"I don't think Coach Stoops is much of a believer in co-champion rings"
Published: 11/30/2012 8:24 AM
Last Modified: 11/30/2012 8:24 AM
Interesting tweet from Oklahoma kicker Michael Hunnicutt Thursday night: "I feel like no one knows we are playing for the conference championship Saturday."
The Sooners win at TCU, they capture a share of the Big 12 title, regardless of what happens in the Kansas State-Texas game later that night.
But if K-State does what's expected and beats the Longhorns… Maybe that's why it's hard to accept that OU's game has championship implications.
The Wildcats and Sooners will have both finished 8-1 in the conference, but K-State won the head-to-head meeting in Norman. K-State will be going to the Fiesta Bowl as the Big 12's automatic BCS rep.
"I don't think Coach Stoops is much of a believer in co-champion rings," OU center and captain Gabe Ikard said. "I don't know if we'll put a banner up. It would have been nice to win it outright instead."
That's why Stoops didn't make a big deal about any co-championship when he was asked about the stakes of the TCU game.
"It's whatever the conference rules are," he said flatly. "That's what you go by."
From the Big 12: "The following procedure will determine the Big 12 Conference representative to the Bowl Championship Series in the event of a first-place tie: If two teams are tied, the winner of the game between the two teams shall be the representative."
Not "shall be the sole champion." The conference will recognize both OU and K-State should they win Saturday.
That's good enough for some Sooners.
"I feel as a team we've worked hard enough to recognize ourselves as co-champions," wide receiver Kenny Stills said. "Knowing we lost to K-State, we know we're not the outright champions. But I would say with all the work we've put in, and as close as the last few games have been, as much character as we've shown, I'd like to recognize us as co-champions."
Ikard pointed out it's a matter of "body of work."
"When it comes down it, we'd have the same record as them," he said. "They lost to someone that we beat in Baylor. There's a little gray area there."
Ikard also recognized: "If we'd taken care of business way back in game three, we wouldn't be worrying about it. That's the way it is."
Asked if he'd accept his team as Big 12 champs given a first-place tie with K-State, fullback Trey Millard said: "I think it would be hard to do. We'll have the same record in the Big 12, so I think we've accomplished a lot this year. We know that. But we definitely want to be outright champions."
Written by
Guerin Emig
Sports Writer
