Say goodbye to 1 vs. 2.
Oh, Missouri and Texas are still playing next week, just not as the top two teams in the land. That's because Missouri was among three of the top four teams in the AP top 25 (the top three in the coaches poll). No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 3 Missouri and No. 4 LSU saw their undefeated seasons end. No. 2 Alabama might have been sitting prettiest of all with a bye.
Maybe.
The way the dominoes were falling late Saturday, it was shaping up to be Missouri-Texas next week in a 1 vs. 2 matchup. The question would have been, which was No. 1 and which was No. 2? No. 5 Texas laid claim to the top spot with an impressive 45-35 upset of Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl. Missouri was making its own case to be No. 1 driving late in the fourth quarter against a stubborn Oklahoma State.
Then Chase Daniel threw his third interception. Game, and perhaps season, over. Certainly Daniel had his Heisman hopes damaged. The Tigers now head to Austin after only their second regular-season loss since 2006.
The larger question is which team is No. 1? The pollsters have their toughest choice of the season.
• No. 2 Alabama makes sense because it didn't lose. Of course it didn't play either, which is the only way to avoid the upset bug.• Texas can make the strongest case of all beating a No. 1 in the regular season for the first time since 1963. If the Horns do get to the top it will be the first time in the regular season since 1984.
• The more No. 6 Penn State played, the more it looked like it deserved to get a piece after beating Wisconsin 48-7.
Whatever happens, it's likely we'll have our fourth different No. 1 team this season. That's as many as we had all of last season.
Here's an educated guess of how the top five in AP poll will look on Sunday:
1. Texas -- Made the biggest statement of all. A No. 1 ranking would its first since winning the 2005 national championship.
2. Alabama -- You can't win if you don't play, unless it's college football. Ole Miss next week.
3. Penn State -- Is the rest of the Big Ten that mediocre? Doesn't matter. Press Box Joe's team is for real.
4. Florida -- Hung 51 on No. 4 LSU. The No. 11 Gators deserve to make the biggest jump of the weekend.
5. Oklahoma -- A 10-point loss on a neutral field to a rival doesn't damn the Sooners' chances. In fact, if they win out, OU would still play in the BCS title game.
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