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Gameday: Instant analysis
Published: 9/25/2011 1:20 AM
Last Modified: 9/25/2011 1:20 AM

It was another big night of college football in Oklahoma (although not nearly as crazy as last week).

Here are four things we learned tonight while checking out Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Tulsa.

1. OSU is a legitimate national title contender
Wait a second and digest that. Are the Cowboys one of the two best teams in the country at this moment? Probably not. But OSU is undefeated, has beaten a top 15 team on the road and likely will be favored in every game it plays from now until Bedlam. The key is to stay focused and make the Oklahoma game mean something.

2. Mike Gundy is starting to grow on me
From an outsiders view, Mike Gundy has always come off as a bit of a loose cannon. Although the famous rant may have won him fans locally, it made him a punchline nationally and made him hard to take seriously as a head coach. But Gundy was clear and focused during his halftime television interview Saturday despite a 17-point deficit. And OSU looked like a team that fed on that maturity in the second half. Gundy still needs to beat Bob Stoops, and this year he might get that chance with a berth in the BCS title game on the line.

3. OU isn't satisfied, and that's a good thing
The Sooners won, but it wasn't pretty. The good news: OU players realize that and aren't happy about it. From linebacker Travis Lewis after the game, "I'm disappointed in myself as a captain and leader of this defense and disappointed in the guys. We're not the No 1 team in the country right now... Shouldn't have won this game." There is an outside chance OU won't be the No. 1 team Sunday after LSU's impressive victory over West Virginia on Saturday. But OU has Ball State next week to work out the kinks before a very important Red River game with Texas the week after.

4. Bill Blankenship's tenure could turn on the next several weeks
Tulsa's month-long nightmare is over. After losses to the No. 1, No. 4 and No. 7 teams in the country, the schedule can't help but get easier. If this team has any doubts about Blankenship's leadership, you'll likely start to see it in the next several weeks. But if they believe in their new coach, a strong bounce-back in C-USA play is still on the table.

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RoyRogers (last year)

T. Lewis is correct: had this game been in Columbia....Yikes....!

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The Editor's Desk

Tulsa World Sports Editor Michael Peters has nearly 20 years of daily newspaper experience. A 1993 graduate of Texas A&M, he worked at papers in Bryan-College Station, Texas, Beaumont, Texas, and Galveston, Texas, before joining the Houston Chronicle as High School Sports Editor in 2008. While in Houston, he coordinated coverage of the 2008 Texas Class 5A state football championships and the 2011 NCAA Men's Final Four.

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