When it comes to getting back into the College Football Playoff, this is definitely something the Big 12 didn’t need.
Entering the game as a 30-point-plus favorite, No. 3 Oklahoma left with its first loss of the season as unranked Iowa State came into Norman and swiped a 38-31 win off the Sooners. All looked right in the first half as OU took a 24-13 lead into the halftime locker room.
The second half was all Cyclones, however, as a 14-point third quarter tied the game at 24-all, while, after trading touchdowns to start the fourth quarter, a Kyle Kempt (pictured) 25-yard touchdown pass to Allen Lazard proved to be the game-winner. Kempt started in place of Jacob Park, who has taken a leave of absence for an unspecified health issue.
The Sooners had one last chance to tie the score and send it into overtime, but turned the ball back over to the visitors on downs with just over a minute to play.
The loss snapped OU’s nation’s best 14-game winning streak. That honor now falls to defending national champion Clemson, which has now won 11 in a row.
Conversely, the win, ISU’s first over OU since September of 1990, was a significant one for a program that improved to 3-2 on the season.Iowa State has never beaten an AP Top-3 team on the road (0-17).
They’re tied 24-24 at No. 3 Oklahoma early in the 4th. pic.twitter.com/zt2zvLHRgg
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 7, 2017
The combination of this loss plus Oklahoma State’s loss to TCU two weeks ago leaves the Big 12 with just one undefeated team -- No. 8 TCU, which is playing host to No. 23 West Virginia today. A Horned Frogs loss would, even this early on in the season, leave the conference in a precarious position when it comes to sending a team to the playoffs.
OU’s loss is also a setback of sorts for Ohio State, which lost to the Sooners in Week 2 and were hoping they would run the table to bolster their playoff case if it gets to that point.
