Congratulations to Coach Lincoln Riley and the Oklahoma Sooner football team for winning the Big 12 Conference Championship and gaining a spot in the four-team College Football Playoff.

The No. 4 Sooners face No. 1 Alabama in the Orange Bowl in Florida on December 29.

Oklahoma took Georgia to overtime last year in a CFP semi-final and was just a few points short of playing for a national title in the first year for Riley as head coach. Riley was offensive coordinator under legendary coach Bob Stoops before he was promoted to head coach before the start of the 2017 season.

Riley, an offensive mastermind, tutored quarterback Baker Mayfield so well that Mayfield won the Heisman Trophy last year and Mayfield was the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft (to the Cleveland Browns).

Pundits predicted Oklahoma would not win the Big 12 this year with a new quarterback. But Kyler Murray won the Heisman Trophy and led the Sooners to their fourth Big 12 title in a row.

Early odds had Oklahoma as a two-touchdown underdog to the Crimson Tide. Oklahoma has the best offense in the nation and undefeated Alabama struggled in their last game against Georgia.

The Sooners tend to relish an underdog role. The last time OU played Alabama in the 2014 Sugar Bowl, the underdog Sooners upset Alabama in their own backyard.

Oklahomans love college football and it’s nice to have a team that is good enough to compete for a national title almost every year. Credit Riley and the OU Athletic Staff for another great year.