NORMAN, Okla. -- In the locker room immediately after Oklahoma fell to Texas in a stunning Red River Showdown upset last month, coach Bob Stoops constructed a new battle cry for his Sooners:
"Remember the Buckeyes."
Last season, of course, Ohio State came roaring back from an early season loss to Virginia Tech to win the Big Ten, sneak into the College Football Playoff, then capture the national championship.
So in the catacombs of the Cotton Bowl, Stoops didn’t have to convince his team they were still alive in the playoff mix.
All he had to do was show them.