If Oklahoma State wins Bedlam: The Cowboys would go to the Fiesta. That would leave the Cotton to choose from Nebraska, Texas Tech and Missouri. Except that Tech went there last year, and Nebraska will have just played in the Big 12 title game in Cowboys Stadium. So the Cotton could take Missouri. That would send Nebraska to the Holiday and Tech to the Alamo.

The Sun is next in the pecking order, and would be left to decide between a 6-6 OU or 6-6 Texas A&M. While it’s possible the Sun could take A&M because of its proximity to El Paso, the Sooners hammered A&M 65-10 this year, which probably gives them the nod.

But, if the Sun did take A&M, OU would be snatched up by the Insight Bowl, and ironically play in the same city as the Fiesta, which would be hosting OSU.

If OU wins Bedlam: The Sooners would knock OSU out of the BCS. But because OSU would then go to the Cotton, OU would still be looking at the Sun. Nebraska would head to the Holiday and Tech, the Alamo.

The Sun would then probably take a 7-5 OU coming off a huge victory, instead of Missouri or A&M.

The opponent: At this point, it’s unclear who OU would play in the Sun, which gets the third-place team in the Pac-10. But some possibilities include USC, Oregon State, Stanford, California and Arizona, coached by Mike Stoops.

The date: 11 a.m. Dec. 31.

-JT

The biggest surprise from OU’s 41-13 head-kicking courtesy of Texas Tech was not the offense struggling. The offense struggles on the road. It’s what they do.

The surprise was Tech basically moving the ball at will against OU’s previously vaunted defense. And how did Tech move the ball? Yeah, Taylor Potts threw for 388 yards, which is actually fairly pedestrian for a Mike Leach team.

Tech actually moved the ball by running it. Running wide. Running up the middle. Big runs, short runs. In all, Tech ran for 161 yards and averaged 4.1 yards per carry. And that includes the 21 yards Potts lost on being sacked.

The scary part for OU, if there’s anything left to be scared about, is that the Sooners’ next opponent is Oklahoma State.

OU just got done facing THE WORST rush offense in the Big 12 in Tech.

The Sooners are now getting ready to play THE BEST rush offense in the league in OSU.

Even after the OU win, Tech is still averaging less than 80 yards rushing a game.

OSU is averaging 204.

If the Pokes are able to run the ball as well as Tech did against OU, expect the Sooners to fall to 6-6.

Quick hits
* Ryan Broyles’ showboating into the end zone down 34-6 was downright embarrassing. I think you can sum up the lack of focus and discipline with this team on that play alone.

* There really wasn’t one person to blame defensively. Everyone took turns getting beat. Keenan Clayton, Brian Jackson, Dom Franks, Travis Lewis all had their moments. I can’t fault the defense too much. After being lights out the whole year, they were due for a poor game. Not surprisingly, the offense couldn’t bail them out.

* The great thing about Sam Bradford was that he could find the open guy every time. Landry Jones had guys open at times. He just missed them and threw the other direction, often into traffic.

* Center Ben Habern’s injury is unfortunate. Ben seems to be a really good kid, and a potential leader for this team down the road. Very similar to Jon Cooper that way. But with a broken fibula, we may not see him for another 5 months. The last thing this line needs is guys missing spring drills. OU will be without Jarvis Jones, at this point the 2010 starting LT, as well. Walk-on Brian Lepak will start at center the rest of the way.

* RBs DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown were total non-factors in this game, combining for 51 yards rushing on less than 3.0 yards per carry. Murray and Brown, each 1,000 yard rushers last year, will probably each finish with 700 yards apiece this season.

* OU really needs Brandon Caleb to get healthy. For whatever reason, he played special teams, but not WR. Adron Tennell really struggled. Tennell has been good against the bad teams. But they’ve needed him to shine in big spots, and he has disappeared.

* Freshman Jaz Reynolds had a nice 57-yard grab. Is it not time to get him more PT to get ready for 2010?

* At least penalties and FG kicker were not the reasons for this loss. OU only committed six penalties for 66 yards. And Pat O’Hara nailed both of his FG attempts, including a 47-yarder.

* OU is going to finish 4th in the South. In 2005, a down year, OU finished 3rd.

* Bowl game options now appear to now be Alamo, Sun and Insight. Beat OSU, and it’s either Alamo or Sun, though probably Sun at this point. Lose, and it’s Sun or Insight.

* The all-white uniforms were terrible. Looked like a more boring version of Stanford. Good thing is, after that loss, we’ll never see them again.

They said it
DT Gerald McCoy: “As good as we’ve been playing on defense all year and we allow something like that?” McCoy said. “That’s just no heart, no pride at the end of the game. That’s just not good enough. That’s not Oklahoma.”

Coach Bob Stoops: “They executed it and blocked it better than we were able to get off blocks and tackle. They didn’t come up with any new run plays. It’s what we worked on the whole week and again, they executed better than we were able to defend it.”

Stoops, on QB Landry Jones: “Again, I think you’re isolating one guy and I don’t know think that’s fair either. It’s fair to offensively say that that’s the case and your quarterback is a part of that but receivers dropping balls doesn’t help. Their supporting cast has to be there as well and we haven’t been good away from home.”

DE Jeremy Beal: “When the defense has been playing so well throughout the whole year, it’s disappointing to come in here and have a performance like this. It’s always disappointing.”

LB Travis Lewis: “It’s disappointing as a defense, especially as a linebacker and them being able to run the ball on us at will. Converting all those third down-and-ones, us not being able to get off the field, that’s huge.”

Landry Jones, on struggling on the road: “I think it’s something that has to do with intensity. Going on the road, you just can’t expect something to happen; you’ve got to make it happen. You have to create your own energy and stuff like that we’ve been kind of talking about in practice, and that’s what we were hoping to do today. We just didn’t get it done. We didn’t execute the plays we needed to. I didn’t play very good, and obviously I need to play better for us to win.”

WR Ryan Broyles: “We just came out and couldn’t make the big downs when we needed them. We didn’t make big catches. We didn’t make big blocks when we needed them.”

By the numbers
5: Number of TDs Sooners have scored combined in games against BYU, Miami, Texas, Nebraska and Tech.

5: Number of season-ending injuries the Sooners have suffered on the offensive side of the ball. Center Ben Habern, who broke his fibula, made it No. 5 Saturday.

1: Number of bowl teams OU has beaten this year (Texas A&M).

-JT

A couple highlights:

Has this been your most difficult year?
Oh, absolutely. With all of the different players being gone at different times, sure. No doubt about it.

Is this your last coaching stop?
Oh, who knows? I’m not that old, I guess. I haven’t reached 50 yet. So, who knows what’s in store, you know?

See the full interview here.

Injuries have kept Murray from playing in several of the Sooners’ biggest games since, including last year’s national title game, and they’ve no doubt played a role in his draft stock as well.
With at least three members of his offense destined to hear their name called on draft day next April, Murray said on Tuesday he likely won’t make it four.

“It’s something my family and I will look into, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be back here next year,” he said.

Non-committal, perhaps, but Murray likely didn’t expect the questions about his future to come so soon. He’s played the entire season without suffering a major injury, sitting out just one game, and making it through a second injury-free season could only help his stock.

As he showed on Saturday, there’s been little doubt about his performance when he’s on the field.

The only worries are making sure he stays there.

Here’s the video:

-JT

Last winter, that job was the Denver Broncos, who were reportedly interested in Stoops to replace Mike Shanahan. But quickly, that fizzled and Denver hired New England Patriots offensive co-coordinator Josh McDaniels.

This year, the job in question is Notre Dame.

From the Chicago Sun Times today:
If athletic director Jack Swarbrick decides (Charlie) Weis’ Notre Dame career is over after his fifth season, a source said Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops and Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz will be in the mix to replace him. The source said Stoops has told confidants he would be interested in talking to the Irish.

Stoops would be a good fit at Notre Dame for a number of reasons. He’s Catholic, and he knows the area, growing up in western Ohio, which is in the middle of Notre Dame’s traditional recruiting base.

But Florida, a plum job, couldn’t lure Stoops away from Norman a few years ago.

Could Notre Dame?

If any college job could, maybe Notre Dame is the one.

-JT

Beat Tech, and suddenly Bedlam Thanksgiving Weekend becomes a game with the Cotton Bowl on the line. But lose to Tech, and OU could be headed to El Paso, Texas, and the Sun Bowl.

The key will be the offense. The defense has been great everywhere. But the offense, while great in Norman, has stunk it up away from home.

13 points against BYU in Dallas.

20 at Miami.

13 against Texas in Dallas.

35 at Kansas.

3 at Nebraska.

OU will probably have to put up more than 20 points to beat Tech on the road. Can they do it?

“Until we can show that we can play with some composure and play smarter it will still be a test,” said offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson. “It will be a test to show if we have matured through the year or are we the same cast of characters.

“So it will be a big challenge and an opportunity to see where we are at as a team next week against Texas Tech.”

Quick hits
* More about walk-on kicker Patrick O’Hara coming in Monday’s paper. O’Hara has a great story of how he ended up in Norman. Time will tell if O’Hara, who made a FG and a couple of extra points, will be the answer at kicker.

* Too bad this defense will be part of a mediocre season. This defense is one of the school’s all-time greats. The only two TDs OU has allowed the last two weeks have come off turnovers returned inside the Sooner 5.

* OU red zone offense, 6 of 7. The only miss was a Tress Way missed FG.

* Freshman RB Jermie Calhoun looked sharp in mop-up duty with 94 yards rushing on 18 carries. It’s the most work Calhoun has gotten in his young career and he did well with it.

* Adron Tennell played poorly last weekend at Nebraska, but going back to the start of Big 12 play, Tennell quietly has been solid. Against A&M, he had five catches for 76 yards and 2 TDs.

* At home this year, Landry Jones has thrown 18 TDs to just 4 picks.

* Ryan Broyles is so good. He had eight catches for 79 yards and a TD. Pencil in Broyles as on the All-Big 12 first team offense.

* Speaking of which, has DeMarco Murray done enough to make that team? He didn’t hurt his cause, with 223 all-purpose yards.

* Jeremy Beal, Travis Lewis, Brian Jackson and Frank Alexander all had big games for the defense.

* TE Eric Mensik got some work at right tackle. Not a bad move, considering the Sooners have no more tackles to turn to if Trent Williams or Cory Brandon get hurt.

* The Wildcat can be a good set for the Sooners. Murray and Broyles seem to possess suitable skill sets for that kind of offense. Both players are savvy and can make people miss in 1-on-1 situations.

They said it
Coach Bob Stoops: “DeMarco (Murray) is a really special talent in that he is not just a running back. I have said it a lot, he would be a great corner. He’s just a guy that is really athletic. He catches the ball well, runs pretty good routes, is good out of the backfield and also is a strong, powerful runner. He had another big night and it is good to see him get out and make some big plays.”

Stoops on QB Landry Jones: “You have to be sure of yourself. I think the more he played, the more comfortable he got and he started making the throws we know he can make.”

Stoops on the Wildcat: “Just trying to find different ways to get seams and get the ball in DeMarco’s hands more and Chris (Brown) and Ryan (Broyles). Those are three guys you can play hide-and-seek with on who has the ball and hopefully be productive as we go forward.”

Stoops on freshman RB Jermie Calhoun, who finished with a game-high 94 yards rushing: “He looked tough and physical. It was very positive and I was very excited with how he played in the fourth quarter. He took care of the ball, ran strong and ran well.”

Defensive coordinator Brent Venables on his defense: “As a team tonight we really played well and helped each other at the right time. We didn’t give up the big plays and for the most part kept the quarterback from running outside the pocket. We had a lot of pressures coming at him and that kept him off balance. Collectively we have a very solid performance tonight.”

CB Brian Jackson on his TD: “It was good. It was kind of exciting when I picked it up because all I saw was grass. I saw the same thing at Texas but (Colt) McCoy came out of nowhere. I guess Johnson didn’t have as good of an angle as McCoy did.”

Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman on his team’s troubles fielding kicks: “I wish I knew why that was . Last week, Cyrus Gray returned a touchdown and we’re all excited about that and this week he has a tough time hanging on to the football. We fumbled one that we also recovered too, so it wasn’t a good day from that standpoint.”

By the numbers
223: With 223 all-purpose yards, Murray passed Steve Owens, Adrian Peterson and Greg Pruitt to move into fourth place all-time at OU with 4,495.

143: Murray tied a school record for receiving yards by a running back with 143. He is tied with Virgil Doyle who had 143 against Colorado in 1962.

93: OU has outscored its opponents 93-10 in the first quarter this season.

65: OU’s point total, the most points OU has scored this season.

5: Fumbles Texas A&M had on returns. Two were recovered by the Sooners.

3: Number of place-kickers OU used Sat.

-JT