OU Sports
Moving on up
Sooners up to No. 6
Things change quickly in college football. A team’s stock fluctuates on a week-to-week basis.
Just eight days after suffering a shocking loss and seemingly tumbling out of the national championship picture, Oklahoma is back after Saturday’s 28-21 victory over Texas.
The college football landscape keeps shifting at an incredible rate and it’s getting harder to keep up. Last week five of the top 10 teams in the Associated Press Top 25 lost. Saturday, three more tumbled with Wisconsin, Florida and USC all suffering losses.
A quick glance at the current Top 25 reveals a head-scratching group.
• No. 1 LSU: The Tigers are the unanimous No. 1 team in the country. Most expected them to contend for a spot in the BCS title game. Saturday night’s victory over Florida solidified it.
• No. 2 California: The Bears haven’t been ranked this high since the 1950s.
• No. 3 Ohio State: Most forecasted a rebuilding season for the Buckeyes.
• No. 4 Boston College: The Eagles haven’t been ranked this high since Doug Flutie was the pride of the Northeast.
• No. 5 South Florida: The Bulls are in such uncharted territory there isn’t a map to follow.
Then there’s No. 6 OU.
After going into free fall after the Colorado loss, the Sooners have jumped right back into the national title picture with the victory in the Cotton Bowl.
The only problem is staying there. If ever there was a season where taking wins for granted was a futile exercise, this is it. For decades, college football fans have pleaded for a playoff. They’re experiencing a 14-week long version this season.
“It’s one way of looking at it,” OU coach Bob Stoops said Sunday. “That’s probably why there’s such great interest in great TV markets everywhere, too, everybody’s following it.”
The upsets that have occurred over the first six weeks have been unprecedented.
First there was Appalachian State toppling Michigan. Last week there was the upheaval in the top 10. Saturday night featured perhaps the biggest upset of the season. USC, then ranked No. 2 and a 40-point favorite, falling at home to lowly Stanford.
Any team thinking about a trip to the BCS title game has to be aware of the land mines each week.
The Sooners (5-1, 1-1 Big 12) passed their traditional midseason hurdle against Texas. But there’s no time for coasting.
Next up is No. 11 Missouri (5-0, 1-0), which destroyed then-No. 25 Nebraska 41-6 Saturday.
“They look like they’ve got a great team,” Sooner defensive coordinator Brent Venables said.
It could be the first of two games between the Sooners and Tigers.
Many believe the game will be a preview of the Big 12 title game.
But there’s still six games to play before any postseason plans can be made. The way this season is going, planning ahead is a waste of time.
The Sooners, however, head into the second half of the season with the bitter taste of the Colorado loss washed away and their lofty goals are still possible.
The 2007 college football season is beginning to resemble the local weather. If you don’t like it, just wait a day or so. Things change quickly.
OU’s fortunes have.
John Shinn
366-3536
jshinn@normantranscript.com
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