BCS Rankings 2011: Why Oklahoma Deserves to Be Ranked Ahead of Alabama

The season’s first BCS rankings arrive tomorrow night, and the battle for the top spot will be intense. Of the cluster of unbeaten teams at the top of the polls, two favorites for the BCS top spot are the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Oklahoma Sooners.

Although the recent dominance of the SEC would appear to favor the Tide’s chances to outrank the Sooners, there’s also a case to be made for Oklahoma earning the higher spot in tomorrow’s rankings. As brilliantly as ‘Bama has played, OU should—at least for now—find itself in the No. 1 spot.

The computer rankings are a tossup here, with some computer systems preferring the Sooners and others the Tide. Similarly, both teams have been equally dominant, with an average margin of victory of 30 points.

Both have played impressive early schedules, but Oklahoma has faced decidedly the most difficult game for either squad so far: the road matchup with No. 5 Florida State. The Seminoles’ subsequent collapse—stemming largely from E.J. Manuel’s injury against OU—has made the win look less impressive, but the version of FSU that started the Sooners game was at full strength.

The Sooners’ other win against a ranked foe—last week’s demolition of then-No. 11 Texas—can easily be criticized for Texas having been overrated, but Tide fans should beware of calling the kettle black. After all, Penn State (No. 23 when they faced ‘Bama) and Florida (No. 12 at the time) have been similarly exposed as undeserving of their high rankings.

Then, too, Oklahoma faced Texas in what was effectively a neutral-site game at the Cotton Bowl, whereas Alabama’s toughest opponent of the season (then-No.14 Arkansas) had to come to Tuscaloosa.

Lastly, Alabama’s edge in the polls at this point is actually rather surprising. Oklahoma started the season ranked No. 1 in both polls, and hasn’t lost a game, so it’s hard to see exactly how Alabama managed to overtake them in the rankings.

Obviously, both teams have some huge games coming up on their schedules that could radically alter this calcuation. With both likely to roll this weekend, though, the Sooners should come out on top in Sunday’s rankings.