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Gameday: Instant analysis
Published: 12/4/2011 4:10 AM
Last Modified: 12/4/2011 4:10 AM

It was a fun trip to Stillwater on Saturday night.

I was glad to see my first Bedlam in person, and I can imagine it was a very satisfying night for Oklahoma State fans.

There isn't too much better than a rivalry game... except winning a rivalry game.

So fresh from Boone Pickens Stadium, here's a final regular season version of my Instant Analysis.

1. If you didn't know anything about Bedlam and watched Saturday's game, you would never guess Oklahoma dominates the rivalry.
Oklahoma State was the better team Saturday, but even more than that, the Cowboys looked like the superior program. Some of the mistakes Oklahoma made were unfathomable for a national power in a conference championship game. The implosion of Landry Jones wasn't pretty. Although Bob Stoops talked a good game this week about the Big 12 championship being meaningful to the Sooners, his team wasn't buying it.

2. Is the nation buying what OSU is selling? Maybe.
The Cowboys made a compelling case for a spot in the BCS national title game. The OSU sports information staff emailed out a BCS tip sheet to media across the nation less than an hour after the game, touting the Cowboys accomplishments compared to Alabama and Stanford.

The document is impressive. And Oklahoma State has a good case. The Cowboys have beaten five teams in the current BCS top 25 and seven teams with winning records. Alabama has two BCS top 25 wins and three wins over teams with winning records.

Not counting LSU, the best non-conference wins by SEC schools come against Penn State, Georgia Tech, Clemson and Cincinnati. But the league has losses to Boise State, Florida State, Louisville, Clemson, Brigham Young and Louisiana Tech. It's hardly the resume that should allow you to dismiss challengers to LSU and Alabama out of hand.

In the current system, where "every game is supposed to count," an LSU-Alabama rematch seems silly. Why did they play the first time, then?

Of course, a playoff would solve these problems. But in the absence of one, you get the current beauty contest. And given the SEC's recent dominance, Alabama's stature as college football elite and OSU's newcomer status, the Cowboys are in a tough fight.

A lot of Coaches' poll and Harris voters will have to be swayed. My gut tells me OSU finishes third by hundredths of a percentage point. But I could be wrong.

3. Don't complain if OSU doesn't play for a national title.
I know OSU fans will be tempted to claim they were robbed if the Cowboys finish third behind Alabama in the final BCS standings.

Please don't.

Everyone knows the rules. The top two teams play for a national title, a premium is placed on going undefeated and a beauty pageant ensues if you aren't.

OSU controlled its own destiny, but gave that control away by losing to Iowa State.

Sometimes, when you put your fate into others' hands, bad things happen. OSU has a good case. But losing out to Alabama isn't robbery. It's the system.

4. Bowl season should be interesting for OU.
The Sooners have plenty of motivation during the bowl season. OU desperately needs to rebound from Saturday's horrible performance, and it needs to find out who it can count on in 2012.

OU's team on the field Saturday looked devoid of offensive playmakers. Will next year's stars emerge or will the 2011 hangover linger into next season?

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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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