Take Two: Can OU-OSU survivor reach College Football Playoff?

Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling a handful of issues in the college football landscape. Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and a local expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites.

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Storyline: Last season, the trendy preseason pick to make the College Football Playoff was Washington and that panned out as the Huskies made it to the final four before losing to Alabama.

This season, a lot of pundits, including Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell, are pitching Oklahoma State as that team, mainly based on the Cowboys’ explosive offense and the thinking that coach Mike Gundy’s club can outscore opponents.

It’s sound thinking. Mason Rudolph could be one of the nation’s best quarterbacks. Running back Justice Hill is dynamic and Oklahoma State is absolutely loaded at wide receiver, led by James Washington.

The defense has question marks – and getting to the College Football Playoff means probably having to beat Oklahoma twice – but could this be the year that gets accomplished?

Oklahoma has beaten Oklahoma State four of the last five years and the last two contests haven’t been all that close. So why the Cowboys now and why not Oklahoma, which boasts really talented linebackers and a loaded secondary?

“Oklahoma State can make a strong argument as having the best receiving corps in the country. What else you got? Two new corners on defense spells trouble in this league. Oklahoma struggled to find one cornerback last season and it was a disaster defensively. Oklahoma State also loses two of its biggest playmakers on defense in Jordan Sterns and Vincent Taylor. Oklahoma has one their best young defenders in recent memory with Caleb Kelly. Add Obo Okoronkwo as a rush end, and few teams in this league have those types of playmakers on defense.

"I love what the Cowboys are throwing out there on the offensive side of the ball. But Oklahoma has too much talent on defense compared to the Cowboys. It's a league with a well-earned reputation for poor defense, but Oklahoma State won't be the team to change that perception this season.

"If anyone does reaches the playoff from the Big 12, it will be Oklahoma. Plainly put, I haven't seen this much athleticism in the front seven since Mike Stoops returned to Norman and the secondary returns four of the five starters.” - Murdock

“They might have to beat Oklahoma twice. This was a tough one as I was going through the playoff scenarios, leaving a Pac-12 team out and going with a Big 12 team. It was a tough decision. I like USC and I like Washington. When I looked at the combination of Rudolph, Hill and Washington, and some of the other weapons they have on offense, they’re going to outscore everybody even though they’re losing a ton on defense. They can put up points on any team in the country and Gundy is a great coach. He’s won 10 games numerous times and had some pushes over the last few years toward that playoff and I just think they do it this year.” – Farrell