Oklahoma vaults past Texas for No. 2 in BCS standings

Nov 30, 2008 - 10:38 PM MORRISTOWN, New Jersey (Ticker) -- Oklahoma used another lopsided win to alter the BCS computers and gain the inside track for the national championship game.

One day after thrashing in-state rival Oklahoma State, the Sooners leapfrogged rival Texas for the coveted No. 2 ranking in the latest BCS standings released Sunday.

By virtue of their higher BCS spot, the Sooners (11-1) won a three-way tiebreaker for the Big 12 South Division crown and gained a berth in the conference's title game next weekend against Missouri.

"We're excited to be in this situation," Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops said during a news conference held less than an hour after the standings were released.

Alabama (12-0) remained atop the standings with a BCS score of .971 out of a possible 1.000.

But the pivotal spot now belongs to Oklahoma, which edged Texas for the No. 2 spot despite losing to the Longhorns, 45-35, on October 11 in the annual Red River Rivalry game.

Oklahoma has a score of .935, just ahead of Texas (11-1) at .922. The Sooners climbed one spot in the BCS standings by jumping past the Longhorns in the computer ratings.

Oklahoma maintained its No. 2 ranking in the USA Today coaches' poll, but Texas outranks the Sooners by six points in the Harris Interactive poll. Therefore, the No. 2 spot in the BCS came down to the computers, where the Sooners placed first and the Longhorns second.

As a result, Oklahoma emerged from its deadlock with Texas and Texas Tech (11-1) atop the Big 12 South. Since losing to the Longhorns, the Sooners have won their last six games - all by double digits.

The most impressive of those victories was a 65-21 rout of then-No. 2 Texas Tech on November 22.

That blowout win vaulted Oklahoma to No. 3 in last week's BCS rankings, and Saturday night's 61-41 victory over then-No. 12 Oklahoma State apparently gave the Sooners to edge over the Longhorns for the Big 12 South title.

"One of us has to go (to the Big 12 title game)," Stoops said. "None of us put the system together. That's how it is."

Stoops argued that the Sooners deserved the higher BCS ranking based on their outstanding finish. He also pointed out Texas Tech's 39-33 victory over Texas on November 1.

"Everyone wants to talk about head-to-head," Stoops said. "So Texas Tech should be just as disappointed as Texas is."

Stoops also mentioned that Oklahoma's difficult out-of-conference schedule may have helped sway the computer rankings.

In the first month of the season, the Sooners defeated Cincinnati - the Big East champion - and TCU, which is currently ranked 11th in the coaches' poll.

"Texas and Tech, I can understand that they don't feel good," Stoops said. "But I think our body of work speaks for itself. We played well and put ourselves in this position.

"The schedule overall probably made a difference as well. Maybe it matters in this case, and if it did, we feel glad we played those teams."

Florida (11-1) maintained its spot at No. 4 in the BCS standings. But the Gators likely will earn a berth in the national title game if the beat the undefeated Crimson Tide in next Saturday's SEC championship game.

Riding an eight-game winning streak, Florida owns a BCS score of .885.

Southern California (10-1) is fifth with a score of .808. The Trojans can win the Pac-10 Conference championship and book a trip to the Rose Bowl with a win next weekend over UCLA.

Undefeated Utah (12-0), which was idle this weekend after securing a BCS bowl bid last Saturday, remained sixth while Texas Tech stayed seventh.

Big Ten champion Penn State (11-1) is eighth, followed by Boise State (12-0) and Ohio State (10-2).

The final BCS standings and the consequent bowl matchups will be released next Sunday.