Mike Gundy is a Man, But Not a Politician.
By Ty Duffy
"“If somebody sat me down and said (I) had to make a decision,” Gundy said, “with where we’re at right now, Alabama lost to what would be the No. 1 team in the country (LSU), and Oklahoma State lost to Iowa State. “In our situation, if I was doing it fair, I don’t know how I could put us in front of (Alabama) right now.”"
Alabama will go to the BCS title game. Who should go if the Cowboys win Bedlam is a bigger debate and Gundy is perhaps short-selling his team a bit. The issue is how you rate teams: least embarrassing loss or best array of wins? Losing in overtime to No. 1 LSU is clearly less embarrassing than losing as heavy favorites to Iowa State. That said, the Cowboys have a far better collection of wins. Assuming an OSU win that leaves them in play, here are their wins and losses versus the Sagarin Top 30.
Alabama
Wins: Arkansas (7), Penn State (25)
Losses: LSU (1)
Oklahoma State
Wins: Oklahoma (4), Kansas State (11), Texas A&M (12), Texas (14), Baylor (16), Missouri (18), Tulsa (27)
Losses: Iowa State (29)
Assuming a three-loss Oklahoma would drop below Arkansas in the rankings, the Cowboys would still have six wins better than Alabama’s second-best win, Penn State (notably not in the SEC). Oklahoma State might not be a better team, but they have a compelling argument. If only there was some simple way we could settle this on the field…
Previously: OSU Coach Mike Gundy Facing Lawsuit For Allegedly Firing Worker Wearing Oklahoma Shirt
[Photo via Getty]