Stormin in Norman
Fansided

Oklahoma football has survived but not thrived from championship controversy

By Chip Rouse

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - DECEMBER 28: Head coach Lincoln Riley of the Oklahoma Sooners and quarterback Joe Burrow #9 of the LSU Tigers embrace after LSU Tigers wins the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl 28-63 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 28, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - DECEMBER 28: Head coach Lincoln Riley of the Oklahoma Sooners and quarterback Joe Burrow #9 of the LSU Tigers embrace after LSU Tigers wins the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl 28-63 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 28, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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NEW ORLEANS – JANUARY 4: Defensive tackle Chad Lavalais #93 of the Louisiana State Tigers celebrates after stopping quarterback Jason White #18 and the rest of the Oklahoma Sooners offense in the Nokia Sugar Bowl National Championship on January 4, 2004 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The LSU Tigers defeated the Oklahoma Sooners 21-14 to win the National Championship. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS – JANUARY 4: Defensive tackle Chad Lavalais #93 of the Louisiana State Tigers celebrates after stopping quarterback Jason White #18 and the rest of the Oklahoma Sooners offense in the Nokia Sugar Bowl National Championship on January 4, 2004 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The LSU Tigers defeated the Oklahoma Sooners 21-14 to win the National Championship. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

2003 BCS National Championship

The Sooners were undefeated and had been ranked No. 1 in the country the entire 2003 season when they faced off against Kansas State, champions of the Big 12’s North Division, for the conference championship. Oklahoma scored first, going up 7-0 on its first possession, but K-State scored the next 35 points in completing a shocking 35-7 upset win.

USC finished the 2003 season with a 11-1 record and No. 1 in both the AP and Coaches Poll, and LSU was No. 2 with a 12-1 record. Those two teams appeared headed for a national title game showdown, only the BCS formula for determining the two teams that would compete for the national championship had other ideas.

Despite the surprising and decisive loss to Kansas State, the BCS algorithms determined that the Sooners overall body of work and strength of schedule was strong enough to keep them No. 1 despite not being a conference champion. USC was the ultimate loser in the process because the BCS formula dropped the Trojans behind LSU into the No. 3 spot in the final BCS rankings.

This sparked a huge controversy that continued into the College Football Playoff era over whether teams should be allowed to play for the national championship if they didn’t win their conference title.

Oklahoma lost to LSU in the BCS National Championship and fell to No. 3 in the final national rankings. USC defeated Michigan in the Rose Bowl and was awarded the national championship by the Associated Press media voters. LSU was declared national champion by vote of the coaches, resulting in a split national championship.

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