Path To Big 12 Title Gets Increasingly Difficult For No. 4 Sooners

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) _ Number 4 Oklahoma's road to the postseason begins with underdog Baylor and gets harder after that. <br/><br/>After Saturday's game against the Bears, the Sooners will have

Wednesday, November 7th 2007, 7:19 am

By: News On 6

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) _ Number 4 Oklahoma's road to the postseason begins with underdog Baylor and gets harder after that.

After Saturday's game against the Bears, the Sooners will have to vanquish Texas Tech and Oklahoma State before they can reach the Big 12 championship game against either Number 5 Kansas or 7th-ranked Missouri.

Beyond that, the Sooners' hopes for a national championship remain alive, although it would likely take some help along the way to move up from fifth in the BCS standings.

After coach Bob Stoops had complained that his team was progressing slower than successful teams of the past, he was pleased with the strides OU made during an open week leading up to a 42-14 win against Texas A&M on Saturday.

On offense, OU had its best rushing performance against a Big 12 opponent this season with 186 yards. The defense didn't flinch until the fourth quarter, when Texas A&M scored two touchdowns after it was too late for a comeback.

Big 12 sacks leader Auston English was hurt and is expected to miss this week.