Oklahoma football: Sooners debut at No. 9 in BCS standings

The Sooners were ranked ninth and seventh in the Harris Interactive and coaches' polls, respectively. The two top 25 polls comprise two-thirds of the BCS formula. The final rankings determine the No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup for the BCS National Championship Game, which will be played Jan. 7 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.

Six computer rankings figure into the BCS formula, with each team's highest and lowest rankings disregarded. Oklahoma's average computer ranking is No. 10 when you throw out one of the two rankings — Kenneth Massey's and Peter Wolfe's systems — with OU ranked the highest at No. 6, and Anderson & Hester, the computer system with OU ranked the lowest at No. 15.

The Sooners' lone loss came at home Sept. 22, when Kansas State took advantage of OU turnovers and left Norman a 24-19 victor. The Wildcats are still unbeaten and were ranked fourth in the initial BCS standings.

“Unfortunately, we do have one loss and there are still a lot of undefeated teams,” senior quarterback Landry Jones said Saturday, after the Sooners routed Texas 63-21 in Dallas.

“We have to have something happen for us. Every year something is gonna happen. Something is gonna go. It's extremely tough, especially in this league, to go undefeated. For us, we're focused on us and our next game is Kansas.”

As long as the Sooners continue winning, they're sure to rise in the BCS standings because ranked teams still have to play each other, and OU's expected strength of schedule going forward should be a strong boost in the computer rankings.