The Big 12 has suffered some high-profile losses already this season, including one by No. 12 Oklahoma. The Sooners are hoping it doesn't happen again when they host an in-state rival on the rise.

Oklahoma expects to have Landry Jones under center for the second straight game Saturday when it goes for its fifth consecutive victory over Tulsa.

Oklahoma (1-1) was stunned 14-13 by Brigham Young in its opener Sept. 5, and lost reigning Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford to a shoulder injury in the process. Sooners coach Bob Stoops would not answer questions about Bradford's status this week, though it's unlikely the quarterback will play.

That means that Jones will get the call again. The redshirt freshman completed 18 of 32 passes for 286 yards and three touchdowns last Saturday in a 64-0 rout of Idaho State.

"Landry, in a short period of time, could not have handled himself better," Stoops said. "With everybody, with dealing with the pressure of it all, with his chemistry with the team, with everything."

The Sooners outgained the Bengals 564-44, giving Stoops a tough time of assessing his club.

"It's hard to judge," Stoops said. "I don't want to take anything away from Idaho State, but just the competition and all the advantages that we have that they don't."

The coach won't have that problem this week against the Golden Hurricane. Tulsa (2-0) led the nation in total offense each of the past two seasons and is one of only 11 teams with at least 10 wins in both of those years.

"Tulsa, we recognize, is an excellent football team," Stoops said. "The last couple of years, winning 10 and 11 games and winning their bowl games. Offensively, they have led the nation in total offense the last two years and are on track again this year with a very high-scoring and explosive offense."

The Golden Hurricane certainly feel they are a better club than the one that lost 62-21 in their visit to Norman two years ago.

"I would say we're a lot better program than 2007," Tulsa coach Todd Graham said. "There's no substitute for experience. (Former quarterback) Paul (Smith) had played against Oklahoma in 2005 and came out and played well for less than a half in 2007. I will tell you we're a better defensive football team."

Smith threw for 47 touchdowns in 2007, and David Johnson 46 in 2008. This year, junior G.J. Kinne is the starter. Kinne, a transfer from Texas who decommitted from Michigan before joining Tulsa, finished with four touchdowns and 310 yards passing last weekend in a 35-22 win at New Mexico.

Tulsa is opening with three straight road games, but this short 104-mile trip is clearly the one it has circled.

"This is what our guys work for," Graham said. "This is the kind of games our guys like to play in. This is why you work the way you work. We have an opportunity to be on the national stage and an opportunity to play one of the best teams in the nation."

The Golden Hurricane also gained confidence from seeing another Conference USA team knock off a Big 12 powerhouse last week when Houston upset then-No. 5 Oklahoma State 45-35.

The Sooners expect to have their hands full, and are eager to see Jones run an offense that lost a major weapon in All-America tight end Jermaine Gresham, who is out with a season-ending knee surgery.

"Even though Jermaine is out, the offense still has a lot of guys left," Sooners cornerback and Tulsa native Dominique Franks said. "It's just all those guys stepping up and being able to make plays once they get the ball in their hands."

Tulsa has a star on defense in senior linebacker Mike Bryan, son of the late Rick Bryan - an All-American defensive end for the Sooners in 1982-83. The younger Bryan intercepted a pass in Tulsa's season-opening 37-13 win at Tulane on Sept. 4.