The Oklahoma Sooners have lofty aspirations in 2025. A 4-0 start with a pair of wins over top 25 opponents has put the Sooners in a great spot to make a run at the College Football Playoff. With a game against Kent State this week, followed by a tough seven-game SEC stretch to close the season, the Sooners will have several opportunities to prove they belong in the College Football Playoff field.
The ESPN Matchup Predictor isn’t confident that the Sooners will have enough success to make the 12-team field, and neither is USA TODAY Sports’ Erick Smith. Smith has the Sooners playing in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Dec. 31 against the Illinois Fighting Illini.
The ReliaQuest Bowl was formerly known as the Outback Bowl, and the game is played in Tampa, Florida. In 2024, unranked Michigan beat the No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide 19-13 before 51,000 fans in attendance.
If the Sooners were to meet the Illini in Tampa on New Year’s Eve, it would be just the second meeting all time between the two programs. Illinois beat the Sooners 44-0 back in 1917.
Illinois is 4-1 this season, coming off a big win over the USC Trojans. That came on the heels of a blowout loss to the Indiana Hoosiers, which knocked the Illini out of the top 10.
A ReliaQuest Bowl bid wouldn’t meet the expectations at the University of Oklahoma, but this could be a fun matchup, especially if quarterbacks John Mateer and Luke Altmeyer play in the game.
SEC Bowl Projections from USA TODAY Sports
- Dec. 19 – Gasparilla Bowl – Vanderbilt Commodores vs. Memphis Tigers
- Dec. 27 – Gator Bowl – Tennessee Volunteers vs. Louisville Cardinals
- Dec. 27 – Texas Bowl – Texas A&M Aggies vs. Utah Utes
- Dec. 29 – Birmingham Bowl – Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. South Florida Bulls
- Dec. 30 – Music City Bowl – Missouri Tigers vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers
- Dec. 31 – ReliaQuest Bowl – Oklahoma Sooners vs. Illinois Fighting Illini
- Dec. 31 – Citrus Bowl – LSU Tigers vs. Michigan Wolverines
- Jan. 2 – Liberty Bowl – Auburn Tigers vs. TCU Horned Frogs
- Jan. 2 – Duke’s Mayo Bowl – South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Duke Blue Devils
SEC in the College Football Playoff
College Football Playoff Round 1
- Georgia Bulldogs vs. Tulane Green Wave
- Texas Longhorns at Penn State Nittany Lions
- Ole Miss Rebels vs. Iowa State Cyclones
College Football Playoff Quarterfinals
- Jan. 1 – Sugar Bowl – No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Ole Miss Rebels
- Jan. 1 – Orange Bowl Georgia Bulldogs vs. No. 4 Miami Hurricanes
College Football Playoff Semifinals
- Jan. 8 – Fiesta Bowl – No. 3 Oregon Ducks vs. No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide
- Jan. 9 – Peach Bowl – No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Georgia Bulldogs
College Football Playoff National Championship
- Jan. 19 – Championship Game – No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 2 Alabama
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