The Fiesta stakes

Published: December 24, 2006

• Restore order: Texas romped unbeaten to the national championship a year ago, waxing the Sooners 45-12 along the way. Some suggested Big 12 supremacy was shifting south of the Red River. In the end, despite an October loss in the Cotton Bowl, the Sooners finished ahead of Texas in the South Division and captured their fourth Big 12 Championship.

Advancing to their 28th bowl appearance in what now stands as the BCS quartet, an OU victory is all that remains — outside a national title — to restore order for Sooner fans.

•Exclusive membership: Oklahoma's impressive tradition is mounted atop a stack of successful seasons. OU leads the nation with 29 seasons of 10 or more wins.

But even in OU's lauded history, only four teams have managed 12 victories.

At 11-2, these Sooners can join that elite club.

Considering all they've had to overcome the past five months, that feat would be all the more impressive.

•Momentum: After losing to Texas in early October, the Sooners methodically marched through the rest of the schedule, a span of seven regular-season games and the Big 12 title game.

Beating Boise State would send the Sooners into 2007 with a nine-game winning streak and for a squad that returns 18 starters and 39 members of the two-deep, that's significant.

•More hardware: These Sooners already have a Big 12 Championship this season, but there's ample room in the Switzer Center for one more trophy. Maybe some variety is in order.

Among the Sooners' 24 bowl championships, only one came in the Fiesta Bowl. And that was back in 1976.

•Proper sendoff: Only 11 seniors dot the Sooner roster. But many have been part of a run of success that now features all four BCS bowls during their tenure.

A win sends those seniors — and a likely NFL-bound Adrian Peterson, too — out in style.

•Dubious distinction: This is just the second time a team outside a BCS conference has been allowed in the big-bowl club. And it's the first pairing with a powerhouse like OU.

The eyes of a nation will be watching to see if Boise State can compete.

The jabs of the national media will be flying if Boise State can win. This is a bit of bar-bet trivia the Sooners want no part of.

•Impeding progress: All that momentum and confidence gained from winning out in the Big 12 – it's surrendered with a loss.

Yeah, the Sooners will still return a talented nucleus for 2007. And a loss certainly doesn't suggest any doomsday projections.

But questions arise, inside and outside the program. Even if OU responds strong, any push toward national title contention would likely start from lower in the rankings.

•Buzz buster: OU's winning streak has stirred anticipation and optimism for 2007, when the cast and crew won't be much different.

But a loss to a perceived lightweight like Boise State would be the sort of bummer that would get Sooner fans to grumbling all the way to summer.

Too many Sooner fans sweat the small stuff even without reason to worry.

•Failure to finish: For all of OU's success in recent years, the Sooners have lost two of their last three bowl games. And both setbacks were on the biggest stage — in national title matchups.

The Sooners snapped their season-ending struggles a year ago with a win over Oregon in the Holiday Bowl and clearly have finished this season with gusto.

Now's no time for a backslide.

•Recruiting rub: Only a few scholarships remain for OU's upcoming recruiting class, but the chase is on to plug in those slots. And high school juniors are already starting to form opinions.

A Big 12 Championship sells well. And Bob Stoops would say that one game doesn't impact recruiting all that much.

Still, a loss to Boise State may raise questions that the Sooners are indeed back in charge of the Big 12.

By John Helsley

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