BCS Standings 2011: Why Oklahoma State Is Favorite to Play for National Title

The Oklahoma Sooners might have been the preseason No. 1 team in the country, but it is their in-state rivals in Stillwater that hold the advantage of earning a Big 12 title and playing for the BCS National Championship.

It is an odd notion, I know, but the Pokes have put themselves in such a great situation and they control their own destiny.

It is guaranteed that LSU or Alabama is going to lose (they play November 5). It is guaranteed that Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and/or Kansas State is going to lose (they all still must play each other). 

It is guaranteed that Clemson or Georgia Tech is going to lose (they play October 29). And it is guaranteed that Michigan, Illinois and/or Wisconsin is going to lose. Illinois plays both teams, but Michigan and Wisconsin wouldn't meet until the Big Ten title game (either way only one goes undefeated at best).

The same cannot be said of Boise State and Stanford, but when push comes to shove, an undefeated Big 12 and/or SEC team wins out over all other conferences.

This much is fact. Their schedules are so much more difficult than the rest of the country that it would be a crime to see any other unbeaten school in mix over one of them. As good as Boise State, Stanford, an unbeaten Big Ten or unbeaten ACC team might be, they don't deserve a shot over an unbeaten SEC or Big 12 school.

So, looking at the Big 12 and the Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State vs. Kansas State quandry, it is the Pokes who have the leg up. They've already traveled to Kyle Field and beaten the Texas A&M Aggies, and their remaining road games are against Texas, Missouri, Texas Tech and Iowa State. That means Baylor, Kansas State and Oklahoma (the three remaining ranked teams on the schedule) all have to visit Stillwater this season.

What more could a BCS title contender hope for?

Should the Pokes go unbeaten until the final showdown with the Sooners, it will technically be a Big 12 Championship Game at Boone Pickens Stadium.

Oklahoma obviously doesn't have that luxury. Kansas State doesn't have that luxury. The winner of LSU and Alabama will still have to play an SEC Championship Game, and the same goes for a potential Big Ten and ACC unbeaten.

But none except for the SEC warrants a national championship over a Big 12 team even without a Big 12 Championship Game.

Everybody might be riding on the possibility of Oklahoma vs. LSU/Alabama, but it is the Pokes who have the best shot riding into the BCS Championship this year.

As long as they keep winning, they'll have beaten at least five ranked opponents and more than deserve a shot at the national championship.