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 Friday, December 13, 2002
The time is now for Oklahoma
By Brent Musburger
Special to BCSfootball.com
Each Tuesday throughout the season, ABC's Brent Musburger provides his five things to watch for the coming weekend.
There is absolutely, positively one thing certain about the BCS and the National Championship Game: If the Oklahoma Sooners win out, they will advance to the FedEx Orange Bowl. Remember now, they are the only unbeaten team and that's the most important statistic in the bid to earn one of the top two spots in the BCS standings. They also have a clear-cut lead in the polls and the computer rankings.
|  | | J.T. Thatcher has been a pivotal part of Oklahoma's defense this season. |
To win out, the Sooners will need a four-game winning streak, starting this Saturday in College Station, when they meet No. 24 Texas A&M (ABC, 1 p.m. ET). They then return to Norman, Okla. where they will host Texas Tech before traveling to Stillwater for a Nov. 25 game against Oklahoma State. Their final game will be the night of Dec. 2 in Kansas City against the Big XII North winner, either Nebraska or Kansas State.
And if the Sooners win out and wind up in the Championship Game, who would they play? Folks, this one's wide open, but just like the presidential race this week, it features the state of Florida. In all likelihood, OU would meet the highest ranking school from the Sunshine State.
The biggest game left in the state of Florida will take place a week from Saturday night in Tallahassee when the Florida Gators play the Florida State Seminoles. Miami's best shot to jump ahead of Florida State would be for the Gators to upset the 'Noles that night. But even then it's not certain for the 'Canes, because of the strength-of-schedule factor.
The last two years, there has been a decisive No. 1 and No. 2 team. There is a lot of controversy right now, but there won't be any by the time this thing is over. This year it will be decided on the field.
One final thing about the BCS rankings: You can argue about who should be No. 2 or No. 3 right now, but I have never seen anything bring as much publicity to the game of college football in November as the BCS rankings. It is so far superior to the old bowl bid system that it isn't even close. For those of you who still want a playoff, there's no changing your minds, so I won't even try.
Let's take a look at five scenarios to watch this weekend.
1. Oklahoma at Texas A&M
The biggest game of the weekend. Gary Danielson, Jack Arute and I will be there. This could be a trap for the Sooners. The Wrecking Crew and their loud 12th Man fans are one of the toughest teams in the college game to deal with at home.
In the 12 seasons that R.C. Slocum has been head coach, the Aggies have compiled an outstanding 64-6-1 record at Kyle Field, and have posted eight undefeated home records during that span. Whether or not Slocum and the Aggies have enough firepower to trade points with the Sooners remains the biggest question of the game. But a few weeks ago, when A&M decided to feature powerful running back Ja'Mar Toombs, they became a tougher team to defend.
Their quarterback, Mark Farris, is a lot like Florida State's Chris Weinke. He is a former minor league baseball player in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, married, has a 4-year-old daughter, and is 25 years of age. In other words, A&M will have a lot of maturity at the quarterback position.
As for the Sooners, I consider Josh Heupel to be the leader in the race for the Heisman Trophy. Right behind him, I list Drew Brees of Purdue, and then Weinke.
2. Nebraska at Kansas State
This is an elimination game for the Northern Division title in the Big XII. I honestly find both of these teams a little disappointing this season, which is tough to say about Nebraska, because the Huskers have only lost once. But to me, it was a convincing loss. After going up two touchdowns on Oklahoma, they surrendered 31 unanswered points. That's not the Nebraska I remember from the last few years.
But then, Kansas State was disappointing at home against Oklahoma, so maybe we should give the Sooners full credit and not downgrade the Cornhuskers or the Wildcats.
So, K-State has a chance on its home field to pull out the win. At stake: a rematch with Oklahoma for the Big XII championship.
3. Purdue at Michigan State
The road is clear for the Boilermakers. If they beat Michigan State at East Lansing and Indiana at home, they go to Pasadena, and Brees will be going to California by way of the Downtown Athletic Club, to see if he indeed does win the Heisman.
Look for Purdue to be tremendously focused Saturday after its week off. Michigan State has a fine defense, but the Spartans have shown nothing to convince anybody that they can trade touchdowns with Joe Tiller's team.
Tiller is responsible for changing the offensive approach in the Big Ten. He's a fellow who played at Montana State, learned the passing game under Dennis Erickson, who is now at Oregon State, was extremely successful at Wyoming, and then brought his act into West Lafayette. A lot of Big Ten folks said the wide-open game would not work in the Midwest, but Tiller has proven them completely wrong. I don't expect the Boilermakers to let down this Saturday.
|  | | Pitt head coach Walt Harris can play spoiler to No. 2 Miami. |
4. The state of Florida
Game 1: South Carolina at Florida
South Carolina visits Gainesville, but the Gamecocks and the Gators will settle the SEC East. If Randy Walker of Northwestern or Dennis Erickson don't win coach of the year, then it has to go to Lou Holtz at South Carolina. But this is where the Gamecocks' magical trip through the SEC comes to an end. There are no miracle wins for road teams in Gainesville. The Swamp devours opponents, and it looks like Steve Spurrier has a future Heisman candidate in Rex Grossman. The young QB throws the fade pass with the very best in college football. Look for the Gators to roll.
Game 2: Pittsburgh at Miami
Interesting game. I have a great deal of respect for Pitt coach Walt Harris. He will have a superb game plan ready for the Hurricanes, I'm just not sure he has enough athletic ability.
Butch Davis has rebuilt the Miami program and the Hurricanes are a strong candidate to play for a national championship. Look for Davis to seriously consider moving back to the National Football League next year. His name is at the top of almost every list of college coaches who may someday move to the NFL. Don't forget, Butch was an assistant under Jimmy Johnson at Dallas.
Game 3: Florida State at Wake Forest
Folks, there's no chance for an upset in this one. 'Noles roll.
5. The Pac-10
The Pac-10 is wide open. Any of three teams can make it to the Rose Bowl. As the only unbeaten team, Oregon is in the driver's seat, and should avoid overtime for the first time in three weeks, when the Ducks host California. Oregon is favored by a couple of touchdowns.
In Seattle, Washington is favored by seven over UCLA. The Huskies are traditionally very tough at home during November, especially when it rains. But remember two years ago, Cade McNown drove the Bruins to a 36-24 victory and proceeded to the Rose Bowl. Don't count out Bob Toledo's feisty team.
Oregon State has the toughest assignment of any of the contenders. The Beavers are underdogs in Tucson against the Arizona Wildcats, and they'd better watch out -- Dennis Erickson will need all his magic to pull this one out. Arizona has lost three games in a row by a combined total of 10 points.
Have a great weekend. And remember, if you didn't vote, you can't bitch.
Brent Musburger a regular contributor to BCSfootball.com.
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