Why compare losses when you could compare wins?

by GTcat on Nov 21, 2025 8:05 PM CST

So a caller on a Manhattan radio sports radio show (he's a regular) made what I thought was a pretty good point today. He was outraged about you guys dropping to 4th in the BCS (given that Oregon and OU lost, he otherwise may of not been as upset if those two occurred). Mondays are largely dedicated to Kstate on this station, but he brought up a good point. Why compare the losses between OSU and Arkansas when you can compare wins? For the sake of "body of work" I have used this week's BCS standings as a common comparison point, as I believe these rankings to reflect more accurately 'what a team is' rather than going back to 'what a team was considered the week you played them'.

Arkansas top win(s) over current BCS ranked team(s): #12 South Carolina

Oklahoma State top win(s) over current BCS ranked team(s): #25 Texas, #18 Baylor, #11 Kansas State

You should be sitting at #3 waiting for Alabama to lose to Auburn. Even if I used the 'what we thought that team was when you played them' rankings...you'd both have wins over Texas A&M, so they'd cancel each other out.

I think the caller had a point. I know if LSU wins and 'Bama loses it essentially works the same way, but this would be one less thing you'd have to depend on.

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The computers understand this

And that’s why we’re still in the second position as far as they are concerned. But the voters on the other hand … they are all about the flavor of the week.

by thunderupokst on Nov 22, 2025 8:24 PM CST reply actions

Very solid post GT

same to you Thunder. I think the computers do in fact understand this but it’s an interesting question. The Stanford coach, just this week, was complaining about who we’ve lost to - citing that their loss was to a top 10 team. What about your wins coach?

Oklahoma State on SB Nation

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by CincyJoe on Nov 23, 2025 8:52 AM CST reply actions

I hesitate to take this argument on

simply because it’s the same case gooner fans were making before their team lost to Baylor. Simply put, when the shoe was on the other foot I felt like Oregon and Bama were better one loss temas than OU because OU’s loss was to Tech. It isn’t as though Stanford, Bama, or Oregon were playing Boise State’s schedule. If I’m honest, I feel like strength of shedule only counts among 1 loss teams when their 1 loss came frome the strength of schedule. You lose to someone you shouldn’t and you don’t really have a leg to stand on in the BCS ranking argument in my mind. This applies to OSU as well. I’ll be cheering my butt off for Auburn this weekend, and if the pokes make it back into the top 2 I’ll thank our lucky stars. If it does end up LSU vs. Bama I’m not going to complain 1 bit. I hate the idea of a rematch or an all SEC NCG, but I can’t argue against it.

For what it's worth...

by Something Witty on Nov 23, 2025 10:53 AM CST reply actions

What you should look at

is the number of FBS teams with winning records each team has beaten. For Alabama I think it’s like 3? Same goes for Arkansas and Stanford. I believe that Oklahoma State has beaten 7 FBS teams with winning records. The computers show this with us being ranked #2 in the comp. polls, but human pollsters go off of history and program visibility, and that’s a shame.

by CowboyForLife09 on Nov 24, 2025 4:59 PM CST reply actions

Here we go

compare the 6 schools and who they’ve beat.

Wins vs. Division 1 teams with a winning record
1. Oklahoma State (7)
2. Boise State (6)
3. Virginia Tech (5)
4. Stanford (4)
5. Alabama and Arkansas (3)

Road wins vs. Division 1 teams with a winning record
1. Oklahoma State (4)
2. Alabama, Boise St., and Virginia Tech (2)
5. Stanford (1)
6. Arkansas (0)

Wins vs. Division 1 teams with at least 7 wins
1. Oklahoma State (4)
2. Boise St. (3)
3. Alabama, Arkansas, and Virginia Tech (2)
6. Stanford (1)

Wins vs. teams in this weeks BCS Top 25
1. Oklahoma State (3)
2. Alabama and Arkansas (2)
4. Boise St. and Virginia Tech (1)
6. Stanford (0)
*Stanford does have a win over USC who would be in the BCS Top 25 if they weren’t on probation

Winning % of teams each school beat
1. Oklahoma State (60-48) 55.5%
2. Boise St. (51-44) 53.6%
3. Alabama and Virginia Tech (51-48) 51.5%
5. Arkansas (43-55) 43.8%
6. Stanford (46-65) 41.4%

Wins over teams with a losing record or Non-Division 1
1. Alabama and Arkansas (7)
3. Stanford (6)
4. Virginia Tech (5)
5. Boise St. and Oklahoma State (3)

It’s unfortunate that so many schools are rewarded for playing such easy schedules because so many human voters are too lazy to do the research that it should take to cast such a meaningful vote.

The sad fact is that if all school names were removed from the equation and voters were only allowed to look at statistics, there is no doubt that Oklahoma State would easily be the best of this bunch. (which is exactly why OSU is tops amongst these 6 in the computer polls)

by CowboyForLife09 on Nov 24, 2025 5:06 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs

Thanks for the post GT and thanks Lifer for the stats

Great points….all valid and I think support we should go to a playoff system. We would not have all of illogical outcomes which is the BCS and I think the best team would get sorted out in the process. Non AQs would get a fair shot (along with crappy BigEast and PAC 12 getting exposed finally). All the gnashing of teeth would end. Conferences would not matter as much…

by htownpoke on Nov 26, 2025 10:19 AM CST via iPhone app reply actions

yea I've long been telling people

The BCS’s problem isn’t determining who’s #1, it’s determining who’s #2. Any system that can produce two undefeated teams at the end of the year in the same level of one sport is a flawed system. I don’t care how easy Boise State or Houston’s schedule may or may not be, but those poor teams have to go undefeated for 3 years before they get a shot at a nat’l title. What else can they do? They need a playoff to prove once and for all they are as “inferior” that everyone thinks.

"Nor yet in Dell?"

by GTcat on Nov 27, 2025 10:03 AM CST up reply actions

Great analysis "CowboyForLife09"

That is the best breakdown of the “1 lossers” I have seen yet. Too bad the talking heads on all the networks can’t put their crack research staffs to good use and come up with this type of analysis. Too busy enjoying their SEC lovefest and talking about Alabama passing the “eye test”.

They are quick to point out Boise and Houston having schedule deficiencies. Too bad it doesn’t apply to Bama or Stanford. IF the Pokes beat my Sooners than clearly it should be I’m a Man vs the Mad Hatter for all the marbles……. PERIOD!

by OhYou on Nov 30, 2025 10:11 AM CST reply actions