Sooners appear headed to Insight vs. Iowa

CAMPUS CORNER — We’ll know officially within the hour, but signs continue to point toward Oklahoma meeting Iowa in the Insight.com Bowl, played Dec. 30 in Tempe, Ariz.

Haven’t heard a lot of positives on this from Sooners fans, but, well, I guess that’s part of the territory for a 9-3 season that ended Saturday with a thud, the 44-10 loss at Oklahoma State.

For a time this afternoon, it sounded as if Oklahoma might back into the Cotton Bowl, with Kansas State headed to the BCS and the Sugar Bowl as an at-large selection.

However, in the last little bit, we’ve learned that the Sugar will likely select Virginia Tech, despite the fact the Hokies were clobbered last night in the ACC title game by a slumping Clemson ballclub. Virginia Tech has no top-25 wins this season, and it’s decidedly lost both meetings to Clemson this year. I’m not entirely sure what the ACC is ranked by the computers, but it will have two BCS teams, while the Big 12 (which has been first or second in the computer rankings all season) will have one BCS participant.

With Kansas State being held out of the BCS, it will likely land in the Cotton. The Alamo has reached out to invite Baylor, which makes perfect sense to have Robert Griffin III and the surging Bears in that game. So, OU fell to the Insight.

We’d heard last night at Boone Pickens Stadium that this is precisely what OU had hoped to avoid, having to play second fiddle to Oklahoma State in the Tempe bowls. The Insight is affiliated with the Jan. 2 Fiesta Bowl, which will likely have OSU and Stanford playing. The situation was reversed a couple of years ago, but OU was hoping to stay out of. Some administrators were talking Saturday about pushing for the Holiday, even, going a rung lower on the Big 12 pecking order to stay away from OSU. But, when you’re a three-loss team, you don’t get to be choosy, it seems.

Iowa would be far from a sexy matchup, even if it is Bob Stoops‘ alma mater. Arkansas had some sizzle, and OU rarely even falls to the Cotton Bowl.

The Hawkeyes are 7-5 overall, with a 4-4 Big Ten record. A common opponent: Iowa State. The Sooners won 26-6 last week. Iowa fell 44-41 in overtime early in the season, on Sept. 10.

Be prepared to hear a lot of griping tonight from Big 12 folks — that OSU didn’t get a chance in the BCS title game. And K-State didn’t receive an at-large bid. Were they deserving? Cases could certainly be made, though it’s ultimately the Sugar’s decision for the at-large. It seems to think Virginia Tech is a better financial play. Unfortunate, in these circumstances, that the business of the game trumps the better matchups and fairness.

= Trav