From www.collegefootballnews.com 2. The chink in the armOUr? … Has the Big XII been tested? College football theoretical discussion tine. No one’s saying that Oklahoma isn’t the best team in the country and no one’s suggesting that it wouldn’t get through the SEC or Big Ten unbeaten, but has anyone considered the possibility that the Sooners haven’t really been tested yet and that the Big XII isn’t all that great? Huh? Wasn’t the OU strength-of-schedule ranked the seventh toughest in the nation last week? First, consider OU’s non-conference schedule: North Texas, at Alabama, Fresno State and UCLA. Alabama is going to finish near the bottom of the SEC this year, yet gave the Sooners their toughest test of the season. Therefore, isn’t it safe to assume that Oklahoma would at least be pushed (not lose to, pushed) by an SEC schedule facing teams like Georgia, LSU, Florida, Ole Miss and Tennessee? As far as the OU’s Big XII slate, Iowa State, Baylor and Texas A&M stink, Colorado has been merely average, and Missouri, while decent, hasn’t set the world on fire. That leaves Texas and Oklahoma State. Arkansas, a middle-of-the-pack SEC team, proved that the Longhorns weren’t invincible, while Oklahoma State’s big wins are over Kansas State and Nebraska teams that haven’t beaten anyone of note. In fact, where are the really big Big XII wins over non-Big XII teams? Colorado’s wins over Colorado State and UCLA are nice, but not that impressive. Kansas State beat California, but lost to Marshall. Nebraska beat Southern Miss. Penn State doesn’t count as a big win this year. That leaves Texas A&M’s win over Utah and Texas Tech’s upset over an Ole Miss team that’s far better now as the only great wins outside of Oklahoma’s win at Alabama. That’s not to say that the Big XII isn’t a good conference. Don’t forget that the league did a solid job in last year’s bowl season, but the Big XII hasn’t been tested by anyone outside of its own world. Maybe, just maybe, an LSU or Ohio State will be a bit more battle ready when it’s time to face the Sooners, and could provide a little more of a challenge than many think.
This is why the BCS strength of schedule is junk. It just looks at cut and dried records instead of seeing who played who and how each team was playing at the time of the matchup.
