Red River rematch? UT, OU could renew acquaintances in Miami
This season's SEC-Big 12 rivalry could be headed for a contentious conclusion.
How about a Texas-Oklahoma rematch in the BCS title game?
Even juicier, how about Oklahoma getting into the game ahead of the SEC champion without winning the Big 12?
"I wouldn't rule it out," said Jerry Palm of collegebcs.com and CBSSports.com contributor.
The possibility became apparent when the first BCS standings were released Sunday. Oklahoma debuted at No. 4 as the highest-ranked one-loss team. That's three spots behind No. 1 Texas, the team that spanked the Sooners 45-35 on Oct. 11.
It's obvious the Sooners didn't take much of a hit after losing the game that usually defines their -- and the Big 12's -- season. OU dropped from No. 1 to No. 4 in AP the day following the loss, then debuted in the same spot in the BCS. Oklahoma (6-1, 2-1) trails Texas (7-0, 3-0) by a game in the Big 12 South. It would need the Horns to lose two conference games to have a chance to win the South and claim the Big 12 title. However, that would destroy any chance of a rematch.
It's also obvious that the Sooners are going to be in good shape if they win out. OU is only .0347 of a point behind No. 3 Penn State in the BCS with a stronger schedule down the stretch.
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| Colt McCoy's Longhorns flogged the Sooners 45-35 on Oct. 11. (US Presswire) |
If history means anything Oklahoma has an added advantage. The Big 12 is the only conference in the BCS era to have two of its teams play for national championships without winning the conference (Nebraska 2001, Oklahoma 2003).
The SEC and Big 12 have clearly established themselves as the top two conferences this season, sometimes swapping the No. 1 spot in the minds of fans on a week-to-week basis. The gap between the Big Two and the Little Nine is so wide that some have light-heartedly suggested a 12-game Big 12-SEC football challenge.
Adding to the intrigue is the lone head-to-head battle between the conferences this season. Texas defeated Arkansas 52-10 on Sept. 27.
SEC loyalists believe it is their champion's birthright to play for the national championship. Its last two champions (Florida, LSU) have won the BCS title game. The conference has three teams in the top 10 of the first BCS (compared to four for the Big 12). This week undefeated Alabama became the first SEC team to debut in the top two of the first BCS.
'Bama's toughest hurdle toward an undefeated season is a Nov. 8 game at LSU. No. 7 Georgia (6-1), No. 10 Florida (5-1) and No. 13 LSU (5-1) have more difficult paths.
Oklahoma's schedule is backloaded. It faces top 10 teams Texas Tech and Oklahoma State to finish the regular season.
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| Texas A&M vs. Mississippi State |
| Iowa State vs. Tennessee |
| Baylor vs. Mississippi |
| Nebraska vs. Arkansas |
| Kansas State vs. Kentucky |
| Colorado vs. Auburn |
| No. 16 Missouri vs. Vanderbilt |
| No. 19 Kansas vs. South Carolina |
| No. 11 LSU vs. No. 4 Oklahoma |
| No. 8 Texas Tech vs. No. 2 Alabama |
| No. 5 Florida vs. No. 1 Texas |
| No. 7 Oklahoma State vs. No. 9 Georgia |
"I have a feeling if you have 12-1 SEC champ, (for example) I can see Florida jumping all the way to No. 2," Palm said. "You've got a team (Oklahoma) that didn't even play for its championship. In essence that's the same discussion they had with Ohio State and Michigan a few years ago."
In 2006, No. 1 Ohio State won a classic over No. 2 Michigan 42-39. The teams had spent the first five weeks of the BCS standings 1-2. The order remained unchanged the next day in the BCS standings prompting talk of a rematch.
Michigan wasn't able to hold onto the No. 2 spot essentially because its regular season had ended. Florida eventually moved up to No. 2 because it was able to play (and win) its extra game in the SEC championship match.
The difference in 2008 is time. There's more of it. The Ohio State-Michigan rematch discussion lasted a week. USC jumped the Wolverines seven days later. If you love BCS drama -- and who doesn't -- watch the message boards start to blow up if Oklahoma gets a second chance at Texas.
We've got seven weeks left for polls to shift and the invective to grow.
"The guys are smart enough to know we've got a lot of games left," OU coach Bob Stoops said. "You've got all kinds of examples the last several years. You just have to keep playing."
In what might have been the biggest BCS controversy to that point, Nebraska made it to the 2002 Rose Bowl (where it lost to Miami) without playing in the Big 12 title game. Colorado destroyed the Huskers that season 62-36, creating a Big 12 North tie that Colorado won because of the head-to-head victory.
The Buffs went on to beat Texas in the Big 12 championship game before losing to Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl 38-16. Nebraska was barely competitive against the 'Canes in Pasadena, losing 37-14. In fact, many think that game kicked off a long, slow decline of the Nebraska program.
Stoops had perhaps his finest team in 2003. The undefeated Sooners were upset in that year's Big 12 title game by Kansas State. However, it was such a solid No. 1 that it remained in the top spot despite the loss.
Oklahoma went on to lose the BCS title game to LSU 21-14.
There's a rematch both conferences would like to see.
