Opinion: Sooners should not claim 2012 Big 12 Title

Dec 01, 2012; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Blake Bell (10) celebrates with fans after defeating the TCU Horned Frogs at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Oklahoma won 24-17. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-US PRESSWIRE

It did not take long for the University of Oklahoma to start selling “Oklahoma Sooner – 2012 Big 12 Champions” gear. Immediately following the game, OU was already trying to cash in on the fact that in the new Big 12, OU has more of a claim to the Big 12 crown in a league without a conference championship game.

Is it right for OU to sell the gear? Yes, it is. Oklahoma won a Big 12 title under the new rules of the ten-team format, but should Sooner fans really be pumping their fists about Oklahoma’s eighth Big 12 title? Probably not.

I would definitely not recommend bragging about this title, Sooner fans. Especially when OU fans mocked the Longhorns for using an asterisk to claim the 2008 Big 12 title. Not to mention, Sooner fans gave a lot of flack to Oklahoma State for tweeting pictures of their cute Big 12 South championship rings.

Now does OU have more of a claim than Texas and Oklahoma State in their situations? Yes, because it is a different time in the Big 12. However, even Bob Stoops said it last year. The ten-team formula was put in place to get “one true champion.” Though, in its second year, the Big 12 was forced to hand out two trophies.

Now Kansas State will get the automatic bid to the BCS, but OU should get one as well–conference champion or not.

It would make things a lot more simpler if OU had beaten K-State earlier in the season. But they failed to protect home field, and it is the reason why no one from Norman should claim the championship.

Every time you look back in the record book, ‘2012’ will show up as a conference championship year. Now maybe 50 years from now, no one will remember. At the moment, though, it will only remind Sooner fans of what really happened in that

fabled

2012 Big 12 title year.

So yes, go ahead and buy all the merchandise you want. Act like OU deserved it, but they didn’t at the end of the day. The Sooners are definitely deserving of a trip to New Orleans, but they are not the true champs. They did not win head-to-head, but hey, it is not like the University begged for the crown. The Big 12 handed them one, and here we stand waiting for Oklahoma’s BCS fate.