Upsets no help to Oklahoma in BCS standings

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) _ Coach Bob Stoops isn't ready yet to say whether Oklahoma should be getting consideration for a BCS bowl game. <br/><br/>After a string of upsets on Saturday, the Sooners' chances

Sunday, November 12th 2006, 7:39 pm

By: News On 6

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) _ Coach Bob Stoops isn't ready yet to say whether Oklahoma should be getting consideration for a BCS bowl game.

After a string of upsets on Saturday, the Sooners' chances could've improved greatly but they didn't move up a single spot in the BCS standings. They remain No. 17.

Following a 34-24 win against Texas Tech on Saturday night, Stoops said he thought the Sooners would merit BCS consideration ``if we win next week and we win the following week.'' The team's final two games are on the road at Baylor and Oklahoma State.

The Sooners remain alive in the race for their third straight Big 12 title, but would need to win out and have Texas lose at home to Texas A&M on Nov. 24.

``There's a lot of possibilities. My whole focus has been, though, you shouldn't need a carrot out there to be excited to compete and play,'' Stoops said. ``My whole deal all year has been keep improving, keep getting better, enjoy practices, know you're getting better.

``Let's do our part to win and be as good as we can be. If things work out, they'll work out. I'm not much on paying a ton of attention to things that aren't in my control.''

The Sooners have crept up the AP poll one spot at a time the past four weeks. They were No. 23 after a loss to Texas dropped them to 3-2 and got to No. 20 after beating Iowa State the following week. A five-game winning streak has gotten them to No. 16.

That's still below where they were _ at No. 15 _ when a botched call cost the Sooners a win at Oregon. Since then, they haven't been able to move up much.

``It's obvious why we haven't, because of the Oregon situation. That started it all,'' Stoops said. ``In the end, you have to keep winning. Like anybody, you can have a lot to say about it. If you don't go out and win, it doesn't matter.''

With so much ground to make up for an at-large bid, Oklahoma's best chance to get back to the BCS may be to hope for a Texas collapse and a shot at the Big 12 title. The Longhorns had that type of good fortune in 2001, when the Oklahoma beat Texas head-to-head but then lost twice in conference play.

It's the only time in the past seven years that the winner of the Red River rivalry hasn't played for the conference title.