Big 12 Conference and Bowl Outlook

Originally Published: Nov 28, 2010 12:3 AM CDT

Corey DeMoss
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

STILLWATER, Oklahoma – Oklahoma pulled out a 47-41 win in one of the most exciting Bedlam games in recent memory, but the real question is: What now?

The Sooners’ victory forces a three-way tie in the Big 12 South standings between OU, OSU and Texas A&M. Because the three teams had identical records against common opponents, the tiebreaker will come down to BCS standings.

Going into Saturday’s game, OSU was ranked highest at No. 9 with OU at No. 13 and Texas A&M at No. 17. The Aggies beat Texas on Thanksgiving, but that win likely will not be enough to move them high enough in the BCS.

The announcement will not officially be made until Sunday, but it is almost assured that OU will have the highest ranking and earn the Big 12 South’s bid in the conference championship game. The Sooners would play Nebraska, with the winner automatically advancing to the Fiesta Bowl.

The other team in the Fiesta Bowl will likely be the Big East champion, which will likely fall to Connecticut. UConn is currently leading the conference and only needs to win next week to clinch the conference championship.

Things get much more complicated for Oklahoma State. The Cowboys will go from being on the verge of their first BCS bowl berth in school history to being in bowl limbo.

Four different teams – OSU, OU, Nebraska and Missouri – tied for the best records in the Big 12 at 6-2 in conference play and 10-2 overall. The Big 12 has automatic tie-ins to seven non-BCS bowls, but because so many teams are tied the bowls will have the opportunity to pick which team they want.

After the Fiesta Bowl, the Cotton Bowl gets the second selection of Big 12 teams. The bowl, which is played at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, will choose between OSU, Missouri and whichever team loses the Big 12 Championship Game.

The Alamo Bowl – played in San Antonio, Texas – will have third choice, and the Insight Bowl – played in Tempe, Arizona – will have fourth choice. The Cowboys are guaranteed to go to one of those three bowls, but which one is a toss-up.

If Oklahoma wins the Big 12 Championship, the most likely scenario is that the Cotton Bowl would select OSU and Nebraska would fall to the Alamo Bowl.

The Cotton Bowl’s other selection will be between the teams that finish third, fourth and fifth in the SEC. The most likely selection would be Alabama, meaning the Cowboys will probably have a tougher challenge even though they will not be playing in a BCS bowl.

Oklahoma Sports’s Big 12 Bowl Projections: