It seems fitting that as Sunday’s BCS rankings were released, former Sooner coach and Fox analyst Barry Switzer was the one to announce it.
The man whose teams embodied “Sooner Magic” more than any other announced to the world that it definitely seems to be back.
Because in all honesty, how did OU pull this one off?
I’m not saying the Sooners don’t deserve what they have. They’ve earned every bit of it, and I have plenty of numbers to back up why I think they are the best team in the Big 12 South.
First off, OU had a stronger schedule, defeating four teams currently ranked in the BCS top 25. Texas only beat three.
In those games, OU outscored opponents by an average of 21 points per game. Texas outscored its quality opponents by 8.25 points per game.
The Sooners and Longhorns also played five common opponents: Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Baylor, Kansas and Texas A&M.
OU played three of those games on the road and two at home, while Texas was the opposite. In those five contests, the Sooners outscored their opponents by a total of 148 points, while Texas outscored the same opponents by a total of 90 points.
But now there’s really no need for such stats. The Sooners are Big 12 South champions regardless.
But this stuff doesn’t happen.
Losing to Texas is supposed to knock you out of the Big 12 South race. Losing arguably your best defensive player who orchestrated your defense screws you over.
Counting on Texas to lose a game here, Texas Tech to win a game there, and then cap off your season by beating the No. 2 and No. 12 teams by 64 combined points? That stuff doesn’t normally work out.
But somehow, it did. And that’s all there is to it.
Basically, the race for the Big 12 South came down to this: each team – Texas, Texas Tech and OU – had a legitimate argument to win the division, but none have the right to complain about being left out.
Each team had the opportunity to win every game this season, and if they had, they would be in the championship game. But none of those teams did it. None.
So they all continued to play, lobby (some more than others) and the system ran its course. And now OU will go to the Big 12 Championship, like it or not.
But as OU was announced as the new No. 2 in the BCS Sunday afternoon, it was blessed and cursed at the same time. Now, all eyes will be on the Sooners, waiting for one misstep, so they can blame the BCS for robbing Texas.
If the Sooners lose, even by a single point against Missouri or in a possible National Championship, the talk will be all about how the BCS got it wrong. Add in OU’s recent BCS bowl woes, and the situation gets even stickier.
It’s simple: OU has to win their next two games, no questions asked.
We’ve seen this before. In 2003, OU lost the Big 12 Championship game to Kansas State, but was blessed with a trip to the National Title anyway. There, they lost to LSU, 21 – 14.
In 2004, USC, Auburn and OU were all undefeated at the end of the regular season. Again, the Sooners slipped into the Championship, leaving the undefeated Tigers watching. USC ripped OU by 36.
The Sooners can’t let it happen again. As far as football tradition goes, few schools in the country can compare with OU. But the Sooners have had a lot of opportunities recently, and done little with it. Their recent history, despite dominating the Big 12, isn’t all that pretty.
So if the Sooners blow this chance, it may be a while before they get the benefit of the doubt again. They simply can’t afford to lose. If 2008 doesn’t end with national title number eight for OU, it could mess things up for a while.
So congratulations Sooners, you’ve won the Big 12 South. Now it’s time to go to work.
— Steven Jones is a language arts education junior.
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thegradeinflater 3 years, 5 months ago
I guess all three teams (TTU, UT, & OU) can claim they are Big 12 south champs. It just happened that due to Big 12 rules OU got the nod for the championship game. It comes with a high risk though: win & we will be in the National championship game, but lose we may end up at the Holiday bowl. Meanwhile UT is guaranteed a BCS bowl. But I guess that's why we are better than the 'Horns - we don't whine and we control our own destiny!
dbh 3 years, 5 months ago
OU had better come to Kansas City ready to play football because Mizzou will. Also crowd advantage will be huge for the Missouri Tigers.
I still think the Sooners have enough motivation and sooner magic left to repeat as champs.