You have to like the Sooners’ position, even if there’s no way on Earth to determine what it might be. Or, put another way, welcome to the craziest college football season since last season.
At 10:21 p.m., Oklahoma put the wraps on their best game in five tries, whipping used-to-be conference rival Nebraska 62-28.
The Sooners scored almost half their points before the game was even 6 minutes old. They dominated. But for three cross-country Husker drives, one long after anybody cared, it was just about everything OU could want … until about a half hour later when all hell broke loose on the season.
“It gives you a lift,” said Bob Stoops, a moment after taking his post-game questioning, just as what had been happening in Lubbock, Texas, went final.
Back in the press box, with windows open, a roar could be heard as though produced by 80,000 fans inside the stadium. But there were no fans in the stadium. They were across the street, at O’Connell’s, watching on the big screen.
Handed an interception, the Longhorns gave it back. Given a chance to claim the game of the season to date, Michael Crabtree took it with the play of the season to date.
But if those judgments are clear, where it leaves the hometown team hardly is. So it gives Stoops and the Sooners lift, but where to remains anybody’s guess. Heck, where the Sooners belong is it’s own head-scratching conundrum.
n n n
Let’s start with where OU might be.
A week or two ago, a popular scenario was thus:
Texas can win out and the Sooners can win out, too, and maybe, just maybe, that could leave the Longhorns and Sooners playing for the national title after Texas whips Missouri or Kansas at the Big 12 title game. Well, it’s time to throw that idea overboard.
Some interesting games remain, but they’re hardly coin flips. Everything points toward Florida and Alabama being on a collision course toward the SEC title game and it’s hard to imagine a scenario that leaves the winner out of the national championship game.
But that doesn’t have to knock OU out.
Next week’s new biggest game in the nation is Oklahoma State and Texas Tech at Lubbock. The Sooners need Tech to win before they beat Tech in Norman to make it three Big 12 teams with a loss, all having beaten each other. And if everything falls into place, they’ll still have to win Bedlam in Stillwater to keep it in place. Also, they’ll somehow have to manage finishing in front of Texas and Tech in the BCS standings.
Momentarily, the Sooners may drop in the polls. Tech will move ahead and Texas will not drop far enough down.
But OU’s ship can still come in.
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Does it deserve to?
OU whipped Nebraska good, but what happens if the Huskers don’t turn the ball over? And when is Chris Brown going to average 10 yards a carry again? And when is Jimmy Stevens going to miss an extra point that isn’t meaningless? Now he’s missed four, but none have mattered.
The Sooners still have Sam Bradford.
There are only two things Jason White ever did that Bradford hasn’t. One, win a Heisman. Two, win a game all by himself the way White did at Texas A&M; in 2004. He may match No. 1 a week after the Big 12 title game (only now he has Crabtree and Graham Harrell as competition) and he may never have to match No. 2.
Or he might and will, his uncanny accuracy having returned Saturday night, leading to 19 of 27 completions and five touchdowns, as well as three flings beyond 40 yards.
The defense wasn’t fantastic but it was a whole lot better.
Taking it all in, one wonders how the Sooners might fare against another top 5 or top 10 team?
Well, they’ve got Texas A&M; coming up, so we’ll all have to wait, though not very long. Because then it’s Tech and then it’s Bedlam.
Maybe the season’s just getting started.
Clay Horning
366-3526
cfhorning@normantranscript.com
OU Sports
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KEVIN ELLIS
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