BCS Rankings 2011: The Real BCS Championship Is Oklahoma vs Ok State

The initial BCS Rankings are out, and in the top four, the SEC and the Big 12 are well-represented.

LSU and Alabama occupy the top two spots respectively, but clinging onto their hopes are Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, which claim the third and fourth positions.

Just as the Tigers and the Crimson Tide will square off later this season, the Sooners and the Cowboys will have their own showdown in the Bedlam Series.

For those two programs, that is the real BCS Championship as the winner in Bedlam likely win big in the Big 12 champion and go on to represent the conference in the BCS Championship Game in the Superdome in New Orleans.

Conference Kings

There are three undefeated teams in the Big 12: Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Kansas State. The Wildcats look to be out of the picture should the Sooners or Pokes run the table. For arguments sake, as well as the ease of argument, we will hold that to be true.

Because there is no conference championship game in the Big 12, meaning no last ditch effort to impress the voters in the BCS, there is extra weight added to every game as the season winds down.

Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are in the top three in passing offense, scoring offense, total offense, turnover margin, sacks and sacks allowed. In a nutshell, both of these teams are darn good at football, at least on offense. Defensively, that is a whole other story.

On a national landscape, both programs rank in the top six in scoring, passing and total offense. There are few who do it better than the Sooners and Pokes.

When these two teams meet in Stillwater on Dec. 3, there will be more on the line than mere state pride and winning a football game. Leaving the field victorious likely will mean punching a ticket to the Superdome on Jan. 9, 2012.

Running the Table

For either team, running the table means winning itself a spot in the BCS National Championship Game. In short, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State control their own destinies. Win out and they are in. Lose once and a shot at glory is eliminated.

There is no need to worry about LSU or Alabama. One of those teams will lose on Nov. 5.

If the Sooners and Cowboys win the rest of their games leading up to their contest against one another, that first Saturday in December may be the most intriguing matchup of the entire season and represent an early Christmas for the winning team.

Both still have stiff conference tests awaiting them down the road, but looking too far ahead could prove detrimental to their season objectives. Both teams will play Kansas State and Baylor, but the Sooners will have to get past the Aggies at home.

Save the Date

Should all of the aforementioned fall into place, there will be no more exhilarating, more exciting game with more at stake than the showdown in Stillwater on Dec. 3.

The Sooners have won eight of the last 10 contests between the two, but with so much up for grabs, for these two teams, this season's Bedlam game is the real BCS Championship.