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Gameday: Instant analysis
Published: 11/13/2011 12:12 AM
Last Modified: 11/13/2011 12:14 AM

It's truly been a strange season. Once you think you've seen everything, something happens the next week you've never experienced.

For the first time in my lifetime, Penn State played a game without Joe Paterno as its coach. And the Paterno era ended in shame and scandal, with charges so serious and unexpected you would have never believed them without the grand jury report appearing on your computer screen.

So with that in mind, I offer a look at what we learned Saturday -- from both a serious and football perspective.

1. There were no winners Saturday in State College.
The games continued, as they always do, but there were no winners in Penn State's home finale. You have a string of abuse victims, and no amount of money raised or pre-game prayers said will change that. I do have sympathy for the Penn State players, coaches and fans, who are desperate to separate Paterno the icon from Paterno the enabler. But Saturday's outpouring of support for the former coach was tough to watch, further proof the program must rebuild from the ground up. Hopefully those abused receive comfort and justice, and everyone who has watched this scandal from afar can learn from these tragic mistakes.

2. Oklahoma State made its best case yet.
Going into hostile territory against a wounded opponent, Oklahoma State did what good teams do -- it broke Texas Tech's spirit early and cruised to an easy win. Without following Tech's program closely I can't really speak to its problems. But the lack of effort after the first quarter was appalling. Whether it's injuries or attitude, the Red Raiders have serious problems. The Cowboys were happy to take out the trash, and baring an upset Friday at Iowa State, they'll play Bedlam for a shot at the national title.

3. Oklahoma's loss to Texas Tech looks worse every week...but the Sooners' BCS position seems to improve every week.
After its stunning upset of Oklahoma, Texas Tech has lost its next three games by an average of 42 points. The Sooners loss to the Red Raiders will remain one of the great mysteries of the college football season. But what's even more surprising -- OU seems to be climbing back into the national championship race. OU should leap at least one spot this week to fifth, climbing past Stanford and Boise State while perhaps falling behind Oregon. Even without any more upsets, wins against Baylor, Iowa State and in Bedlam will likely make OU a coin flip with Alabama and Oregon for the final spot in the BCS title game.

4. If you aren't in the stands at Chapman Stadium on Nov. 25, shame on you.
Tulsa has done its part, setting up a Conference USA West Division showdown with Houston on the Friday after Thanksgiving. The Golden Hurricane still must travel to Texas-El Paso (a place where its lost its last three games), and although the outcome doesn't matter in the C-USA race, a win is necessary to build momentum for Houston. Tulsa has done a marvelous job climbing out of a 1-3 hole. Now the Golden Hurricane is assured a home game with a berth in the C-USA title game on the line against a potential top 10 BCS team with a Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback. If you don't show up for that, you should be ashamed.

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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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