Each team was here 2 years in a row. Check back in 2009 to see if we can continue that. Considering that most UT fans considered 2009 to be “our year” before 2008 started, I would say there is a reasonable chance we could continue that trend. Of course, it only counts if we can continue the other part of it, which is playing in the NC game. Winning that would be nice, as well.

I get nervous around such optimism.

’02 Sooners- Only ranked team played before 1st BCS was #9 Texas (35-24), a couple impressive victories but also some close games against unranked opponents (Alabama by 10 at home, missouri on the road by 7)

’03 Sooners- Again, only ranked team played before 1st BCS was #5 Texas (i wont put the score). Other games were mostly blowouts. Then only played 1 ranked team before Big 12 championship game (#22 ok state at home) and won that big. Everyone remembers the Big 12 championship game though- lost 35-7 to #10 kansas state (keeping us out of a probable BCS bowl while still advancing the sooners to the bcs championship game)

’04 USC- had played 2 ranked teams before 1st BCS standings, both at home – #7 Cal(Texas Tech just scored again whiners) 23-17 and #19 Arizona State 45-7. And this team is the one that won the BCS Championship game (the drubbing of OU)

’05 USC- Had played three ranked teams, all on the road, before 1st BCS numbers came out. That was obviously a good team…..we were just better.

‘06 OSU- Had played three ranked – #2 Texas (Colt’s second game as a starter, closer game than the 24-7 final score suggested), #24 Penn State (28-6), @#13 Iowa (38-17).

’07 OSU- Had only played #23 Purdue (23-7) before the 1st BCS standings, never played any team ranked higher than 20 before losing to LSU (does anyone else find that pretty preposterous?)

Anyways, all that to say i would suggest our #1 initial BCS ranking is significantly more substantial than any other team that has held the spot in the last 9 years. I think we have a better case than even ’04 and ’05 USC (one of those teams won a MNC convincingly, the other lost in the greatest college football game of all time). And who, exactly would be the ’05 Texas to our imaginary ’05 USC this year? Alabama? P-lease. Penn State? Last time i checked, Clark is no VY (1st year starter, in the Big 10, there will never be another VY, etc).

No need for worry, not from a very small sample size of history. Let’s focus on Ok State and make it two weeks straight at #1 in BCS.

…was in 2005. The very next game was against…. yep, the T Boone Cowboys (though that game was in Stillwater). The Horns played their most underwhelming half of football all year in the first 30 minutes of that game. But, VY went nuts in the second half and all was well. Horns won 47-28. Not an incredibly important factoid, but it popped into my head with the release of the new BCS standings.