Fortunately for Boise State, the Cowboys proved that, at least this season, they are anything but by throwing up all over themselves.
Behind their worst offensive performance in over a decade, OSU was pummeled by in-state rival Oklahoma 27-0 in the annual Bedlam match-up.
The Sooners' defense, exactly one week after giving up 549 yards of total offense and 41 points to Texas Tech in a loss, held the Cowboys to 109 yards, six first downs and handed ODSU their first shutout since 2005.
Quarterback Zac Robinson was still showing the effects of head/shoulder injuries in an abysmal performance, throwing for a meager 47 yards on 10-of-23 passing. The senior was ultimately pulled in the fourth quarter.
And, as if the struggles in the passing game weren't enough, OSU was only able to manage 2.1 yards per carry on 29 attempts in the loss.
The biggest beneficiary of the Sooners' win in what may have been Bob Stoops' last regular-season game in Norman (chuckle) was Boise State.
Heading into the weekend, the Cowboys were viewed as one of the biggest hurdles in securing an at-large berth into a BcS bowl. With OSU now out of the picture, the Broncos find themselves in a better BcS situation than they did entering the weekend.
Look, the Cowboys WERE worthy but as you pointed out, Robinson was still showing the effects of the hit that he took a couple of weeks ago (It reminds me alot of Colt McCoy in his freshman year when the Longhorns were on their way to the Big 12 Championship Game when he was hurt against Kansas State and wasn't the same until their bowl game and the Sooners were the Big 12 South champions because of Texas' losses to Kansas State and A&M).
I just wanted to point out that displaying "BCS" as "BcS" in every article is shoddy journalism, and only succeeds in letting everyone know that you have an ignorant vendetta.
Thank you.
@ bbq: You're welcome. Thanks for posting.
Any time.
@ bbq: If by "everyone" you mean only those that support the half-thought plan known as the BcS, then you're correct. However, there are plenty of us out here - that are alums of BcS schools no doubt - that think the system sucks.
Keep up the great work, Taylor.
I new the moment I saw oSu on the cover of SI, this season was done.
Still, if you told me the team would be 9-3 after losing its two best weapons, I'd have told you to go fly a kite! (language!)
The fact is, the Pokes shouldn't have been in the BCS picture. They're an above average team, that's about it. Would they be better with Dez Bryant and a healthy Kendal Hunter and Zac Robinson? Absolutely, but this is the hand they were dealt. Great teams overcome it, good teams continue to scratch and claw. To me, that's what the Cowboys did. They scratched and clawed, but they just weren't great. Oklahoma is a beast at home, but its still no excuse for being shutout or even losing. The Cowboys had every opportunity to win that game in the first quarter for god-sake. But that ain't gonna happen if your calling a screen pass or a run up the middle on 3rd and 9, Gundy, you horses ass! . . . anyway . . .
Mr. Taylor, you got it right. The Pokes puked all over themselves. I thought Gundy would have pulled Robinson for Wheeden to start the 3rd quarter. It was evident he was still pretty banged up based on the fact he wasn't throwing the ball down field anywhere near as much as he usually does. They hand cuffed themselves from the start.
/Go Pokes
"Half-thought," huh?
Pretty funny, considering I never realized the amount of brain-cramps it must cause such highly intellectual people to scream "PLAYOFF!" constantly as a solution to what they deem as a problem. Way to put in a well-though effort champ!
Never mind the fact that the idea of a playoff has been rejected many times over by the only ones who have any say in the matter whatsoever. You people fit the definition of crazy, where you do something over and over again expecting different results.
Yet, we who support the BCS (who, btw are also alums of schools from BCS conferences) are the one's exercising "half-thought" as you say? Puh-leeeze!
Oh and another thing, I'm sick of the school presidents getting bashed by media-types, etc. for sticking with the BCS. The only reason they're criticized so highly is because the majority of said media is too lazy to be bothered by the task of following an entire season. Instead, they'd prefer all the interest of the season to be wrapped in in a nice, neat little package labeled "Playoffs."
# James says: November 29, 2009 9:09 AM ET
"Half-thought," huh?
Pretty funny, considering I never realized the amount of brain-cramps it must cause such highly intellectual people to scream "PLAYOFF!" constantly as a solution to what they deem as a problem. Way to put in a well-though effort champ!
Never mind the fact that the idea of a playoff has been rejected many times over by the only ones who have any say in the matter whatsoever. You people fit the definition of crazy, where you do something over and over again expecting different results.
Yet, we who support the BCS (who, btw are also alums of schools from BCS conferences) are the one's exercising "half-thought" as you say? Puh-leeeze!
Oh and another thing, I'm sick of the school presidents getting bashed by media-types, etc. for sticking with the BCS. The only reason they're criticized so highly is because the majority of said media is too lazy to be bothered by the task of following an entire season. Instead, they'd prefer all the interest of the season to be wrapped in in a nice, neat little package labeled "Playoffs."
OK. You get a 10/10 for the troll, but . . .
You're equally stupid for saying the BCS works. It doesn't. The people that make the decision don't want to change what makes them a lot of money. Even if a playoff would get them just as much, IF THEY WERE LEGITIMATELY BETTER AND WON THE PLAYOFFS. The fact is, they know they would be upset/knocked off/beat by a "lesser" school. They are clinging to a reputation of talent that is more prevalent across more schools than just the privileged few conferences allowed in to the BCS discussion. Ten years ago, the BCS was good because the talent really was just in those conferences, but that has changed. A lot. That in and of itself should drive the system to change, but those in charge are so against it and the unknown of it, they won't pull the trigger on it.
Which makes them just as stupid.
First off, I said ya'll are crazy, not stupid. Also, I never said I thought the system "works," as you might have it "work" at least, what I said was that I support it. And by that, I mean that I'm satisfied with the system. Is it fair? Perhaps not, but that's really not the issue. We all learn at a very young age that sometimes, things just aren't fair. I don't ever remember a time before the BCS where cfb had an "undisputed" champion, either.
Also, since when, in our capitalistic society, did making money become such an ethical crime? Interest has never been higher and is still experiencing tremendous growth, why in the world would you mess with that formula, if the decision were your's to make that is?
I'll concede that perhaps they aren't as progressive in their thinking as some who propose a playoff. But progressive thinking doesn't always mean smarter. So to say that they're stupid is really just the lazy man's way out, in my opinion.
Furthermore, I highly doubt they would fear being "upset/knocked off by a 'lesser' school." I mean, sure on some level, some might have those fears, but I'll take a page from Team Playoff's book here and make use of their beloved comparison to March Madness. Of course there are the occasional teams from mid-major conferences that make runs at/into the Final Four (the George Mason run a couple years ago comes to mind), but how many of those teams wind up cutting down the nets at the end of that weekend? The truth of the matter is that most teams from said "lesser" conferences would eventually fall by the wayside in football, too.