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November 29, 2008

Computers hard to impress

TV sports panel discussions are funny. One week, a panelist is calling Oklahoma’s defense putrid.

The next week the same panelist is predicting a three-TD win for the Sooners over arch-rival Oklahoma State tonight in Stillwater.

Criticism like the former might have given the OU defense a little more motivation in a 65-21 win over then-No. 2-ranked Texas Tech.

The Sooners, though, might not want to get overconfident about the latter. OU will need to worry first about just winning tonight’s Bedlam game in a very hostile atmosphere in which the Cowboys have more than held their own against OU.

Don’t worry about style points. Beating the nation’s No. 11 team on the road should be enough to impress voters.

There’s not much you can do to impress the computers that make up one-third of the BCS rankings and would be used to break a three-way tie between OU, Texas and Texas Tech in the Big 12 South.

These same computers had OU No. 1 in the BCS after a 35-7 loss to Kansas State in the Big 12 championship game in 2003.

But lose to OSU and the BCS doesn’t mean anything. There’s a good chance OU fans will be spending the holiday at the Cotton Bowl instead of at a BCS site.

As some in the media have speculated, OU might have a stronger argument to play in the BCS national championship game than in the Big 12 championship.

Texas, as the Longhorns fans reminded people Thursday during their game against Texas A&M;, did beat the Sooners 45-35 on Oct. 11.

Some feel that carries more weight than OU’s win over Texas Tech or Texas Tech’s win over Texas because it was at a neutral site.

Fair argument.

I’m sure if the roles were reversed, Sooner fans would be pointing out the same thing. OU could be the hotter team now but it wasn’t on Oct. 11 when it counted.

Look at the bigger picture.

OU has two non-conference wins over two teams rated in the top 16 in the BCS — No. 14 TCU and No. 16 Cincinnati.

Texas can’t say that.

And, of course, OU wiped out Texas Tech, which beat Texas.

History tells us the Big 12 championship can alter the course of the BCS.

OU might want to take its chances with Texas playing Missouri in Kansas City, where the Tigers would have a home crowd advantage.

Texas upset Nebraska in 1996 and Texas A&M; stunned Kansas State in 1998. Those losses cost the conference shots at two national championships.

Nebraska didn’t reach the Big 12 championship game in 2001 after being blown out by Colorado but the Huskers reached the BCS title game.

The possibility of an OU-Texas championship still exists.

Alabama and Florida, which will play for the SEC title Dec. 6, are playing intrastate rivals today. Those games will have the same atmosphere as OU-OSU.

Alabama could lose to Auburn and then beat Florida or Florida could lose to Florida State and then beat Alabama.

This is the best argument for a college football playoff. OU and Texas are among the top eight. Let it be decided on the field rather than by a popularity contest.



Campbell is a News & Eagle sports writer.

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