OUInsider - Owen Field

We have a stronger SOS

Assuming LSU wins out, voters are not likely to want a rematch of the season opening game at JerryWorld that LSU won. Rematches seem to be out of vogue according to most of the talking heads. The one exception is the SEC sympathizers that get all weak-in-the-knees thinking of an all SEC matchup for all the marbles.

This just in, there is a contingent of folks who believe that no one outside the almighty SEC should even play for the title.

We need to blow out OSU.

2 additional "pros" for the good guys:

1) We are the preseason #1. Like it or not, historically it's made a difference.
2) Computers love us far more than Oregon. Especially if FSU, and KSU continue to win out. Tulsa winning their conference would be a good thing too.

Those in the know recognize the Tech game as a fluke.

1) Let's not take anything away from Tech. They played a near flawless game, especially in the first half. I have heard national announcers talk about how the Tech QB had an unbelievable game. Even the OU postgame announcers were comparing the Tech QB with the best QB's in the country.

2) The weather was atrocious. You cannot imagine what kind of storm that was unless you were there. You may counter by saying that the teams were in shelter and didn't realize the magnitude of the storm, and that both teams had the same delay, so the delay affected both teams equally. The storm did not have an equal effect on both teams because OU had more to lose and felt pressured more by the ominous weather.

3) OU had three defensive players out, and two of them were key defenders. Tech picked on a freshman DB all night (and it took almost forever for the OU coaches to make a change). The offensive team was also without a couple of key players, and were obviously distracted by at least one confrontation between a player and a coach during the week.

4) OU players (and maybe coaches) came into the game thinking they were indestructible against an average team in Norman, whom they had defeated with ease in the past. OU was not prepared.

5) OU lost by three points and missed two field goals which would have won the game.

Are these excuses? Yes, they probably are. However, the fact remains that OU is by far the better team and would normally win at least 8 of 10 games against Tech in Norman.

The point of this dissertation is not that OU should have won the game. Frankly, TT deserved to win. OU was unprepared and distracted, and as a result did not execute. The point is that voters must make comparisons among one-loss teams, and the above information could be factored in as choices are made by the voters.