{
  "id": 14193709,
  "title": "Where does OU land in Athlon's new bowl projections after Texas win?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/where-does-ou-land-in-athlons-new-bowl-projections-after-texas-win",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-13T12:02:23.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/where-does-ou-land-athlons-120223037.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Oklahoma Sooners' thrilling 27-24 victory over Texas Longhorns could potentially lead to a bowl game for the team in the upcoming season. Athlon Sports' Steve Lasaan has released his latest bowl projections after Week 6, and Oklahoma is listed among the non-playoff SEC teams. SEC teams that don't qualify for the College Football Playoff are off the table for bowl games. The Citrus Bowl selects the top non-playoff SEC team, and then there are six other bowls that consult with SEC and school personnel to create optimal matchups. For 2026, these bowls are the Gator Bowl, the Las Vegas Bowl, the Liberty Bowl, the Music City Bowl, the ReliaQuest Bowl, and the Texas Bowl. The Liberty Bowl is where the Sooners are projected to play, scheduled for January 2nd in Memphis, Tennessee. The game would feature Oklahoma against West Virginia Mountaineers, who now have a new starting quarterback in Michael Hawkins Jr., a former Sooners quarterback. Despite a strong start to the season, Hawkins has cooled off in recent weeks, with West Virginia suffering losses. However, Hawkins fit well into Rich Rodriguez's run-heavy system at West Virginia. Historically, Oklahoma leads West Virginia 12-3, including a 10-2 mark in the last decade. The two teams have faced each other conference opponents from 2012 to 2023, with the exception of 2020. Oklahoma holds a 10-1 advantage in Big 12 games against the Mountaineers. A Liberty Bowl appearance is not what the Sooners had in mind this season, but they are aiming to improve each week and run the table to secure a spot in the College Football Playoff.",
  "summary": "Where does OU end up in Athlon's latest bowl predictions after Week 6 of the season?",
  "key_points": [
    "Oklahoma Sooners win 27-24 against Texas Longhorns",
    "Athlon projects Oklahoma for Liberty Bowl on January 2nd",
    "Sooners aim to run the table for playoff spot"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}