ESPN College Football

Originally Published: November 30, 2008

Longhorns likely need voter help to surpass Sooners in BCS

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By Mark Schlabach
ESPN.com
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Which was more impressive?

A 40-point victory against your rival at home on Thanksgiving night? Or a 20-point win on the road against your rival, which happens to be ranked No. 12 in the country?

As the Big 12 regular season ended Saturday night in Stillwater, Okla., the road to the conference championship game in Kansas City, Mo., remained as muddy as the Red River.

No. 3 Oklahoma blasted No. 12 Oklahoma State 61-41 and scored 60 points or more for the fourth consecutive game. The Sooners' impressive victory came two nights after No. 2 Texas blasted unranked Texas A&M 49-9 in Austin.

Baylor seemed ready to end the Big 12 South drama when it took a 28-14 lead over Texas Tech early in the second half at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. But the Red Raiders scored the last 21 points in their 35-28 victory and preserved a three-way tie atop the Big 12 South standings.

Given the three-way tie, Sunday's BCS standings will determine which Big 12 South team will play Missouri in the Big 12 championship game. The Longhorns came into the week with a minuscule .0084-point advantage over the Sooners in the BCS standings. Oklahoma is expected to surpass Texas in the computer polls, which make up one-third of the BCS formula, because its strength of schedule will improve after the game against Oklahoma State.

"I think we have a really good chance," Stoops said. "We played the No. 2 team in the country and won by 44. We played the No. 12 team here tonight where nobody had beat them. Usually it's what you are doing at the end of the year. And we finished up pretty strong."

So did Texas, and the Longhorns have the only objective result in their favor: a 45-35 victory over Oklahoma on a neutral field in the Cotton Bowl on Oct. 11. (Texas Tech beat Texas 39-33 in Lubbock, but the Red Raiders had no margin for error because they played two FCS opponents and lost by 43 to Oklahoma.)

The only way Texas will remain ahead of Oklahoma is if voters in the Harris Interactive Poll and coaches' Top 25 poll change the way they voted last week. The Sooners were No. 2 in the coaches' poll -- behind No. 1 Alabama. Oklahoma was No. 3 in the Harris poll -- behind No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Florida.

Apparently, voters in both polls were more impressed with the way Oklahoma finished the season. The Sooners have scored 45 points or more in each of their past six victories.

Which was more impressive Saturday night? How Oklahoma's offense seemingly scored at will? Or how the Cowboys matched them touchdown-for-touchdown through the game's first three quarters?

Given the importance of this week's vote, which will decide which Big 12 South team will play for the conference title and perhaps ultimately earn a spot in the Jan. 8 BCS Championship Game, how many voters will reconsider the league's pecking order with so much at stake?

How many voters will look back at the full season's results? How many will remember that Texas beat Oklahoma?

How many voters won't want to see Oklahoma falter in another BCS game?

The Longhorns can only hope voters changed their minds Sunday morning.

Mark Schlabach covers college football and men's college basketball for ESPN.com. You can contact him at schlabachma@yahoo.com.