MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — From a protest in the spring to travel woes in the fall, Oklahoma coped with plenty of distractions on its way to the Orange Bowl.
Clemson might ask for a few pointers.
The top-ranked Tigers (13-0) were dealing with the suspension of three players for violating unspecified team rules as they prepared to face the No. 4 Sooners (11-1) in the national semifinal game.
While none were starters, it was still an unwanted annoyance on the eve of Thursday’s contest in balmy south Florida.
Oklahoma has dealt with its own issues, actually going all the way back to a meeting between these same teams more than a year ago in the Russell Athletic Bowl. Clemson blew out the Sooners 40-6, raising doubts about the direction of the program under longtime coach Bob Stoops.
Well, look where the Sooners are now — two victories away from their first national title since 2000.
“We’ve got a strong program,” Stoops said Wednesday. “It wasn’t nearly as weak as people wanted to say it was a year ago.”
Since then, Oklahoma has grown even stronger.
When a racist video shot by members of a campus fraternity went viral during spring practice, the Sooners shut down workouts for several days, held a series of emotionally charged meetings, and wound up marching arm-in-arm in a show of solidarity.
Their bond grew even tighter after an upset loss to rival Texas, followed the next week by a plane issue that kept them stranded at the Oklahoma City airport more than eight hours trying to get to a game at Kansas State.
“We had one conference room,” Stoops remembered. “The offense had a meeting in there to review practice that day, and then defense took their turn in there to watch practice. Then it became the music room. So there were probably 40 of them in there, blaring music and chanting all the words and jumping up and down. I came in with two buckets of chicken, and it went crazy.”
The Sooners haven’t lost since, averaging 52 points over their last seven games.
“It’s been fun,” said Baker Mayfield, who emerged as one of the nation’s top quarterbacks after transferring from Texas Tech. “It’s been ups and downs, a lot of adversity throughout the beginning of the year. I’ve enjoyed the ride.”
Clemson hasn’t lost all season, coming into the College Football Playoff as the nation’s only undefeated FBS team.
Led by Heisman finalist Deshaun Watkins, the Tigers are playing with a huge amount of confidence. Coach Dabo Swinney doesn’t expect that to change, even after the suspension of receiver Deon Cain, kicker Ammon Lakip and tight end Jay Jay McCullough.
“It doesn’t affect our team. Y’all may think it does, but it doesn’t,” Swinney told reporters at his final news conference before the game. “There’s consequences for your actions, and we just always reinforce that and instill that in our program and always will. It doesn’t matter who they are or how big the game is. If you don’t do what’s right, you ain’t playing.”
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