OU Clinches Spot in Big 12 Championship

The Sooners won the tiebreaker by being the highest-ranked team in the BCS Standings.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 12:04 pm

By: News On 6

Originally Published: Nov 28, 2010 4:53 PM CDT

Oklahoma Sports Staff

NORMAN, Oklahoma -- The Oklahoma Sooners have secured a spot in the 2010 Big 12 Championship Game thanks to winning a BCS tiebreaker, sources confirmed to Oklahoma Sports's John Holcomb early Sunday afternoon.

This week's BCS Rankings have Oklahoma at ninth, in front of both OSU (14th) and Texas A&M (18th). Read more about OSU's No. 14 ranking.

OU coach Bob Stoops said he would like to congratulate Nebraska and that the Sooners-Cornhuskers matchup seems like a fitting end to the Big 12 format as we know it.

"Our players begin each season with specific goals and winning the Big 12 Championship is near the top of that list," Stoops said. "This team has shown resilience and a desire to keep getting better.

"As I’ve said before, they’ve been a joy to coach. All of us are focused now on putting a great finish on the season.”

Other Big 12 teams in the BCS Standings included Missouri at 12th and Nebraska at 13th.

Saturday's 47-41 Bedlam win locked OU, OSU and Texas A&M into a three-way tie for the Big 12 South title.

The tiebreaker eventually reverts to the highest-ranked team in the BCS standings.

Because OU was ninth in the newly-released BCS standings on Sunday night, the Sooners win the tiebreaker and earn a spot in the Championship.

Oklahoma will take on Nebraska on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The game will be Nebraska's final game before taking off to become part of the Big 10 conference next season.

The Big 12 Championship Game will be Oklahoma's fourth in the past five seasons and eighth overall. OU beat Nebraska in 2006 and beat Missouri in 2007 and 2008.

The OU ticket department announced on Monday that it had sold out its allotment of tickets for the general public for the Championship before the Sooners had officially clinched a spot in the game.