What happens if Oklahoma beats Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl?

The Oklahoma Sooners and the Navy Midshipmen will compete in the Armed Forces Bowl on Friday. The game will kick off at Noon ET. Although the game does not have any significance for either team to progress to the playoffs, bowl games always have significance to the teams that play them.

Pride is always on the line when two teams compete in a bowl game. Finishing the year with a winning or losing record is significant for the Sooners (6-6). They have had an up-and-down season, and finishing with a win would benefit coach Brent Venables and his team.

This is Venables' third season as the coach of the sooner. He finished one season with a winning and one with a losing record. So, this game determines if he has more than one winning or losing season.

Brent Venables talks about Oklahoma's approach to the Armed Forces Bowl

While having a winning record is important to a coach's longevity, Brent Venables spoke on Thursday about staying focused on the game ahead of them. He does not want Oklahoma to get distracted by any outside noise.

"I don’t really look at it that way," he said. "It’s the next game. It’s the biggest game of the year. It’s what’s right in front of us right now."

Whether Venables and Oklahoma view this game as any different from other games they have played this year isn't known. However, finishing the season with a winning record will allow Sooners fans to look back on this season with more pride than if they finish with a losing record.

While this upcoming game is important, it is not the year's biggest. That came on Nov. 23 when the Sooners shocked the No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide, winning 24–3. It was their second last game of the season and gave the Sooners the sixth win they needed to qualify for a bowl game.

The game had extra significance as Alabama lost its third game of the season. With the loss, the Crimson Tide fell the rankings far enough to not qualify for the College Football Playoff. So, while Oklahoma did not qualify, it got to play the spoiler for a Southeastern Conference rival.