BCS Projections: Texas Thrashing Not Enough for Oklahoma to Leapfrog SEC Powers

Oklahoma didn't just beat up Texas in the 2011 chapter of the Red River Rivalry. The Sooners dismantled their out-of-state rivals with a combination of dominant defense and precision offense.

Even when it looked like Texas might have a chance of crawling back into the game after a 100-yard kickoff return by Fozzy Whittaker with 2:31 seconds to play in the first half, Landry Jones engineered an easy touchdown drive to keep the lead at 24 points going into halftime.

It continued to go downhill from there for the Longhorns.

The Sooners scored a total of three defensive touchdowns, forced five turnovers and sacked the Texas quarterback duo eight times.

They looked unbeatable throughout the game and made plays at will.

While Oklahoma's dominant performance was largely due to their experience and overall talent level, the Longhorns put up little resistance. In fact, this game should never have been considered this close from the get-go.

The previously unbeaten Longhorns were never truly tested coming into this game. They crept away with a Week 2 win against BYU and wins on the road against UCLA and Iowa State are hardly enough to consider them a true top-15 team.

The Longhorns, for what it is worth, are still a year away from being a legitimate force in the BCS bowl picture.

And because of this, we have to take the Sooners win with a grain of salt and realize that Alabama and LSU manhandled their opponents as well.

The Tigers continue to pummel any and all opponents on their schedule. They've played four ranked teams so far this season, give up less than 13 points per game defensively and play phenomenal team football.

The Crimson Tide are doing much of the same. They've beaten three ranked opponents, give up less than nine points per game and basically strangle the life out of their opponents.

As good as the Sooners have looked throughout this season, these two teams have been better.

Fortunately for everyone involved, this situation at the top of the rankings will sort itself out. Alabama and LSU will play each other on November 5th and the Sooners play currently unbeaten Oklahoma State in the season finale.

Both games are likely to be conference-championship-deciding games. The SEC rivals both happen to play in the SEC West and should they remain unbeaten until they play each other and beyond, they've proven the SEC East is not on the same field as them.

And the Big 12, without a conference championship game this year, has several teams fighting below Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

Until these games, the SEC powers should remain ahead of the Big 12 powers. Oklahoma looks great, but LSU and Alabama look even better.