College Football Playoff

The Sooners are a whopping 13 1/2-point underdog heading into their Peach Bowl semifinal against LSU on Saturday, one of the widest betting lines in CFP history. And, yes, that stings a bit.

Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray knows the Sooners' defense is preparing for its toughest challenge of the season and believes experience on the national stage will be a big factor.

Ohio State will go into championship weekend as the top team in the College Football Playoff selection committee’s rankings, followed by LSU, Clemson and Georgia.

Alabama is fifth in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, behind LSU, Ohio State, Clemson and Georgia, which took over the fourth spot in the selection committee's second top 25.

Two from the Big Ten. Two from the Southeastern Conference. And the undefeated defending national champions on the outside looking in — for now.

Faced with a tricky choice, the College Football Playoff selection committee fell back on some simple criteria: One loss is better than two. Winning a conference championship is better than not. Go with the team that didn't get blown out. Oklahoma is in the playoff, moving into the fourth and final spot Sunday after avenging its only loss by winning the Big 12 championship against Texas.

8:17 p.m.

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) - Oklahoma is trying really hard to avoid looking ahead. It's tough not to when everything appears to be stacked in your favor.