Not even Bedlam win makes OSU automatic for Fiesta Bowl
OSU fans had to be torn Thursday night, watching the Texas A&M-Texas game. Most fans north of the Red River, regardless of wardrobe preference, are anti-Longhorn. Cheering against Texas comes naturally to them.
But OSU fans needed a Texas victory to keep their Fiesta Bowl hopes alive. Which they got, 49-39 in a wild affair at Kyle Field. Now, even if OSU wins Bedlam on Saturday, the Cowboys will have to sweat out the Big 12 championship game, needing a Texas victory over Nebraska.
A Husker victory over Texas would put Nebraska in the Fiesta and probably send Texas to the Sugar Bowl for a consolation bowl against the Alabama-Florida loser.
Here’s a look at the probably Big 12 bowl lineup, should Nebraska upset Texas and OSU win Bedlam.
Fiesta: Nebraska
Sugar: Texas
Cotton: Oklahoma State
Holiday: Missouri
Alamo: Texas Tech
Sun: Oklahoma
Insight: Iowa State
Texas: Texas A&M
Independence: out of luck
I don’t know. The Holiday might go for Tech, but the Red Raiders typically don’t travel well to the coasts. The Holiday might just grab Mizzou, which hasn’t been to San Diego since 1997. Tech hasn’t been to the Alamo Bowl since 2002. So that would seem to work better than Missouri going to San Antonio for the second straight year and Tech going to San Diego, though the Raiders haven’t been there since 2004.
This much is clear. The Cotton Bowl would be thrilled. The Cotton would get OSU — that’s exactly what the Cotton wants — and it would get a 10-2 Cowboy team ranked in the top 10. This is the ideal scenario for the Cotton Bowl.
Now, should OU win Bedlam and Nebraska win the Big 12, things change.
Fiesta: Nebraska
Sugar: Texas
Cotton: OSU
Holiday: OU
Alamo: Texas Tech
Sun: Texas A&M
Insight: Missouri
Texas: Iowa State
Isn’t that an interesting lineup? But I think it’s solid. If OU wins Bedlam and Nebraska upsets Texas, I say the Holiday pulls the trigger on the Sooners. A 7-5 Oklahoma vs. a 9-3 Southern Cal. That’s a matchup the Holiday would love. San Diego probably would love Nebraska more, but if the Huskers are in the desert, the Holiday would settle for a 7-5 Oklahoma.
Here’s an issue to remember. The Holiday next year drops from No. 3 to No. 5 in the Big 12 pecking order, behind the Alamo and Insight, which have raised their financial commitments. The Sooners don’t figure to be No. 5 (or No. 6) in the Big 12 lineup very often. This could be the Holiday’s final good chance to get the Sooners, and to pair them up with USC would be ideal for San Diego.
So the bowl outlooks for OSU and OU are vastly different. The Cowboys are going to Glendale, Ariz., or Dallas. The Sooners could end up anywhere from San Diego to Tempe, Ariz. (Insight), I suppose, depending on Bedlam and the Big 12 title game.
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
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Comments
If we play well and beat OSU–then I would be hopeful we could somehow still get to the Alamo Bowl. The last thing this OU team needs right now is playing a USC team in the state of California–regardless of the Trojans recent woes on defense. Let Leach go west and play USC–and we’ll head to San Antonio and play a Big 10 team–and maybe garner some conficence heading into next season. Or let Missouri go to the Holdiay Bowl and we’ll go the Insight.com Bowl and play against a Big 10 there. Usually–I’d jump at the chance for OU to play San Diego against the Trojans, but not this year.
Our team is mentally fragile and it’s been a brutal season. If ever there were a time to take step back and get your kids some confidence–this is the time.
Besides we’re under the spell of a curse right now which even has Whitney Hand hurt. I bet an earthquake would hit our hotel if we go to California. The Gods have convinced me–this isn’t going to be our year. Two words—Alamo Bowl.
El Prez
I don’t see it too likely that the Huskers upset Texas. Not in Dallas. Not when they played a close game with CU, scoring off TOs to win
Berry: Since I live in the Phoenix Area, it is my opinion that OSU would be an attractive choice for the Fiesta Bowl. Believe that Junkers thinks that OSU Fans travel well since they had a lot of supporters for the Insight, Holiday and Cotton. A lot depends on whether they can beat OU at Norman Saturday
Solid analysis, I think.
But, unless Bob Stoops has completely changed his spots, USC would kill OU in a Holiday Bowl matchup.
Personally, I don’t think OU will make the Holiday Bowl. I hope I get to eat my words tomorrow, but right now I’d have to put my money (if I were a bettor) on OSU to win the Bedlam game easily. The Sooner squad that walked off the field at Lubbock last Saturday was a beaten, whipped, humiliated bunch of underachievers who had apparently quit on the game somewhere in the second quarter. I don’t see them rallying to play well tomorrow.
I’ll be happy if I’m proven wrong!