BCS Bid Almost in the Bag

Near the center of the University of Oklahoma campus stands a bronze statue of a Sooner, a farmer with a bag of seed slung over his shoulder.

Someone climbed up there recently and filled the bag with oranges.

Suffice to say the mood has turned considerably brighter here, because the bowl championship series standings released Monday put the Sooners in good position to reach the title game in the Orange Bowl.

After strengthening their grip on No. 2 over the weekend, a defeat of an underdog opponent -- either Colorado or Iowa State -- in the Big 12 championship on Dec. 4 seems all that’s left for the Sooners to do.

Not so long ago, Coach Bob Stoops was complaining that ESPN might be unduly influencing the standings by slanting its coverage in favor of No. 3 Auburn.

Now comes a little revisionist history: The Sooners actually like their situation.

“You want the uncertainty,” co-defensive coordinator Brent Venables said after practice Monday. “You want to be backed into a corner.”

It is a big change from last season, when the Sooners had such a stranglehold on No. 1 they were guaranteed a spot in the BCS title game, even if they lost the conference championship.

Which they did, getting blown out, 35-7, by Kansas State.

A month later, they lost to Louisiana State, 21-14, in the Sugar Bowl.

“You never get tired of winning but you might lose that edge,” defensive end Dan Cody said of last season. “I think we have that edge right now.”

At USC, the Trojans took a similar attitude toward remaining atop the BCS standings with games against Notre Dame and UCLA remaining.

“The way it’s so buckled down in the BCS, I mean, you never know what could happen,” said tailback LenDale White, perhaps remembering last season, when the Trojans finished No. 1 in both human polls but No. 3 in the BCS. “Anybody could be in the championship game this year. It’s all about fighting every week.”

Not everyone was so inspired.

Auburn slipped further back at No. 3 and could be the odd team out, even with a victory over Tennessee in the Southeastern Conference championship game and a 12-0 record.

Coach Tommy Tuberville has insisted that going undefeated in the SEC should be good enough for a title shot.

“It’s a little bit alarming we could lose ground,” Tuberville said. “I think the voters will be a little more serious the next few weeks and look at things a bit differently.”

There was also cause for concern in Pasadena because Boise State stands at No. 7, a potential nightmare for the Rose Bowl.

Right now, the Jan. 1 game is looking at an attractive Michigan-California matchup.

But if No. 5 Texas loses at home against Texas A&M;, it could create a scenario by which Boise State climbs into the top six and is guaranteed a BCS slot. Cal would be shut out, even at No. 4, and the Rose Bowl forced to choose a leftover.

While this remains something of a longshot, and Cal still must finish its season at Southern Mississippi, Rose Bowl executives can only watch and wait.

At least Oklahoma coaches and players feel in control of their destiny. “We know we have to go out there and play our best,” Cody said.

Does that mean they have grown to like the BCS?

Venables scowled: “I don’t even know if that merits a comment.”

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Standings

Top two teams play for championship on Jan. 4 in Orange Bowl (Pv-Previous):

*--* No. School Avg Pv 1. USC 9789 1 2. Oklahoma 9642 2 3. Auburn 9356 3 4. California 8504 4 5. Texas 8301 5 6. Utah 8172 6 7. Boise State 6359 9 8. Georgia 6296 11 9. Miami 6256 12 10. Louisville 6123 10

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Times staff writer Gary Klein and Associated Press contributed to this report.