Bowl Projections: What Oklahoma State Must Do to Make National Championship Game

Things don't look pretty for Oklahoma State, not after losing to Iowa State and dropping from No. 2 to No. 4 in the BCS as a result.

But college football has a very peculiar way of making a mess of itself, as Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon can certainly attest to. That unpredictability could very well work in the Cowboys' favor as far as sneaking into the National Championship Game is concerned.

So what exactly can OK State to help its own cause at this point?

Beat the Stuffing Out of Oklahoma

First and foremost, the Pokes need to go out and beat No. 9 Oklahoma in the Bedlam Game, something they haven't done since 2002.

History, then, doesn't favor the team in bright orange, but a number of other factors surely do. For one, Mike Gundy's group will be well-rested, with a bye this Saturday granting it extra time to move past the disappointment of last Friday and prepare for the task at hand while the Sooners busy themselves with Iowa State.

Yes, that same Iowa State squad that proved to be a pest for Oklahoma State.

It's not as though Bob Stoops' boys are all that dominant this season. They've already succumbed to Texas Tech and Baylor—two teams the Pokes dispatched with relative ease—and have seen Landry Jones struggle without Ryan Broyles, his "BFF."

Throw in the fact that OK State will have the home-field advantage, with this game being played at T. Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, and a convincing win is anything but out of the question.

Chant War Eagle Like There's No Tomorrow

In the meantime, the Cowboys will have some spare time to do a bit of rooting for particular results to show up on the out-of-town scoreboard.

The most helpful outcome of all would be a loss by No. 2 Alabama to No. 24 Auburn in the Iron Bowl. The Crimson Tide would seem to be a prohibitive favorite—until you consider that the Tigers have won seven of the last nine meetings and eight of the last 11.

Not to mention the fact that Gene Chizik's club will enjoy all the comforts of home while playing at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Having a top-quality running back like Michael Dyer to go toe-to-toe with Heisman Trophy contender Trent Richardson doesn't hurt either.

Still, there's a reason 'Bama is a three-touchdown favorite going into the weekend—because Nick Saban has an amazing team in his hands.

As such, Auburn will need all the help it can get, some of which should obviously come, in some form or fashion, from Oklahoma State. With that in mind, here's a little ditty that the good folks of Stillwater would do well to learn and shout at the top of their lungs starting around 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday:

Wear Purple and Gold

And no, I don't mean Lakers colors here. I'm talking about the choice hues of No. 1 LSU. If 'Bama falls and the Bayou Bengals take care of business against No. 3 Arkansas in the Battle for the Golden Boot, then there will be only one SEC left standing in the fray for the National Title.

Yes, I'm talking about LSU, who, at that point, would be undefeated and on their way to the SEC Championship Game against No. 13 Georgia.

OK State needn't concern itself too much with rooting on these Tigers, since they'll be playing Baton Rouge and sport the sort of dominant defense that should give Tyler Wilson and company fits.

Even so, it certainly couldn't hurt the Pokes to show some solidarity with their Bayou brethren. A purple-and-gold patch on the uniforms, perhaps? Or maybe just colorful underwear, so people about town aren't outwardly offended.