Remember back in September when West Virginia won the national championship and Oklahoma lost it?
Few looked better than West Virginia through the first leg of the schedule. They scored points at an amazing rate and made their case as one of the best teams in the country, climbing as high as No. 5 in the nation.
And back in Oklahoma, the Sooners struggled through their first two games of the season before coming undone in the third, against Kansas State. They fumbled once at the K-State goal line and fumbled again at their own 2-yard line in a 24-19 loss.
Now, here we are in November, light years from where these teams were. Oklahoma is back among the BCS bowl contenders and West Virginia is dangerously close to becoming the Walking Dead, needing a win to become bowl-eligible.
Things have changed in a little more than a month's time, and when the teams meet at 6:30 p.m. Saturday night in Morgantown, W.Va. on FOX, the Sooners will still be playing for a lot while the Mountaineers will be trying to save their season.
"This is big for both teams," said Oklahoma safety Tony Jefferson. "The season veers here."
Well, we always thought that would be the case when the Big 12 schedule came out at the end of the summer, but we never thought we'd be in this spot, getting here this way, in this manner.
After all, Oklahoma wasn't supposed to lose twice at home. Then again, no one thought Kansas State and Notre Dame would be unbeaten, either.
And certainly we knew West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith was good, but he was great in September, leading a flashy offense highlighted by a flashy coach. But since, West Virginia has been absent, losers of four in a row, questions from Smith about his teammates not caring, and out of the national title picture, the conference title picture, and dangerously close to missing out on a bowl game.
"I still see a very good football team," coach Bob Stoops said. "Our guys have heard all the hype through the year, and rightfully so."
Stoops wasn't talking about the team that beat his Sooners in the 2008 Fiesta Bowl, playing impressive defense and scoring often in the 48-28 win. That hype Stoops was talking about stopped in the last four weeks.
West Virginia has gone from 2-0 in the Big 12 to 2-4. It has given up at least 45 points in five of six conference games. The Mountaineers are allowing more than 40 points per game and are last in the nation in pass defense.
"We realize they are a good team, regardless of outcome," Jefferson said. "We know what we're facing. They have a lot of weapons."
But most important, what the Sooners are facing is desperation. That may be more dangerous than any perceived weapon, real or imagined. A win against the Sooners Saturday wouldn't put the Mountaineers back in the national title picture, but it would put them back on some ground that doesn't seem to be sinking beneath them.
"There is only way to get on track, and there's only one way you can win college football," said West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen at his weekly press conference. "I don't care what conference you are in. The only way you win is by hard work. We are going to work hard."
Meanwhile, the Sooners, with a bit of help and good luck, sit at No. 12 in the BCS standings, are 7-2 overall, 5-1 in the conference and three wins away from playing in a BCS bowl. All of it is kind of odd, considering Oklahoma fell apart against Kansas State and was tied with Notre Dame with nine minutes to play before falling 30-13.
A win in either of those games, instead of a pair of losses, likely has the Sooners in the top five of the BCS standings. Instead, they need a win at Morgantown to make it to a projected Fiesta Bowl.
So, who needs it more?
"They have had a four-game losing streak," said Oklahoma receiver Jalen Saunders. "They're trying to turn around their season. You have to expect they have nothing to lose and a lot to gain."
And you have to expect the Sooners have plenty to lose.
"We're desperate also," Jefferson said. "We lost two games. I've been waiting for this game all year. New team in a new conference, talking a little smack. I'll be ready."
