College Confidential

Oklahoma's take on passing Texas in BCS standings

Oklahoma jumped passed Texas in Sunday’s BCS standings, clearing the way for the Sooners (11-1) to meet Missouri (9-3) in Saturday’s Big 12 Championship Game. With a victory in Kansas City, Mo., the Sooners -- who are No. 2 in the BCS standings -- figure to earn a berth in the BCS national championship game, Jan. 8 in Miami.

Below are some selected comments from Stoops’ Sunday news conference in Norman, Okla.:

General thoughts:
“We’re obviously excited to be representing the South,” Stoops said. “It’s an unusual situation, winning last night (and) … having to wait until today to find out what you’ve really accomplished.”

On the unusual circumstances with three-way tiebreaker:
-- “The unusual circumstances that everybody’s talked about the entire week. I’m glad to be over with them. I think we all are,” Stoops said. “I know Texas Tech and, I’m sure, Texas are really disappointed about the situations. All three of us have South Division … trophies. Each of us have identical records in the conference and one of us has to go. None of us put the system together, but that’s the way it is.”

-- “I’ve found the entire week that everyone wants to talk about head-to-head competition. But Texas Tech’s every bit as disappointed as Texas is,” Stoops said. “Texas Tech, a couple weeks ago, beat Texas. They have as legitimate of a beef as anyone else does. Or, if you’re going to discount them from being in the game because how we beat them, then you’ve just said something there as well. You’ve said a lot by taking them out of the conversation.”

-- “We’re excited to be in this situation,” Stoops said. “The way Tech and Texas feel can’t be good. But the way we’ve played down the stretch has been pretty incredible. We’ve had over 60 points in four straight games … That says a lot about the way we’ve been playing.”

-- “We’re playing well and we’ve put ourselves in this position (with) strength of schedule,” Stoops said. “We played Cincinnati, the Big East champion. We played TCU. I’m sure the overall schedule made a difference as well. I’ve argued that for a long time, that strength of schedule should make a difference. I’m glad we did play those tough teams. Believe me, there are a heck of a lot of other teams I’d rather play than Cincinnati or TCU.”

On lobbying by coaches during the last few weeks:
“In the end, there’s a lot that’s been said over the last week by a lot of people,” Stoops said. “Fortunately, the way everyone else saw it, the way we’ve played all year (was rewarded).”

On the BSC computers:
“They don’t have agendas. They don’t have loyalties. They don’t have opinions,” Stoops said. “They don’t have all the bias that everyone else does. And if you say no one else does, then I don’t think you’re really being truthful. So, like it or not, they don’t have all of those things that everyone else does. And they might take into account strength of schedule more than others do, for those reasons.”

On dealing with the last few weeks:
“I don’t think anyone’s been comfortable with this, all parties, for the last couple or three weeks,” Stoops said. “It’s been aggravating, more than anything.”

On Texas coach Mack Brown’s in-game interview during Saturday’s OU-OSU contest:
“In the end, hey, if that’s what they need to do, that’s what they need to do,” Stoops said. “I was asked to be on the Texas game on Thursday (to do a similar interview) … I said, ‘No, I don’t want to do it,’ I didn’t think it was right.”

On whether Sunday’s BCS standings will raise the stakes in the Texas-OU rivalry:
“It can’t be much more than it is, can it?,” Stoops said.

_ Jimmy Burch

Texas' take on the BCS mess

With the Big 12 South Division tiebreaker settled, albeit not to the liking of Texas coach Mack Brown, here are some of Sunday’s comments from the less-than-happy Longhorns.

Below are comments from Texas players, as well as the full text from Brown’s Sunday statement, in which he reacts to the Longhorns being jumped by Oklahoma in the BCS by saying: “We don’t like it, we don’t agree with it or think it’s fair. But, like anything else, we’ll handle it and move forward.”

BROWN’s FULL STATEMENT:
“Going into the last couple of weeks, we knew that a good team was going to be left out of the Big 12 Championship. Unfortunately, in this situation, it was us. It is what it is. We don’t like it, we don’t agree with it or think it’s fair. But, like anything else, we’ll handle it and move forward.

“I’m really disappointed for our kids that two teams we beat this season
will be playing for the Big 12 Championship. I’ll try to explain it to them,
but most importantly, my message will be that you’ve done enough to put
yourself in position to play for the conference championship, you had a
great season and there still is a lot out there for you to play for. We’ll
wait and see how everything plays out and where the system sends us, then be ready to play our best game of the year wherever that is.  I do appreciate all of the respect many of the poll voters and fans gave to our season and the importance they placed on the head-to-head matchup in the end, but, unfortunately, it was not enough.

“Since this situation has never happened before in the Big 12, I think the conference should follow the lead of all of the other BCS leagues with
championship games (ACC/Conference USA/Mid-American/SEC) in how they settle three-way ties. I think their systems are fairer and give more credit to how the two highest ranked teams performed against each other on the field.”

TEXAS QB COLT McCOY:
“Today was a really tough day, waiting around to find out we didn't make the Big Championship game. That was very disappointing because we had finished the season so strong and done so well against the two teams that are playing in the game. But, we had a great team meeting and Coach Brown pushed all of the positives with us, like he always does. He told us that it was okay to be disappointed but after the meeting it was time to move forward and be prepared to get ready for a big bowl game. As a leader on this team, it’s one of my jobs to make sure we do that. There is a lot left out there to play for and crazy things happen all the time in college football. So, who knows where we’ll end up? We'll stay focused and be ready to finish this season strong, especially for our seniors. Once we know where we're going, we'll get ourselves prepared to play our best game of the season.”

TEXAS DE BRIAN ORAKPO:
“Coming into the season, we faced a lot of adversity. There were a lot of people saying that we weren’t going to be that good. A lot of people doubted us. But, we played great this season. We were consistent each and every week. We worked hard, played hard and acted right during the year. The word I would use to describe it is phenomenal. There aren't a lot of people that can say they were 11-1 during a college football season, especially considering that we beat both of our rivals. It is a great accomplishment for this team and it shows how much hard work we put into this season.
“This has been my favorite season. It’s been great playing with these guys each and every week. We've had a lot of fun. We really haven’t cared about anything but playing with our teammates, playing for the guy beside you out on that field, and the main thing was having a lot fun.
“Now, we'll get a chance to play in a great bowl game. I’ve just been
telling the guys to keep their heads up. We have a lot to play for. We’ll
use this as motivation. We still want to prove to everyone that we're the
best team in the country. It's really important to us that we play well in
the bowl game because we want to finish this season off right.”

TEXAS WR QUAN COSBY:
“We’re still in a good position. It’s very unfortunate for us that two teams we beat are playing in the Big 12 Championship, but that¹s the way it works. We have to stay positive, and I think that’s what the older guys and leaders on the team are doing for the younger guys. We still have a lot to play for. We’re fortunate enough to have a really good bowl record. We take big pride in that and preparing for that. First and foremost, we¹re going to try to get healthier in these days off and relax and take care of schoolwork, but then get right back to work and be hungry to play in a great game.
“There are a lot of teams who would love the opportunity to have been to two BCS games in the last four years, and even three in the last five, and would love to be in our situation right now. All of the one loss teams out there are really good teams. That’s the way it works out and you have to play with the cards you’re dealt.
“This team is a family. We’re going to let this go. One of our goals was the Big 12 title, but we slipped up in the process. Now we have to overcome it, come closer as a family and play as a family in our bowl game. We still have other goals in front of us: ¬for one, to be in BCS bowl, and two, to win the bowl game in general. Fortunately, we’re going to be in a really nice one no matter how it plays out. Everybody wants to go the National Championship, but to be in a BCS bowl is great and we’re going to come together, work hard and prepare well.”

_ Jimmy Burch

Will OU's BCS "victory" heighten the Red River Rivalry?

Oklahoma scored one of its biggest victories Sunday in its bitter rivalry with Texas without taking the field. The Sooners passed the Longhorns in the BCS standings, moving to No. 2 overall, and grabbed the accompanying berth in Saturday’s Big 12 Championship Game.

Under Big 12 bylaws, the South Division co-champ that finished highest in Sunday’s BCS standings _ Oklahoma (11-1, 7-1), Texas (11-1, 7-1) or Texas Tech (11-1, 7-1) _ earned the division’s spot in the Big 12 title game. That proved to be Oklahoma, despite the Sooners’ 45-35 loss to Texas on Oct. 11 in Dallas.

Now, the Longhorns can only watch two teams they defeated by double-digits during the regular season battle for a Big 12 championship. It marks the second time in three years that Texas defeated both participants in the Big 12 title game but failed to earn a berth in the game. The Longhorns did likewise in 2006, with victories over Oklahoma and Nebraska.

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops was asked Sunday if the Sooners’ climb past the Longhorns in the BCS standings could heighten tensions in the already-heated rivalry.

“It can’t be much more than it is, can it?,” Stoops said.

Maybe not. But consider this: If, somehow, Florida defeats No. 1 Alabama in the SEC title game but does not pass Texas in the BCS standings, there is a mathematical _ albeit remote _ chance for a Texas-OU rematch in the BCS national championship game. How hot would that ticket be?

Also: With an OU loss to Missouri, Texas could wind up playing for a  national championship without reaching the Big 12 title game.

In a statement released Sunday, Texas coach Mack Brown voiced his displeasure with his team’s BCS situation but stressed that the possibility of big achievements in 2008 remains.

“I’m really disappointed for our kids that two teams we beat this season
will be playing for the Big 12 Championship,” Brown said. “I’ll try to explain it to them, but most importantly, my message will be that you’ve done enough to put yourself in position to play for the conference championship. You had a great season and there still is a lot out there for you to play for. We’ll wait and see how everything plays out and where the system sends us, then be ready to play our best game of the year wherever that is.”

_ Jimmy Burch

Oklahoma passes Texas in BCS, will play in Big 12 title game

Oklahoma passed Texas in today's updated BCS standings, boosted by a significant bump in the computer component of the BCS formula.

The Sooners, who were second in the updated standings, have a BCS average of .935. Texas, which was No. 2 last week, feel to third with a BCS average of .922.

Under Big 12 tiebreaker rules, the Sooners (11-1, 7-1 in Big 12) will advance to Saturday's Big 12 Championship Game in Kansas City, Mo. against Missouri (9-3, 5-3), the North Division representative, because they finished ahead of the other South Division co-champs in today's BCS standings.

Texas (11-1, 7-1) and Texas Tech (11-1, 7-1), who also shared the South title, will be left to ponder their future bowl destinations.

Oklahoma, No.3  in last week's BCS standings, overtook Texas despite significant gains by the Longhorns in today's human polls. Texas passed Florida in the coaches poll, moving from No. 4 to No.3, and jumped Oklahoma in the Harris Interactive poll. Harris was No. 3 this week with Harris voters, one spot ahead of Oklahoma.

But the Sooners made enough headway in the computer rankings to pass the Longhorns by defeating Oklahoma State, 61-41, Saturday night in Stillwater, Okla. Last week, Texas stood ahead of Oklahoma in the computer rankings. But OU more than closed the gap today, sending the Sooner to the Big 12 title game.

_ Jimmy Burch

Texas gains more poll position, looking good in BCS race

Texas has passed Oklahoma in today's Harris Interactive poll, moving to No. 3 while the Sooners fell to No. 4. The Harris poll is one of three elements that comprise today's BCS standings. In the Harris poll, Texas finished with 2,527 points. OU had 2,569.

In the coaches poll, Texas jumped Florida and climbed to No. 3. Oklahoma remained at No. 2, its same position as last week, but the Longhorns made up poll position in both human elements that comprise the BCS standings. OU had 1,397 points in the coaches poll. Texas had 1,396.

The third element is computer rankings, where Texas led OU last week.

The BCS standings will be announced shortly. Last week, Texas was No. 2 and Oklahoma was No. 3. Whichever team finishes ahead in today's updated standings will represent the South Division in Saturday's Big 12 Championship Game in Kansas City, Mo.

Oklahoma will make up ground in the BCS computers today, thanks to Saturday's 61-41 victory over Oklahoma State. OU jumped Texas today in the Sagarin ratings, one of the six computer elements used to calculate the BCS standings. 

_ Jimmy Burch

Too close to call, says BCS guru Palm

In a blog posted earlier today, BCS guru Jerry Palm essentially says the race between Texas and Oklahoma is too close to call in terms of guessing which school will wind up ahead of the other when the BCS standings are released later this afternoon.

Palm wrote on his website, CollegeBCS.com, that Texas' jump to third in today's coaches poll -- passing Florida in the process -- stands as "great news" for the Longhorns. But OU's inevitable climb in the computer rankings, spurred by the Sooners' 61-41 road victory over Oklahoma State on Saturday night, makes this anyone's ball game.

Oklahoma moved to No. 1 in today's Sagarin rankings, ahead of No. 2 Texas. Last week, Texas was No. 1 in Sagarin and OU was No. 4. At stake is a berth in next week's Big 12 championship game, which will go to the team that finishes highest in today's BCS standings. Last week, Texas finished second in the overall computer rankings and OU was third.

Based on the elements released earlier today -- the coaches poll and the Sagarin rankings -- here is Palm's latest take as we prepare for Fox's release of the BCS standings between 3 and 3:30 p.m.:

"If my computer projection is right -- and that's a big if -- Texas would need to lead Oklahoma by 31 points in the Harris poll to win the division. If they are tied in the computers, Texas only needs a two-point lead in Harris. If Texas leads by .01 in the computers, the Longhorns need to be within 26 points of OU in the Harris poll. They were 21 behind going into the weekend, which would be good enough in this case."

In other words: It's anyone's ball game, an hour before the official announcement.

_ Jimmy Burch

For Texas Tech, how quickly things changed

LUBBOCK _ I saw Texas Tech defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill at the airport in Lubbock on Sunday morning and realized how quickly things changed for the Red Raiders.

After slipping by Baylor on Saturday afternoon, Tech coaches, players and fans huddled around TV sets all across Texas late Saturday night with high hopes of Oklahoma State upsetting Oklahoma. An OSU win would have put Tech into the Big 12 championship game against Missouri.

OU, however, thumped OSU, 61-41, and that set off a chain reaction that had McNeill in the airport headed on a recruiting trip instead of huddling with the rest of the Tech coaches to prepare to play Missouri.

McNeill said he started packing in the third period of the OU-OSU game when he saw things going the Sooners' way.

The Red Raiders, 11-1 and tri-Big 12 South Division champs with OU and Texas, are now likely headed to play in the Cotton Bowl on New Year's Day against Mississippi. 

_ Dwain Price 

Texas climbs to No. 3 in coaches poll

Texas climbed to No. 3 in today's coaches poll, passing Florida, to boost the Longhorns' hopes of staying ahead of Oklahoma when the updated BCS standings are released later this afternoon.

The South Division co-champion that finishes highest in today's BCS standings -- Texas (11-1, 7-1 in Big 12), Oklahoma (11-1, 7-1) or Texas Tech (11-1, 7-1) -- will represent the South Division in Saturday's Big 12 Championship Game against Missouri, the North Division representative.

The Longhorns, who were fourth in last week's coaches poll, climbed to third and came within one point of tying Oklahoma for second on this week's ballots. OU finished with 1,397 points. Texas had 1,396. Oklahoma received two first-place votes, down from four last week, and Texas received none.

Alabama (12-0) remained No. 1 in the coaches poll, getting 58 of 61 first-place votes. The other first-place vote went to Florida, which finished with 1,385 points. The coaches poll is one-third of the BCS forumla. The other two elements are the Harris Interactive poll and the computer rankings, which will be released later today.

In last week's BCS standings, Texas was No. 2 and OU was No. 3. The teams were separated by .0084 in their BCS averages, largely because Texas had a superior rating with the six sets of computer rankings used to tabulate the BCS standings.

In the only set of computer rankings released thus far today, Jeff Sagarin has moved Oklahoma ahead of Texas. Sagarin's rankings, released through USA Today, show OU at No. 1 and Texas at No. 2. Last week, Sagarin had Texas at No. 1 and Oklahoma at No. 4.

Sagarin's top six, as of today, are OU, Texas, Florida, USC, Texas Tech and Alabama. 

The irony in today's coaches poll is that, if Texas had been placed one spot higher on one coach's ballot, the Longhorns and Sooners would have shared the second spot and further clouded the poll voters' element of the BCS standings. Texas coach Mack Brown, who has a vote in the coaches poll, did not place his team No. 1 because the Longhorns were shut out of first-place votes. OU coach Bob Stoops does not vote in the coaches poll, a voluntary decision he made before this season. Stoops, a voter in 2007, was invited to return this season but declined.

_ Jimmy Burch

Sagarin computer rankings jump OU over Texas

It is Sunday morning, Judgment Day for the three football teams tied for first place in the Big 12 South Division. And the first piece of public evidence used in calculating the BCS standings is not encouraging for fans of the Texas Longhorns.

Jeff Sagarin has jumped Oklahoma over Texas in his updated computer rankings, which he releases through USA Today. It is one of six sets of computer rankings used to calculate the BCS standings, which will be the tiebreaker used today to decide whether Oklahoma (11-1, 7-1 in Big 12), Texas (11-1, 7-1) or Texas Tech (11-1, 7-1) represents the South Division in Saturday's Big 12 Championship Game.

Whichever of the three South co-champs is highest in today's BCS standings will meet Missouri (9-3, 5-3), the North Division representative, Saturday night in Kansas City, Mo. to decide the Big 12 title.

Sagarin's rankings are the only piece of today's BCS puzzle to come to light thus far. Five other sets of computer rankings, none of which have been made public, also factor into the BCS standings. So do the coaches poll and the Harris Interactive poll, neither of which has been released today.

As of this morning, Sagarin's computer rankings have Oklahoma at No. 1 and Texas at No. 2. Last week, the Sagarin rankings had Texas at No. 1 and OU at No. 4. The Longhorns defeated the Sooners, 45-35, in head-to-head play on Oct. 11. In the latest Sagarin rankings, the top six teams are Oklahoma, Texas, Florida, USC, Texas Tech and Alabama.

Although Alabama (12-0) is sixth in the Sagarin rankings, the Crimson Tide has been No. 1 in the BCS for the last several weeks because the team is a consensus No. 1 pick among poll voters. Alabama also held the highest BCS computer ranking last week, despite Sagarin's input.

_ Jimmy Burch

  

LUBBOCK _ Texas Tech kept alive its chances of winning the Big 12 South title with a hard-fought 35-28 win over Baylor on Saturday at Jones AT&T Stadium.

If Oklahoma loses tonight at Oklahoma State, Texas Tech would claim the Big 12 South title and play Missouri next Saturday in Kansas City for the conference championship.

Tech scored the final 21 points of the game after falling behind Baylor 28-14 less than four minutes into the second half. With the gutsy win, Tech tied the school record for wins in a season as it ended the regular season with an 11-1 overall record and 7-1 Big 12 play..

The pesky Bears ended the season 4-8 overall and 2-6 in conference play.

_ Dwain Price