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By Andrew McCarty
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The College Football Playoff officially kicks off on Friday, Dec. 19 as the Oklahoma Sooners prepare for a rematch against the Alabama Crimson Tide.
In a regular season meeting between the two teams, the Sooners escaped with a 23-21 victory over the Crimson Tide. As they prepare for the rematch, though, Brent Venables and company were hit with a harsh reality in a list ranking the best quarterbacks in the College Football Playoff.
Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza of the Indiana Hoosiers took the top spot, while Ohio State's Julian Sayin, a Heisman finalist, came in at No. 2. Gunner Stockton (Georgia), Dante Moore (Oregon) and Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss), rounded out the top five quarterbacks.
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Oklahoma's John Matter was nowhere near the top of the list – and didn't even make the top 10. In fact, the Sooners quarterback was just one spot away from dead last in a list of the top quarterbacks in the playoff.
"Does Mateer have the potential to rank higher than this? Yes. We’re looking at these players in their current state, though, and Mateer hasn’t looked the same since he suffered a thumb injury on his throwing hand against Auburn on Sept. 20," Antonio Morales of The Athletic said. "In the seven games since coming back from surgery, Mateer has thrown just six touchdowns and seven interceptions. Oklahoma’s offense hasn’t reached the end zone more than twice in a game since Oct. 25 against Ole Miss."
Morales suggested Mateer is still "a work in progress" as a passer of the football, citing his 1-1 touchdown to interception ratio against FCS opponents this season.
Alabama and Oklahoma kick off at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN on Dec. 19.
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