Here’s how OSU gets in the title game

Photo Attribution: USATSI

I refused to even think about it before Baylor and even now it seems a bit silly but to channel Lloyd Christmas here’s how Oklahoma State would find itself playing in the national title game in 50 days.

First, beat OU — This is obvious but it feels like it’s being a bit overlooked right now. Everybody’s like “we’re headed to the Fiesta!” except for that 9-2 OU team coming on Dec. 7….

After that there are six teams ahead of OSU right now in the BCS standings. You have to get five of them out of the way by the end of the day on Dec. 7.

Here they are:

1. Bama
2. Florida State
3. Ohio State
4. Auburn
5. Missouri
6. Clemson
7. Oklahoma State

Let’s get rid of those one-by-one…

Clemson — Have to lose at South Carolina this Saturday. South Carolina is a 5-point favorite. Bye, Clemson.

Missouri — Have to lose at home to A&M on Saturday. Do your thing, JFF. Go get that Heisman. Missouri is a 4-point favorite, though. The alternative to this is Missouri winning this week and getting killed in the SEC Championship where it will be an underdog to Alabama.[1. If Alabama gets there which we’ll get to in a second.] Bye, Mizzou.

If you’re scoring at home, that’s zero upsets OSU needs so far. SC over Clemson and Bama over Mizzou. A&M over Mizzou would be an upset.

Auburn — Have to lose to Bama on Saturday. Bama is an 11-point favorite so that should happen. Three not-upsets so far. Bye, Auburn.

So if South Carolina, A&M, and Bama win this weekend, we have ourselves a situation. Oklahoma State would likely be No. 4 in next week’s BCS as no teams behind it would jump ahead of the Pokes (I don’t think).

Then…

Ohio State — Have to lose at Michigan on Saturday where it is a 14-point favorite or to Michigan State in the Big 10 title game where it will likely be a 10ish-point favorite. Maybe seven or eight.

I don’t think Ohio State is anything special so either one could happen. Not likely, though. Let’s give Michigan State the Big 10 title for fun. Bye, tOSU.

Side note: If Ohio State loses in the Big House on Saturday in addition to Clemson, Mizzou, and Auburn losing, Oklahoma State will almost definitely be No. 3 going to Bedlam. That’s a code red alert situation, by the way.

Ohio State will drop below Oklahoma State because Michigan and WVU are nearly equivalent losses (I know that’s hard to believe for Michigan fans) and the silliness of the polls will help our OSU.

Why do I say the silliness of the polls? Because when you lose matters. Don’t believe me? Oklahoma State has a chance for the national title and Baylor doesn’t. Tell me which team had a worse loss. Go ahead. Now tell me which had a more recent loss.

Because Baylor’s is the freshest in our memory they are penalized. Case in point: If Oklahoma State loses to Iowa State in September 2011, it probably plays for the national title. That’s insanity, when you think about it.

Anyway, back to the exercise..

Florida State — Have to lose at Flolrida or in the ACC Championship game against either Duke or Virginia Tech. The chances of any of the three happening are somewhere between laughable and “Marcus Smart playing a middle schooler one-on-one.”

Even if FSU lost to, say, Duke in the ACC Championship (which, oh my!) I’m not sure it would fall enough for OSU to replace it. We’d definitely have a 2011 situation on our hands all over again, except this time OSU would be playing the role of Alabama.

So that’s an issue. But let’s give Duke the ACC title. They play it at Cameron, yes? Bye, FSU.

The other thing is the Famous Jameis case. I don’t know how it plays in but I feel like it’s probably going to at some point.

Alabama — Oklahoma State needs Bama to win out. Badly.

If Bama loses to Auburn, the dream is likely dead because I don’t think Florida State AND Ohio State are losing AND OSU is jumping Bama. That’s just too unlikely.

But if Bama smokes Auburn and Mizzou as it will be favored to do and South Carolina beats Clemson as it is favored to do then Oklahoma State only needs to win and have two upsets (albeit two monstrous ones): Duke or Florida over FSU and Michigan or Michigan State over Ohio State.

That’s it.

I’ve seen crazier things.

I’ve seen Ames on a Friday night in November.

Can somebody FedEx me a Cameron Crazy outfit?