Honestly, I would have been delighted to see things break the right way for Boise State this year, if only because I want them to get a shot at it at least once. This might have been the best season for it to happen, but this isn't their best team, and the Broncos are out after losing to TCU.
I would have been happy to see Stanford run the table and play for the BCS Championship, as well. I admire how Jim Harbaugh put this team together, I'm a fan of David Shaw, and whatever you think of "Andrew Luck, NFL Prospect," he's an exemplary college quarterback whose success should be easy for anyone to enjoy. But like the Broncos, Stanford's title hopes were also dashed on Saturday, their loss to Oregon all but assuring they won't be playing for the crystal football.
So where do we stand following unrecoverable losses by two of the top five in the BCS standings? Assuming top-ranked LSU wins out, we're left with either two teams LSU has already defeated -- Oregon and Alabama -- or Oklahoma.
Or... Oklahoma State. Which is why I'll be cheering as hard for the bright orange of OSU as I do the burnt orange of Texas.
And after the jump, I'll give you ten reasons why you should, too.
1. Oklahoma sucks. Let's face it, unless you're counting on Iowa State to upend Oklahoma State this weekend in Ames, if you're not pulling for OSU to make the BCS Championship Game you are essentially rooting for Oklahoma. First off, on general principle: no. Second, if OU wins Bedlam and things break the right way in the BCS Standings, a Sooners victory could send them to New Orleans to play LSU. No, no, a hundred times no. Again, they're Oklahoma. And moreover, no one wants to see Bob Stoops lay another BCS egg. These Tigers aren't UConn.
2. Alabama doesn't deserve a rematch. I might be more sympathetic had the Tide lost a squeaker in Baton Rouge, but they crapped the bed at home, and that's game over, as far as I'm concerned. Moreover, while I'll certainly agree that they have a championship caliber defense, if I wanted to watch a football team that can run the ball but can't pass to save it's life, I'd just watch Texas. If I never see AJ McCarron throw another pass this year, it'll be too soon. And if I have to watch Alabama attempt another field goal, I'm going to gouge my eyes with a hot knife. Please, Lord: no LSU-Bama rematch.
3. Oregon's case for a rematch is even weaker. Yes, the Ducks lost in a semi-away game, and yes, it was early in the year. But look, if we're going to have an opponent that tries to challenge LSU with a high-flying offense, how about we try the team that, you know, hasn't already failed against them this year? A good idea, no?
4. The SEC sucks this year. Yes, the SEC is often the nation's strongest conference, but not this year. The SEC's top two are certainly strong, but the rest of the conference is uninspiring, to put it charitably. Florida is terrible. Auburn is terrible. Tennessee is awful. Ole Miss should cancel the rest of their season. At this point it's fair to ask: has there ever been a lousier conference of quarterbacks? As Spencer put it on EDSBS LIVE last night: that Georgia is winning the SEC East tells you all you need to know about the quality of play in the SEC this year.
5. The Big 12 is better than the SEC this year. Not that an SEC fan will ever concede that another conference could ever be better, but the fact is that the Big 12 is the nation's strongest conference this year. The Big 12 went a national-best 22-2 in non-conference play this year, and feature 7 teams in the Top 30 of Jeff Sagarin's predictor ratings (against just 5 in the SEC), and 9 teams in the Top 30 of his ELO Chess model (versus just 7 for the SEC). Top to bottom, the Big 12 is better than the SEC this year. And since I certainly don't want Oklahoma representing our conference, that means pulling hard for the Pokes to win out.
6. BCSpocalypse looms. I'm all for chaos if enough of the outcomes look acceptable, but an Oklahoma State loss creates a situation chock full of title-game match ups I have no interest in seeing. BCS chaos makes it exponentially more likely that we'll be stuck watching a rematch, or worse, Oklahoma. Do not want.
7. Oklahoma State has the most balanced offense to challenge LSU. Oklahoma can't run the ball, and their most important receiver is out for the year. Alabama's quarterback just put up a line of 14-24 for 163 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT against Mississippi State, and their receiving corps is incredibly weak. Oregon's got it grooving on the ground and through the air right now, but the Pokes have been more dynamic and again, we've seen them play LSU. Oklahoma State averages 5.3 yards per rush (17th nationally) and has scored 30 touchdowns on the ground (tied with Bama, one more than Oregon), while the Pokes pick up 8.6 yards per attempt (8th nationally) and have 34 passing touchdowns (6 more than Oregon and 24 more than Bama).
8. A win for T. Boone is a win for America. This is self-evident and redundant, but let's just be explicit about it.
9. Oklahoma State fans are awesome. Spencer and I had a grand time at last year's Alamo Bowl, which we walked away from huge admirers of OSU fans. They don't take themselves too seriously, and don't have an inferiority complex. They just do their thing, are proud of who they are, and don't worry about too much else. If you read the outstanding OSU blog Cowboys Ride For Free, you know what I mean.
10. Mike Gundy will dance. And last but not least, even if you aren't on board with anything else I've said, let's be real... this needs to happen again:
And you can't have one without the other:
Go Pokes!