BCS Rankings Week 13: Oklahoma Loss Gives Oklahoma State Hope

The Oklahoma State Cowboys need to send in-state and Big 12 rival Oklahoma a thank you card for losing a winnable game against Baylor, as they essentially gave the Cowboys season a renewed hope.

It looked like the Cowboys had all but thrown their season, and more importantly their national title hopes, away when they lost to an unranked and far inferior Iowa State team on Friday night.

This was the very same Oklahoma State team that had dazzled the nation and stunned their opponents on their way to a 10-0 record and the No. 2 rankings in the nation.

Somehow they managed to allow the biggest upset of the season, though, as they watched the Cyclones of Iowa State put up 568 yards, 192 on the ground and beat them 31-37 in double overtime.

There is absolutely no way that the No. 2 team in the nation should lose that game, and the Cowboys should take a huge step back in the next BCS rankings when they come out later today.

Somehow the Oklahoma Sooners didn't realize that their national title and Big 12 hopes were back on the table with OSU's loss, though.

The Sooners, who's one loss came at the hands of Texas Tech, have battled up and down the rankings all season after starting the preseason ranked No. 1.

With one loss, their No. 5 ranking seemed almost too good to be true, and they had a shot at redeeming that with a win over Oklahoma State at the end of the year.

They could have straight up won the Big 12 by beating Oklahoma State and giving them one more loss on the schedule, but they threw that away.

They went into Baylor and allowed the No. 22 Bears to put up 45 on them, including a brilliant 21-of-34, 479 yards and four touchdown performance from quarterback Robert Griffin III.

Not only did they drop the ball on their season, but they essentially allowed Oklahoma State to get off the hook for their egregious upset loss, at least as far as the Big 12 is concerned.

The Sooners had a chance to make a statement that they weren't ready to give up on their season.

Instead, they allowed Oklahoma State to not give up on theirs.