There was a time when strength of schedule was quite important in college football. During the early days of the BCS era, it was the thing that could push a team over another and into the national championship game.

For the most part, those days have ended. The strength of schedule component has been weakened and it can only break the absolute narrowest of ties. National powers have taken notice and most have become comfortable with spending September beating up on also-ran programs.

Oklahoma, however, hasn’t been one of those teams.

The schedule the Sooners will play this season is another typical example.

“Once we got over the hump and won the national championship in 2000 and felt we were building, and the program was back to where we felt it should be, if you’re a top 10 team, we felt you should play that type of schedule,” OU coach Bob Stoops said.

OU’s schedule has been labeled as one of the toughest in country because of the conference it plays in. But the road it has created for itself in the non-conference portion is what puts its slate over the top.

The third-ranked Sooners’ season begins Saturday at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, against No. 20 BYU. It is the first of two games against teams that won 10 games last season. The second is when Tulsa visits Owen Field Sept. 19. The only bona fide cupcake on the schedule is the home opener Sept. 12 against Idaho State.

OU’s schedule has stood out in recent years because of a game against a traditional power. Every year since 2001 OU has faced at least one non-conference foe from a BCS conference.

The tradition continues Oct. 3 when the Sooners go to Miami to face the Hurricanes.

“Our people wanted to see these kind of games,” Stoops said. “It’s challenging for our players. I’ve always felt it gets our players’ attention early, that we needed to be prepared early to play.”

It has kept the players focused. Early in the preseason tight end Jermaine Gresham was being peppered with questions about the annual showdown with Texas. He was asked another about the rise of Oklahoma State. Facing Miami was also brought up.

“I know BYU is Sept. 5. I know the day of it. No other team but them has been on my mind,” he said. “I’m already gameplanning for them. We don’t overlook anyone.”

It’s hard to these days.

The Big 12 rivaled the SEC as the toughest conference in college football last season. It will do so again this season. Texas (No. 2), OU (No. 3), OSU (No. 9), Nebraska (No. 24) and Kansas (No. 25) are all ranked in the Top 25. The Sooners will face all four of those ranked conference foes.

The Big 12 slate begins Oct. 10 when Baylor visits Owen Field. That game falls a week before the Sooners cross the Red River to face the Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

As usual, the Red River Rivalry is the highlight of OU’s schedule. If things go as planned for both schools, it would be another showdown between two highly ranked teams with Big 12 and national championship implications at every turn.

But other land mines await. OU visits Kansas for the first time since 2001 on Oct 24. Bill Snyder brings Kansas State to Norman on Halloween.

The November run begins with the renewal of the Big Red Rivalry Nov. 7 in Lincoln, Neb. Texas A&M; visits Owen Field Nov. 14. The Sooners haven’t won in Lubbock, Texas, since 2003. They’ll get a shot to break that streak against Texas Tech Nov. 21.

What could set up to be the biggest Bedlam game in a quarter century will occur Nov. 28 at Owen Field. The Sooners have won five straight over the Cowboys, but this season’s meeting could have the Big 12 title at stake for both teams.

Should OU emerge through the Big 12’s rugged landscape, it will get to start December where the season began.

The Big 12 championship game is Dec. 5 at Cowboys Stadium. The game OU wants to play in more than any other — the BCS national championship game — is slated for Jan. 7 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

The Sooners will be trying to earn a berth in the game for the fifth time since 2000. If they can navigate the difficult schedule that’s been laid out for them, getting there shouldn’t be a problem. They will have passed a season-long test.

John Shinn

366-3536

jshinn@normantranscript.com