BCS Standings 2011: Does the Lack of a Big 12 Title Game Help or Hurt Oklahoma?

The Oklahoma Sooners are one of the most impressive teams in the country and with a perfect 5-0 record they are one of the favorites for the National Championship. They have a great offense and a defense that gives up just over 14 points per game.

The problem is, there is no conference championship game in the Big 12.

Every year since 1996 there was a Big 12 championship game. But since Nebraska and Colorado left, they are without. The NCAA rule is that the conference must have 12 teams to host a conference championship. Of course, the Big 12 has 10 teams.

With Oklahoma in the hunt for a National Championship this may work against them as other teams have that one extra game to improve their case. We've seen before where conference championships can be that one extra game that teams need to leapfrog another.

Let's assume Oklahoma goes undefeated, who are the teams that could jump them?

Alabama and LSU are above them in the AP Top 25 Poll right now but they end up playing each other later in the year. One of those teams will end up with at least one loss which eliminates at least one of them.

More than likely the winner of the Alabama-LSU game will take a trip to the National Championship which will leave just one spot for Oklahoma. 

You can eliminate Boise State because their conference and schedule is just full of cupcakes. It doesn't matter if they go 32-0, there is absolutely no chance they end up in the National Championship over an undefeated Oklahoma team.

Oklahoma State is a team that can sneak into the conversation if they keep winning but they play the Sooners the last week of the season. This game may determine who gets the last spot in the National Championship if both teams are undefeated when they meet.

Stanford is much like Boise State, they are in a weak conference and don't really play anybody all year expect Oregon and Notre Dame. An undefeated Oklahoma team would be hard to pass up playing in the watered down Pac-12.

Then of course you have Wisconsin, who may be in a weak Big Ten conference, but if they finish the year undefeated they may have a shot. That would be at least three victories over ranked opponents and possibly four with a win in the Big Ten title game over Michigan, Michigan State or Nebraska. It would be interesting if that's what it comes down to.

All of the other teams like Clemson and Oregon need some help to get to the National Championship and that includes a loss from Oklahoma. Then the whole point of this article would be lost.

The bottom line is the Big 12 is a very strong conference this season and the Sooners still have to play Kansas State, Texas A&M, Baylor and Oklahoma State. If they finish the season undefeated they will finish with victories over at least six ranked teams. That's impressive.

If there was a conference championship game this season, there would be a good chance that the Sooners could lose and that would all but end their chances of a National Championship.

If the Sooners run the table this season it would be extremely hard to keep them out of the National Championship.

Next year, well that's a different story.