Oklahoma football: A win over Kansas State could help Sooners' image as title contenders

“I think one of the best,” Jones said. “As an offense, we definitely played really well. We moved the ball through the passing game and also did some good things in the run game. It was one of the better games we did play last year.”

The rout in Manhattan, Kan., was also important because of what had happened just a week earlier. Oklahoma, the preseason No. 1-ranked team, was embarrassed at home by Texas Tech, and many around the country were down on the Sooners.

A convincing victory over the then-unbeaten Wildcats was enough to — at least temporarily — put OU squarely back in the conversation of legitimate national-title contenders.

So far in 2012, Oklahoma held a tenuous, three-point lead in the fourth quarter before pulling away to beat traditional doormat UTEP 24-7 in the season opener. The next week, OU routed Florida A&M at home, but beating up on a Football Championship Subdivision opponent did little to make the country forget the West Texas squeaker.

A barrage of injuries and suspensions over the past several months has also damaged the way OU is perceived.