall will be against a new coaching staff.

Houston

Arizona ended a five-game losing streak with a 27-3 beatdown of the Cougars in Tucson. Noah Fifita threw two touchdowns to help send the Cougars to a 4-6 overall record and a 3-4 mark in Big 12 play. It was a big loss for Willie Fritz’s team coming off back-to-back wins over Utah and No. 20 Kansas State.

Tulane

The No. 25-ranked Green Wave improved to 9-2 overall and 7-0 in The American with a decisive 35-0 victory over Navy in Annapolis, MD. Darian Mensah passed for two touchdowns and ran for another as Tulane locked up a spot in its third straight AAC title game under first-year coach Jon Sumrall. Makhi Hughes ran for 82 yards and two TDs and the Green Wave defense — facing a Midshipmen squad that lost star quarterback Blake Horvath in the first quarter — recorded its second shutout and fourth time allowing single digits or less.

Tennessee

The No. 7-ranked Vols went to Athens looking for another program-defining victory under Josh Heupel, and led 10-0 after the first quarter. But the Bulldogs came to life behind Carson Beck, tied it at 17-17 at halftime, and sent Tennessee home with a 31-17 loss. UT fell to 8-2 overall and 5-2 in SEC play, while No. 12 Georgia improved to 8-2 and finished SEC action at 6-2. Nico Iamaleava threw for 167 yards while Beck roasted the Vol defense for 347 and two TDs. It was Tennessee’s eighth straight loss to the Bulldogs, all by at least two TDs.

Auburn

The Tigers stepped out of SEC play and beat the stuffing out of Louisiana-Monroe 48-14 in Auburn as Payton Thorne threw a career-high five touchdowns — three to fabulous freshman Cam Coleman, who accounted for 100 receiving yards. KeAndre Lambert-Smith had 104 yards and a TD, and Jarquez Hunter ran for 102 yards as Hugh Freeze’s squad improved to 4-6 on the season.

Texas

Quinn Ewers threw for 176 yards and two touchdowns but missed a handful of open receivers on deep balls as the No. 3-ranked Longhorns had to escape Fayetteville with a 20-10 victory. Against a speedy Razorback secondary, Ewers utilized a lot of check down throws as the ‘Horns improved to 9-1 overall and 5-1 in SEC play. Texas led 10-0 at halftime, but Arkansas cut it to 13-10 early in the fourth quarter. Ewers directed a touchdown drive to make it 20-10, and the Longhorn defense — which had six sacks, nine TFLs and two takeaways — recovered a fumble on the next possession, and Ewers and the Texas offensive line put the game away with a nearly 7-minute drive.

South Carolina

Imagine that: Missouri in the middle of a wild finish. This time, it was the Tigers who grabbed an unlikely lead and blew it as No. 23 South Carolina rallied in the final seconds to a 34-30 victory in Columbia, SC. LaNorris Sellers threw for 353 yards and five touchdowns, including the game-winner to Raheim Sanders with 15 seconds left. Brady Cook came off the injured list and put Mizzou to a late lead with his perfect deep ball to Luther Burden for a 37-yard TD with 1:10 to go. Shane Beamer’s Gamecocks didn’t flinch, however, and Sellers rallied them one more time. USC won its fourth in a row — three straight over Top 25 teams for the first time in school history — and improved to 7-3 and 5-3.

Ole Miss

Like OU, Lane Kiffin’s Rebels (8-2 overall, 4-2 SEC) had an open date and can now heal up for the stretch run with games against Florida in Gainesville and Mississippi State in Oxford.

Missouri

A week after shocking the Sooners with two late touchdowns, the Tigers went on the road and scored two late TDs again at South Carolina — but it wasn’t enough as the Gamecocks staged a furious comeback in a 34-30 thriller. Mizzou did get QB Brady Cook back and looked immediately better. Cook, who was a game-time decision with a hand injury, threw for 239 yards and a touchdown. Missouri fell to 7-3 overall and 3-3 in SEC play.

Alabama

The No. 10-ranked Crimson Tide (8-2, 6-0) head to Norman this week fresh off an easy week outside of conference play: a 52-7 victory over Mercer (9-2) in Tuscaloosa. A week after dominating LSU, Jalen Milroe threw for two touchdowns, ran for another and accounted for 229 yards as Kalen DeBoer’s Crimson Tide squad strides toward a berth in the SEC title game and the College Football Playoff. Freshman sensation Ryan Williams caught a 14-yard touchdown and ran for a 29-yard score and the Tide has now won its last three games by a combined 128-20 since their midseason loss to Tennessee.

LSU

No. 21 LSU went on the road to Florida and was shocked by the struggling Gators 27-16 in Gainesville. It was tied 13-13 at the start of the fourth quarter, but Florida outscored the Tigers 14-3 in the final period thanks to a bold throw by quarterback D.J. Lagway that resulted in a 36-yard completion and a 1-yard touchdown by Ja’Kobi Jackson that put the Gators ahead to stay. Lagway had missed the last two games with injury and completed just 13-of-26 passes, but had 226 yards and a touchdown to Elijhah Badger and out dueled LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, who was 27-of-47 for 260 yards with one TD and suffered seven sacks — more than the previous nine games combined. Caden Durham ran for 91 yards for Brian Kelly’s Tigers (6-4, 3-3), but it was the Gators who ended an eight-game losing streak against ranked opponents. It was LSU’s third straight loss by a combined 55 points.