Early on, Josh Heupel drew up an unusual offensive game plan. He came out throwing every down. The first run play was an end-around to Trey Franks that picked up two or three yards. No Roy Finch, no Brandon Williams and no Belldozer (more on this in a bit) the entire first quarter basically. Meanwhile, Weeden and company marched methodically down the field over and over putting up 10 quick points and led after one quarter, 10-0. The Pokes did whatever they wanted. Randle and Smith ran wild. Blackmon made his plays. The defense did what they've done all year and forced 5 takeaways. In a word, the Cowboys ROLLED! The Sooners would never get it any closer as OSU routed OU 44-10, and it could have been a lot worse.

What happened last night made a statement to the world. OSU isn't a one hit wonder. They are for real and will compete in the Big 12 and perhaps the national stage for many moons. Mike Gundy has this program on the straight and narrow. There's visible discipline, ball security, heart and determination in every player on the sidelines. The Cowboys have fun playing. They don't care what the spread is, who the opponent is, or what has happened in the past. Gundy has preached the "here and now" all year, and minus one second half collapse, the Pokes have been perfect this year. Still, with 1 loss, up until about an hour and a half ago, 77% of the country thought OSU should be playing in the National Championship game vs LSU including me.

When it was announced there will be a rematch of LSU vs Alabama in the title game, twitter, facebook and multiple other social media outlets flooded with hate toward the BCS. I agree folks, it's a complete mess and a joke. Sure, the Iowa State loss was terrible and Alabama's lone loss came at the hands of LSU….in Tuscaloosa….at night….in front of a national audience. I agree with Mike Gundy. "They've had their shot, give us ours". It's a quirky situation, but a rematch of maybe the most boring game of century is not something I'm fired up about watching. Saban said it himself in 2003. "Any team that doesn't win their Conference Championship has no business in the National Championship". Well, Nick, what say you now? OSU's loss came on the night the team found out their university had a national tragedy. No way were they of sound mind and body. Alabama played Penn St on the road and won. Big whoop. OSU has had the better schedule, beat more ranked teams, and would bring way more excitement to the table in New Orleans. Mark May, Craig James and numerous others are SEC bias. They want the rematch and they are morons. Yes, defense wins championships. Ever think that maybe SEC offenses just suck that bad? I think that's the main reason the defenses look so good. I will say this, LSU's defense this year is stacked.

All that said, great season for OSU. Be proud of your team. You are Big 12 Champions outright. No ties. Please, do us all a favor. Throw those Big 12 South Co-Champion rings away. That's not good. Now you have a real one. A matchup with Andrew Luck and the Stanford Cardinal await. After I dissect this matchup more, I'll update with an article. That's all for now. I just have have to come up with more hate adjectives to come up with the BCS.

Offense:
Brandon Weeden, Justin Blackmon, Joseph Randle, Jeremy Smith, Michael Harrison, Josh Cooper. Did I stutter? No. These guys are ballers. They are all Big XII elite players, and what's scary, any one of them can score at any moment. OU has a lot of playmakers, too, but not near this weaponry. The Cowboys have played unbelievable on offense in particular at home. They've dismantled opponents, with the exception of Kansas State, at gold-plated T. Boone Pickens Stadium. When it rains, it pours in Stillwater. Bullett's legs have got to be tired when he takes the field on Saturdays. The players know what's at stake. The fans know what's at stake. With an offense this powerful, I don't see anything getting in the way of a huge point outbreak. The Sooners' defense has been abused more than once this year, and I'm sure Gundy's boys are watching film of the Baylor and Texas Tech game as we speak figuring out exactly where OU is most vulnerable. If the Cowboys do lose this game, it won't be from a lack of point scoring.

Takeaways:
OSU leads the nation in takeaways. Call it luck. Call it being at the right place at the right time. Call it whatever you may, but there's no denying that the Pokes flourish on takeaways, especially at home. They are notorious for giving up a 10 play – 80 yard drive and recovering a fumble or forcing an interception near their own goal line. It's really hard to explain, but game after game, they figure out a way to get the ball back in Weeden's hands. We all know how Landry can be on the road. One or two slip-ups is all it would take to win the game. I do believe it comes down to ball security on who wins this game, and we would all agree, the edge before the game would go to OSU.

Revenge:
Two weeks ago, the Cowboys were stunned in Ames, Iowa. They had their National Title hopes dashed by a freshman quarterback and a letdown on defense in the second half. There's nothing more dangerous than a team coming off of a bad loss, ruining their year. I expect the Cowboys to come out with a chip on their shoulder. I think they will want to show not only the fans, but the voters of the BCS, computers and opponents that they belong in New Orleans to play for the crystal ball. They have a home crowd. There's a ton of players who, likely, will be playing their final game in Boone Pickens. I can't see Weeden and company going out without one more fun show for the sea of orange. At this point, it's all about pride and glory. OSU isn't the OSU teams of the past. This team belongs here. They didn't luck their way here. They earned it and they will show that.

Summary:
Personally, I think the over/under will be placed somewhere around 80 points. That being said, some meteorologists are calling for a cold night with a wintry mix likely. If that's the case, the favorites are from Norman. The Sooners run the ball batter, and OSU is not very good against the run. Notice on how my keys to victory did not include "defense". OU will come out pounding the ball, and if the "Belldozer" gets his chances near the goal line, there's no way OSU will win. If the skies remain clear, I see OSU knocking off OU. Anything short of a win, and it's a letdown in Stillwater for the Pokes. Same goes for OU, too. This should be a battle for ages.

TheMayor's Prediction:
Cowboys – 42
Sooners – 34

Iowa State is not a joke. They play hard for Paul Rhoads. They LOVE to play for him, and recently, they have loved playing spoiler at home. The first game that comes to mind was a couple years ago against Texas that wiped away any hope for the horns to win the Big 12 Championship.

The game just had that sense of an upset early on. The Pokes, very uncharacteristically, turned the ball over a lot. Interceptions and fumbles came early and often against the Cowboys. When a team does that, especially on the road, it spells "upset city". The Cyclones, any other day, had no business being on the field with the pokes. However, that's why they play the game. We all expected Weeden, Blackmon and Randle to have a field day against an inferior opponent. The game drug on, the Cowboys mounted a 24-7 lead early in the third quarter and from that point on, nearly every American would have labeled this game as "done".

The Pokes, once again, allowed over 500 total yards of offense. You just can't expect to win over and over giving up so many yards. In the only two recent close games, OSU hasn't had those timely turnovers that had guided them to a number 2 ranking in the BCS. Teams just can't rely on the turnover margin game after game and expect it to work.

Something happened after Weeden hit Tracy Moore early in the third for a touchdown. The Cowboys owned a 24-7 advantage. The Cyclones marched right back and forced a couple of Weeden interceptions that ultimately won the game in overtime. Was it pressure? Was it heavy hearts? Was it a pure lack of concentration? You tell me. I think it was a combination of Iowa State being in prime game mode. I think it was a sense of worry that they hadn't faced all year. Freshman quarterback Jared Barnett really shined. He accounted for over 450 total yards and three scores. He's going to be a headache for a lot of teams in the next three years for the Big 12. The Cowboys just couldn't find an answer and to me, it's unexplainable. In the end, scabbed by Weeden's third interception, Iowa State scored in three plays to end the game in double overtime 37-31.

Here are a few quotes from the OSU locker room after the game:

–"This one stings. This one's tough," said Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden, who threw three interceptions.

–"I hate it for the guys. But it's real simple. If you lose the turnover battle in such a big fashion, it's extremely hard to win a game, especially on the road," Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said.

What a tough loss for OSU, who were poised to march into New Orleans in January to play for the crystal ball. WAIT A SECOND, the Cowboys only slipped to number 4 in the BCS. That means, if Arkansas beats LSU, then Georgia somehow wins the SEC, who knows what can happen! A strong finish by the Cowboys, and with what has happened in this crazy season, anything can happen! It should be a fun ride!