John Shinn
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Typically, a team might wait for the regular season to end before reflecting on important victories. But No. 19 Oklahoma won’t have to wait that long after Saturday’s 26-10 victory over No. 23 Missouri.
It’s importance couldn’t be more clear.
It was the Sooners’ first road victory over a ranked opponent since beating Oklahoma State 38-35 in 2004. That win, almost two years ago to the day, was part of a season that featured a Big 12 title and berth in the BCS championship game. The Sooners were also a heavy favorite. Saturday, they were an underdog.
OU won’t be going anywhere near where that 2004 season took them, but storming into Faurot Field and taming the Tigers still opened several doors.
The Sooners improved to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the Big 12. The sixth win means they are bowl eligible and their bowl prospects appear to have brightened considerably.
A BCS game is out of the equation without a conference title, but OU shoved itself near the top of the Big 12’s pecking order.
Missouri (7-2, 3-2) was considered a rival for postseason designations. So was Nebraska. The Sooners are clearly ahead of the Tigers now and perhaps the 20th-ranked Huskers, too, who fell 41-29 at Oklahoma State Saturday in Stillwater.
The Big 12’s bowl pecking order starts with the Cotton Bowl and also includes the Holiday, Alamo and perhaps the Gator Bowl. The Sooners could very well be the first choice of any of those selection committees.
But that was the furthest thing from OU’s mind. Finding a player or coach willing to talk about postseason ramifications was like asking a blind man what he saw.
“Every win is a statement,” OU linebacker Rufus Alexander said. “That’s what you take away from every game.”
The Sooners only see what’s directly in front of them: a showdown at No. 22 Texas A&M; at Kyle Field.
Bowl implications will swirl around that game, too. The winner will assume the title of the Big 12’s best non-BCS team.
“I feel real comfortable about where we are going,” quarterback Paul Thompson said. “The team feels real comfortable with where we are at. We feel good.”
