Texas vs. Oklahoma: Sooners Will Prove BCS-Worth with Win over Rivals

Despite starting the season at No. 1, going 4-0 and winning a road game against a tough opponent in Florida State, Oklahoma comes into the Red River Rivalry Game ranked No. 3.

Now, that's not that big of a deal. If the Sooners win the rest of their games, they will play in the National Championship Game. We don't know what the BCS polls will look like when they come out, but the two AP teams ahead of Oklahoma are LSU and Alabama.

Since those teams play each other, one of those teams is going to drop at least one game. If Oklahoma and the team that wins that game go undefeated, then the Sooners will be, at worst, No. 2 at season's end. When it comes to playing in the National Championship Game, No. 2 is as good as No. 1.

But why has an undefeated team dropped two spots in the polls?

Because they have won the last five national championships, there is a perception that the SEC is the best conference in the country.

Honestly, when you consider that fact, and the amount of Top 25 teams that they have annually, I really can't argue with that notion.

That perception, a relatively weak schedule (except for Florida State) and big wins from both LSU and Alabama, explain why Oklahoma fell behind two SEC teams in the AP poll without dropping a single game.

Now, even though they don't necessarily need to do anything other than win, Oklahoma will remove all doubt about their value when they play Texas. 

It's not that Texas is bad, but they are extremely unproven. Iowa State is really the only quality opponent that they have beaten. Actually, because of their own weak schedule, we don't even know how quality the win over the Cyclones was.

The Sooners play good defense and are explosive on offense.

I fully expect Landry Jones and Ryan Broyles to connect early and often against the Longhorns. The Texas offense is just not experienced enough to score with that duo, let alone Dominique Whaley and the rest of the Sooners attack.

No, I am not expecting a Sooners blowout. Texas is certainly a good enough team to keep this game competitive.

But Oklahoma is just too strong. They have too many weapons, which will allow them to keep the Longhorns at arm's reach.