NORMAN — Oklahoma made a statement Saturday. The 55-17 rout of Texas was like a day-long commercial screaming the Sooners are worthy of being college football’s top-ranked team.
Longhorn coach Mack Brown was a believer before he walked down the Cotton Bowl ramp. Nothing had changed when he walked back up.
“You can see why they’re number one in the country,” he said.
Well, that ranking depends on who you ask.
OU (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) remained at No. 3 in the Associated Press Top 25 despite the dominant performance. It marks the third straight week OU has been out of the top spot. LSU remained No. 1 Sunday, followed by Alabama.
Of course, the poll Brown votes in — the USA Today coaches poll — has had the Sooners in the top spot all along. That certainly didn’t change after OU’s effort in the Cotton Bowl. In fact, it picked up five first-place votes.
In the grand scheme, the AP poll doesn’t matter. It isn’t a component in the formula that selects the two teams for the BCS national championship game. The coaches poll and the Harris poll, which made its debut with OU at No. 3 Sunday, comprise two-thirds of the BCS formula. The other third is an average of six computer polls.
But the Sooners gave both man and machine something to chew on Saturday in the Cotton Bowl.
The 38-point victory was OU’s most lopsided in the rivalry since its 65-13 win over the Longhorns in 2003, and it brought back memories of the 63-14 win over Texas in 2000. OU played in the BCS title game in both those seasons and won it in 2000.
Those on the field understood the historical implications.
“I’ve never been part of a rout like this,” OU wide receiver Ryan Broyles said. “Today both sides (offense and defense) bought in and did it for four quarters.”
Texas running back Fozzy Whittaker had a hard time believing Texas hadn’t just played the best team in college football.
“It’s just one of those things where it’s kind of hard to understand, to see why they slipped [in the rankings] when they played us so well,” he said.
OU coach Bob Stoops doesn’t ask why. He knows he doesn’t have to. The only time a team has to be ranked No. 1 is on Jan. 10. The title game is Jan. 9 in New Orleans. Being in the top two is enough to get there. There’s no chance of both LSU and Alabama winning out. They play each other on Nov. 5.
“We’re not sitting here saying we have to win by this or that. We’re going to play the best we can and get ready for it. It’s way too early in the year,” Stoops said. “I get that’s what everyone likes to do, but some other teams have been rewarded for some good games they’ve played. That’s OK. They should be. I’m sure we’ll be rewarded for playing a game like this. It’s going to go back and forth through the season.”
The Sooners were not rewarded by a jump in the AP poll Sunday. It doesn’t matter, though. OU’s in complete control of where the season will take it. Keep winning, and it will come with the desired rewards.
The performance in the Red River Rivalry showed what OU’s capable of and that there’s still room for improvement.
“This was only our fifth game. We feel we can get better. That’s what we’re working on: building on it,” Stoops said.
John Shinn 366-3536 jshinn@normantranscript.com
