Clay Horning
MANHATTAN, Kan. — All right, Oklahoma can still get to the Big 12 championship game and the Sooners can get there two different ways.
Both involve running the table. They can win the Big 12 South outright if Texas loses two games and they can win it via being the top-ranked BCS squad of three one-loss Big 12 South teams, all of which beat each other, like OU, Oklahoma State and Texas, or OU, Texas Tech and Texas.
Got it?
OK.
But can OU get to the national championship game?
Sure it can.
Sunday, don’t be shocked if the Sooners are the new No. 2 team in the nation. Penn State is on the road at Ohio State, as is Alabama at Tennessee. Heck, don’t be surprised if the Sooners are the new No. 1 team in the nation, because OSU could beat Texas and that would be losses handed to Nos. 1, 2 and 3.
Oh, wait, if OSU beats Texas and Penn State beats Ohio State and Tennessee beats Alabama, OSU should be No. 1.
Crazy, but true.
And then how big would Bedlam be?
But isn’t the SEC the toughest conference in the nation? Isn’t the winner of the SEC championship game supposed to go to the BCS championship game? Two losses weren’t enough to keep LSU out of the title game last season.
So just how does OU climb past the SEC.
Who’s going to beat Florida?
The Gators, No. 5 in the AP poll, get Kentucky today, but follow with road games at Georgia and Vanderbilt. The Dawgs are still a top 10 team and Vanderbilt is having its best season in ages.
But if Florida goes down, what about LSU? The Tigers lost to the Gators (by 30), but they’ve still got Alabama on their schedule (Nov. 8). And if the Crimson Tide can get to that game unbeaten, maybe even No. 1 if OSU takes down Texas today, will anybody really care that Florida beat LSU if LSU takes down top-ranked Alabama?
Wait, don’t dismiss Georgia.
The preseason No. 1 team has still lost only once. The Dawgs could beat LSU today and Florida next Saturday and if everybody has one loss by then, just how is Georgia not the nation’s No. 1 team with victories over Tennessee, Vanderbilt, LSU and Florida?
No, wait a second, there’s no way everybody could have one loss by then. Because that assumes Texas and OSU both have a loss and the only way that could happen would be if the Pokes took down Texas today but turned around and lost to Iowa State … at home.
No, back up.
That’s not fair.
Texas , Oklahoma State, Alabama, Penn State and Texas Tech aren’t the only unbeaten teams playing today. There’s still Ball State, Tulsa and Utah, and the Utes are already No. 11 in the BCS. And the Utes still have TCU and BYU on the schedule. What if they’re the last perfect team standing?
Tulsa? The Golden Hurricane is at Arkansas Nov. 1. That has to be worth something. Ball State? The Cardinals still have to play Central Michigan and the Chippewas are perfect in the MAC.
Wait, we’ve left out USC.
The Trojans are No. 5 in the BCS.
They’re still in this thing.
We’re going to have to start over.
So you’ve got the Sooners, with one loss …
Clay Horning
366-3526
cfhorning@normantranscript.com
