W. Virginia 33 - 45 Oklahoma (Final)

The Sooners run out the clock, and they have survived a tricky challenge from a very game West Virginia team.  The Mountaineers gave it everything they had, but in the end they did not have Samaje Perine, and the Sooners did.  Perine finished with 242 yards and four touchdowns on 34 carries in one of the best performances you will see from any running back, much less a freshman.

WVU's record in UCFC play falls to 16-10, but so long as the trophy remains in the Big XII, they will eventually get another shot at it.

OU wins its 32d UCFC game in history, and its sixth in a row.  The Sooners are now 32-16-1 in UCFC play.  They get to enjoy this victory for two weeks, and they will then take the Big Gold Trophy to Fort Worth, Tex. for a game on October 4 against the Texas Christian Horned Frogs.  We look forward to it.

W. Virginia 33 - 45 Oklahoma (2:11 left in 4th Quarter)

Sterling Shepherd, the excellent OU wide receiver, has 100 yards on six carries in this game.  But he just made another huge play, scooping up the onside kick.  The Big Gold Trophy is going back to Norman!

W. Virginia 33 - 45 Oklahoma (2:12 left in 4th Quarter)

Given an 18-point lead, the OU defense -- which has been excellent in the second half -- takes its foot off the gas, and WVU quickly takes advantage.  The Mountaineers go 75 yards in only 9 plays, and the wonderfully-named Dreamius Smith of Wichita, Kan. rumbles in from 11 yards out for the score.  The Mountaineers go for two, but don't really come close, as Trickett's pass is broken up by the OU defense.  Now it's time for an onside kick.

W. Virginia 27 - 45 Oklahoma (4:30 left in 4th Quarter)

Heeding the call of people all across Oklahoma, who were yelling at their televisions, "GIVE IT TO PERINE!" the OU coaching staff did, in fact, give the ball to Samaje Perine again and again.  The Pflugerville Pflash blasted in from 19 yards out to give OU an 18-point lead that probably puts this game away.

What a game for Perine.  The freshman has 228 yards on 31 carries and four rushing touchdowns -- including three in the second half.  He is the first OU running back to rush for over 200 yards since a guy named Adrian Peterson.  Perine would be a game-changer almost anywhere, but in the Big XII -- where defenses are set up to stop the passing attacks so common throughout the league -- he can be particularly devastating.

W. Virginia 27 - 38 Oklahoma (8:51 left in 4th Quarter)

The Mountaineers cannot get the first down they so desperately need.  On 4th and 4, Trickett cannot find anyone open and is forced to throw the ball away.  The Sooners will take over on their own 34 with a golden chance to run some clock.

W. Virginia 27 - 38 Oklahoma (9:41 left in 4th Quarter)

Huge play coming up.  WVU has moved the ball to the OU 41, in large part thanks to Kevin White, who has 8 receptions in this game for 156 yards.  But the Mountaineers now face 3d and 11.  Obviously, they really need to score on this possession.

W. Virginia 27 - 38 Oklahoma (13:08 left in 4th Quarter)

With first down at the WVU 48, and a chance to put the game away, OU committed a personal foul.  That pretty much killed that drive, and the Sooners were quickly forced to punt.  WVU will start from its own 14.

W. Virginia 27 - 38 Oklahoma (14:28 left in 4th Quarter)

With first and 10 on the OU 45, WVU quarterback Clint Trickett dropped back to pass -- but was hammered by Geneo Grissom, a very large linebacker from Hutchinson H.S. in Hutchinson, Kan.  Trickett dropped the ball, the Sooners scooped it up, and OU takes over at the WVU 48.

W. Virginia 27 - 38 Oklahoma (15 minutes left in 4th Quarter)

WVU has taken the kickoff, and now faces a 3d and 1 at its own 49.  Fifteen minutes left to decide who will get the Big Gold Trophy.

W. Virginia 27 - 38 Oklahoma (1 minute left in 3d Quarter)

There's that man again.  For the third time today, freshman Samaje Perine chugs into the end zone -- this time from five yards out.  He has been tremendous so far tonight.  OU now has its biggest lead of the game.

W. Virginia 27 - 31 Oklahoma (1:04 left in 3d Quarter)

Determined to build on their lead, the Sooners are pounding the WVU defense with their rushing game.  Perine now has 154 yards on 21 carries, and the Sooners have a second and goal at the WVU 5.  OU calls time.

W. Virginia 27 - 31 Oklahoma (4:58 left in 3d Quarter)

But no!  On 2d and 11 from the OU 48, Clint Trickett throws a terrible pass that is picked off by Quentin Hayes (of Lancaster H.S. in Lancaster, Tex.)  The Sooners take over at their own 40, and now they have another chance to seize control of this game.

W. Virginia 27 - 31 Oklahoma (4:58 left in 3d Quarter)

On third and 5 from the OU 30, Sooner quarterback Trevor Knight makes a disastrous decision -- throwing a pass across the middle that is intercepted by linebacker Wes Tonkery of Bridgeport H.S. in Shinnston, W. Va.  WVU takes over at the OU 47 with a golden chance to take the lead.

W. Virginia 27 - 31 Oklahoma (6:28 left in 3d Quarter)

The WVU drive stalled, and Josh Lambert booted his second field goal of the game to pull the Mountaineers within 4.  This game -- and the Big Gold Trophy -- are still very much up for grabs.

W. Virginia 24 - 31 Oklahoma (8:25 left in 3d Quarter)

Facing 3d and 10 from their 45, the Mountaineers call a screen -- and it works, as Wendall Smallwood of Wilmington, Del. scoots all the way down to the OU 18.  Suddenly WVU is back in business.

W. Virginia 24 - 31 Oklahoma (9:13 left in 3d Quarter)

The Sooners cannot break the game open.  In fact, they go three and out.  OU is forced to punt -- the punt isn't very good -- and the Mountaineers will start from their own 45.

W. Virginia 24 - 31 Oklahoma (10:23 left in 3d Quarter)

No, the Mountaineers cannot hold serve.  They get to the OU 42, but there the drive stalls and the Mountaineers are forced to punt.  OU takes over at its own 12 with a chance to build a two-possession lead.

By the way, Samaje Perine -- who has been the dominant player in this game for the Sooners -- is a true freshman.

W. Virginia 24 - 31 Oklahoma (12:22 left in 3d Quarter)

The Sooners take the kickoff to open the second half, and quickly goes straight down the field for another touchdown.  Perine dashes in from 9 yards out for his second TD of the game.  He is having a huge game -- 18 carries for 135 yards so far.

Now can the Mountaineers hold serve?

W. Virginia 24 - 24 Oklahoma (Halftime)

The Mountaineers got to midfield, but then Trickett's pass was intercepted by Zack Sanchez -- the fifth straight game in which he's had an interception.

So here we are:

First quarter:  W. Virginia 7, Oklahoma 3
Second quarter:  Oklahoma 21, W. Virginia 17
Halftime:  W. Virginia 24, Oklahoma 24

Total Net Yards:  W. Virginia 279, Oklahoma 271

THE BIG GOLD TROPHY IS UP FOR GRABS!

W. Virginia 24 - 24 Oklahoma (1:09 left in 2d Quarter)

Just like I said -- onside kicks are rational in Big XII football.  WVU ignores this fact, boots it deep -- and immediately gives up a 100-YARD KICKOFF RETURN FOR A TOUCHDOWN.  The return came from Alex Ross of Jenks H.S. in Jenks, Okla.

So we're all tied up again -- but the Mountaineers will get one more shot before halftime.

W. Virginia 24 - 17 Oklahoma (1:20 left in 2d Quarter)

See, once you really get into a true Big XII shootout, it's rational to try onside kicks, because the other team will probably score from no matter where they get it.  WVU takes the ball, zooms down the field, and scores on a one-yard run by Rushel Shell (a transfer from the University of Pittsburgh).  Once again, the Mountaineers have held serve.

W. Virginia 17 - 17 Oklahoma (2:50 left in the 2d Quarter)

Oklahoma tries an ONSIDE KICK -- but it doesn't work.  WVU takes over at its own 45.

W. Virginia 17 - 17 Oklahoma (3:09 left in 2d Quarter)

No trickery this time -- the OU line blasts WVU out of the way and Perine carries the ball in for another Sooner touchdown.  Once again we are all tied up.  A great game so far.

W. Virginia 17 - 10 Oklahoma (3:52 left in 2d Quarter)

Back and forth we go.  OU has taken the ball and zipped down to the WVU 2.  Another 3d and goal coming up.

W. Virginia 17 - 10 Oklahoma (7:45 left in 2d Quarter)

OK, now this is starting to look like a Big XII game -- all that defense was making me nervous.  WVU takes the kickoff and drives straight down the field -- 75 yards in about six plays.  The last play was a 25 yard pass from Clint Trickett to Mario Alford (of Greenville, Ga.)  The Mountaineers have regained their touchdown lead.

W. Virginia 10 - 10 Oklahoma (8:58 left in 2d Quarter)

But the SOONERS DON'T WANT TO GIVE UP THE BIG GOLD TROPHY!  A long pass from Knight to Sterling Shepherd of Heritage Hall H.S. in Oklahoma City, Okla., and a long run from Samaje Perine of Hendrickson H.S. in Pflugerville, Tex. takes the ball deep into WVU territory.  The Mountaineers defense stiffened, forcing a 3d and goal from the WVU 4.  At this point OU went for trickery.  Perine had the ball on a sweep, but he pitched it to Durron Neal (of De Smet Jesuit H.S. in St. Louis) on a reverse -- but then NEAL FLIPPED A PASS TO QB KNIGHT, who was WIDE OPEN IN THE END ZONE.  Great, great stuff.  So now we're all tied up.

W. Virginia 10 - 3 Oklahoma (11 minutes left in 2d Quarter)

But no!  Josh Lambert shakes off the penalty and boots a 54-yard field goal to put WVU up by a touchdown.  What a kick!  The folks in Morgantown are going wild, and OU really needs to get its offense on track.

W. Virginia 7 - 3 Oklahoma (11:20 left in 2d Quarter)

Potentially a big play here.  WVU kicked a field goal to take a 10-3 lead, but the field goal was waved off due to a penalty on the Mountaineers.

W. Virginia 7 - 3 Oklahoma (12:27 left in 2d Quarter)

Trevor Knight of Reagan H.S. in San Antonio, Tex. is the quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners.  Usually by this point in the game he's already thrown a couple of touchdowns.  But he is really struggling here -- 6 of 15 for only 63 yards.  The Sooners go three-and-out again and punt the ball for the fourth time in this game.  WVU takes over at its own 46 with a golden chance to tack onto its lead.

W. Virginia 7 - 3 Oklahoma (13:28 left in 2d Quarter)

WVU gets out to its own 43, but not much further.  Another excellent punt from Nick O'Toole is downed at the OU 13.

W. Virginia 7 - 3 Oklahoma (7 seconds left in 1st Quarter)

Believe it or not, we had time for the Sooners to go three and out and squeeze their third punt of the quarter.  WVU -- with a very pumped up crowd now -- will take over at its own 23.

W. Virginia 7 - 3 Oklahoma (39 seconds left in 1st Quarter)

Now that's like the West Virginia we remember from a few years ago when they held the UCFC.  After getting a first down at his own 32, Clint Trickett (a transfer from Florida State) hurled a long pass to Kevin White of Plainfield, N.J.  White had simply raced past Zack Sanchez, a cornerback from Central H.S. in Fort Worth, Tex., and then White zipped into the end zone.

Josh Lambert of Garland H.S. in Garland, Tex. booted the extra point, and WVU had a four-point lead.  This is the first time OU has trailed all year.  It's also the first time this season that the Sooners have given up points in the first quarter.

W. Virginia 0 - 3 Oklahoma (1:58 left in 1st Quarter)

But the WVU defense holds, and Oklahoma punts -- that's five punts in this quarter.  OU appeared to have a good chance to down the ball inside the 5, but they couldn't do so, and the ball went into the end zone for a touchback.

W. Virginia 0 - 3 Oklahoma (3:41 left in 1st Quarter)

West Virginia is really struggling on offense.  They go three and out and punt for the third time in this quarter.  The Mountaineers have 26 yards on offense so far.  The Sooners take over at their own 32.

W. Virginia 0 - 3 Oklahoma (4:20 left in 1st Quarter)

A solid drive by the Sooners takes the ball from their own 5 to the WVU 25, but there it stalls.  Michael Hunnicutt of Pearce H.S. in Richardson, Tex. boots a 42-yard field goal to give the Sooners an early lead.

This has been a pretty good game so far, with a lot of energy on both teams and on both sides of the ball.  WVU fans will be concerned that their guys haven't done much on offense, but they're about to get another chance.

W. Virginia 0 - 0 Oklahoma (9:46 left in 1st Quarter)

Three punts already.  WVU gets to its own 43 and can't go any further.  Nick O'Toole of Corona, Calif. punts the ball all the way down to the OU 5, where the Sooners make a fair catch.  So the Sooners have a long way to go.

W. Virginia 0 - 0 Oklahoma (11:48 left in 1st Quarter)

OU gets to the WVU 46, can't get any further, and punts into the end zone.  The Mountaineers will start at their own 20.

W. Virginia 0 - 0 Oklahoma (13:21 left in 1st Quarter)

WVU takes the kickoff, goes three-and-out, and punts.  OU takes over at its own 32.

W. Virginia 0 - 0 Oklahoma (15 minutes left in 1st Quarter)

We're on FOX tonight, with the excellent Gus Johnson on the mike.  Huge crowd in Morgantown, wearing tee-shirts that give a blue-and-gold checkerboard appearance to the stadium.

Uniform watch:  WVU is going with gold helmets with the blue WV logo, dark blue jerseys and pants with gold numerals.  The numerals are a ridiculous font not seen since Lee Petty retired from NASCAR.  Oklahoma, entering into the spirit of the modern Big XII, has eschewed their usual road uniforms, which are among the best in all of sports.  Instead, the Sooners are going with a shiny version of their usual crimson helmet with white OU logo, white shirts with crimson sleeves and the word "OKLAHOMA" over their numerals, which are of a font only slightly less goofy than WVU's.  They are also wearing crimson pants with white stripes down the side.

The whole effect of the two uniforms is not too bad, although the footage from this game will seem very dated in a few years.

W. Virginia v. Oklahoma

For most of their history, these two proud schools -- each of which lies on a different frontier of Jacksonian America -- have had little contact on the football field.  In 1958, Oklahoma smashed West Virginia 47-14.  In 1978, OU repeated the trick, winning 52-10.  But in 1982, West Virginia stunned the Sooners, winning 41-27 in Norman, Okla.  Finally, on January 2, 2008 West Virginia upset the Sooners in the Fiesta Bowl, rolling to a 48-28 win.  So that was it -- four games in 50 years, with a 2-2 record by both sides.

But after the 2011 season, West Virginia joined the Big XII Conference, meaning that this is the third year in a row that the Mountaineers and Sooners have met on the gridiron.  So far these games have been entertaining.  The 2012 match-up in Morgantown, W. Va. was a wild 50-49 win for the Sooners -- that game did not go to overtime; the teams scored 109 points in 60 minutes.  Last year, in Norman, the teams fought a defensive struggle, with OU grinding out a 16-7 win.

What will happen this year?  OU hasn't really been challenged so far, and this will be their first true road game -- a visit to Tulsa hardly counts as a difficult environment.  On the other hand, the Sooners are the number 4 team in the country, according to the AP Poll.  West Virginia put up a valiant effort in their opener against Alabama, losing 33-23 on a neutral field.  Since then, the Mountaineers have beaten Towson 54-0 at home and beaten Maryland 40-37 on the road.  Tonight WVU has a chance to break into the national spotlight by beating the Sooners before a very rabid crowd in Morgantown.  And the Mountaineers are good in UCFC play, with an all-time record of 16-9 in such games.  Readers of this blog will remember how WVU won the title in the 2012 Sugar Bowl and kept it through the first half of the 2012 season.

How to pick this game?  The over-under for the game is 65, and the Sooners are favored by 7 1/2 points.  That works out to something like a 36-29 win for OU.  That certainly makes sense on paper, but we haven't seen that many close UCFC games since the trophy went to the Big XII, and I wouldn't be surprised if the game broke dramatically in favor of one team or the other.

Oklahoma 34 - 10 Tennessee (Final)

Oklahoma didn't have too much trouble with the very young Vols, and cruised to an easy win.

Oklahoma has now defended the UCFC four times in a row.  The Sooners' record in UCFC play is now 31-16-1.  The Vols' UCFC record is 10-11-2.

Oklahoma 27 - 7 Tennessee (12:25 left in 3d Quarter)

And there's your ball game.  Trevor Knight leads the Sooners 75 yards in only six plays, and dashes in from seven yards out for the touchdown.

Tennessee has made a game effort on the road, but the Vols are just not close to being at the same level as Oklahoma.  So we're calling this game for the Sooners, and we'll do a wrap-up post later.

Oklahoma 20 - 7 Tennessee (14:55 left in 3d Quarter)

The Sooners take the second half kickoff out to their own 25.  They have another chance to put this game away.

Oklahoma 20 - 7 Tennessee (Halftime)

The Sooners quickly got to the UT 35, but then Trevor Knight's pass was tipped and intercepted by LaDarrell McNeil of Wilmer-Hutchins H.S. in Dallas.  That ended the half.

Oklahoma appears to be much better than Tennessee.  The Sooners had 289 net yards in the first half, compared to only 134 for the Vols.  UT's only successful drive appeared to be largely a matter of lucky plays, while the Sooners moved up and down the field with ease.  Unless something really odd happens, the Sooners will be keeping the Big Gold Trophy.

Oklahoma 20 - 7 Tennessee (29 seconds left in 2d Quarter)

Tennessee can do nothing and punts to the OU 30.  The Sooners have the chance to put this game away right now.

Oklahoma 20 - 7 Tennessee (1:33 left in 2d Quarter)

Buoyed by the bad call, the Sooners quickly score a touchdown on a 10-yard run by Keith Ford.

Oklahoma 13 - 7 Tennessee (2:37 left in 2d Quarter)

A huge break for the Sooners, who are at the Tennessee 29.  OU seems to clearly fumble the ball, but the referees call the Sooner running back down, and the video evidence on review is not sufficient to overturn that call.  OU keeps the ball and will soon expand its lead.

Oklahoma 13 - 7 Tennessee (5:06 left in 2d Quarter)

Oklahoma's defense holds, and the Vols punt to the Sooner 19.

Oklahoma 13 - 7 Tennessee (5:06 left in 2d Quarter)

Oklahoma's defense holds, and the Vols punt to the Sooner 19.

Oklahoma 13 - 7 Tennessee (8:09 left in 2d Quarter)

An inspired Tennessee defense holds OU three and out.  The Sooners punt, and the Vols will take over at their own 33.

Oklahoma 13 - 7 Tennessee (9:46 left in Second Quarter)

Game on!  UT takes the ball and survives a whole series of third and longs to get to the Oklahoma 40 -- at which point the Tennessee quarterback (Justin Worley of Northwestern H.S. in Rock Hill, S. C.) hits Josh Smith (of the Christian Academy of Knoxville in Knoxville, Tenn.) with a 40-yard touchdown pass.  Aaron Medley of Marshall County H.S. in Lewisburg, Tenn. boots the extra point, and the Vols are back in this game.

Oklahoma 13 - 0 Tennessee (12:47 left in 2d Quarter)

After an exchange of punts, the Vols take over on their own 21.

Oklahoma 13 - 0 Tennessee (4 seconds left in 1st Quarter)

More of the same.  Tennessee takes the kickoff, can't do much, and punts.  OU takes over on its own 37, and quickly zips into field goal range.  Their drive stalls, and Michael Hunnicutt boots a 27-yard field goal to give OU a 13-point lead.

Oklahoma 10 - 0 Tennessee (5:52 left in 1st Quarter)

This game is getting out of hand pretty quickly.  It takes OU less than a minutes to go 54 yards for their first touchdown of the game.  The drive ended with a 23-yard pass from Trevor Knight of Reagan H.S. in San Antonio, Tex. to Keith Ford of Cypress Ranch H.S. in Cypress, Tex.

Oklahoma 3 - 0 Tennessee (7:40 left in 1st Quarter)

Tennessee took the kickoff and drove into Oklahoma territory, but the UT quarterback fumbled the ball, turning it over to the Sooners at the OU 46.  The fumble was recovered by Quentin Hayes of Lancaster H.S. in Lancaster, Tex.

Oklahoma 3 - 0 Tennessee (9:48 left in 1st Quarter)

It's not looking good for the Vols so far.  They took the opening kickoff, went three and out, and punted to Oklahoma.  The Sooners then quickly zipped from their 42 to the Tennessee 11.  At this point, Oklahoma's drive stalled, and Michael Hunnicutt of Pearce H.S. in Richardson, Tex. booted a field goal to give OU the early lead.

Oklahoma 0 - 0 Tennessee (15 minutes left in 1st Quarter)

We're about to kick off.  For the first two hours, I will be blogging while watching two episodes of Doctor Who.  Right now, the Doctor is in the 1190's dealing with Robin Hood.

Oklahoma v. Tennessee

The Sooners and the Vols are two of the most successful teams in college football history, but they have only met twice in their history.  On January 2, 1939 they met in the Orange Bowl, where the Vols cruised to an easy 17-0 victory -- their fifth shutout in a row.  On January 1, 1968, Oklahoma and Tennessee again met in the Orange Bowl in a game that also decided the UCFC.  This time the Sooners prevailed, pulling out a 26-24 thriller that allowed them to keep the Big Gold Trophy.

This year's game is not expected to be so dramatic.  Vegas thinks that the teams will combine to score 57 points and that Oklahoma will win by 21.  That works out to something like a 38-17 win for the Sooners, with the possibility of an extra Sooner field goal to cover the spreads.  One story here is that Bob Stoops, the Oklahoma coach, is an outspoken critic of the Southeastern Conference, which he claims is overrated.  Stoops's team pounded Alabama in the Sugar Bowl in January, and he will want to underscore his point with a crushing win over Tennessee tonight.  But at least for a quarter or so, this should feel like a big-time game.

Tennessee

Only eight schools in Division I-A college football have won more than 800 games.  Seven of those schools would be pretty easy for any college football fan to guess:  Michigan (911), Notre Dame (876), Texas (875), Nebraska (867), Ohio State (850), Oklahoma (844), and Alabama (840).  But my guess is that most fans would struggle to name the eighth team on the list.  It is not Southern Cal (798), LSU (755), Penn State (732), Florida (685), Miami (Fla.) (583), UCLA (569), or Florida State (501).  No, it is Tennessee, with an all-time record of 806-361-53.  Tennessee also ranks 10th in winning percentage (.682), 6th in bowl appearances (49), and 7th in NFL draft picks (337).  The Vols also have two AP national titles, one in 1951 and the other in 1998.  This is one of the all-time great college football programs.

It is true, of course, that the Vols have piled up 149 wins -- over 18 percent of their total -- against Kentucky and Vanderbilt, two of the worst programs in all of Division I-A.  It is also true that the Vols have a losing record against their two biggest rivals, Alabama (38-51-7) and Florida (19-24).  And these facts have tended to keep Tennessee from getting the national recognition for which their fans -- and they may have the most rabid fans in the country -- so desperately hunger.

But in General Bob Neyland (that's no nickname, he was a Brigadier General in World War II), who had a record of 173-31-12 from the mid-1920's until 1952, the Vols can claim one of college football's greatest coaches.  Credit must also go to Peyton Manning and Philip Fulmer (all-time record of 152-52), who brought the Vols back to national prominence in the 1990's.  Tennessee fans exaggerate the greatness of their program, to the intense annoyance of their fellow SEC members.  However, they don't exaggerate by much.

Nevertheless, the Vols have fallen on hard times in recent years.  Fulmer lost ground vis-a-vis the rest of the SEC in the 2000's, and a 5-7 record in 2008 was enough for the hot-heads in Knoxville to replace him with the youthful Lane Kiffin.  At the time, most folks on Rocky Top thought this was a brilliant move, and that Kiffin was a young genius who could return them to the top of the heap.  But Kiffin came to believe his own hype, and left for Southern Cal after only one season.  Left in the lurch by Kiffin's swift departure, UT was forced to settle for Derek Dooley, a nice man who did not appear to be up to SEC standards, or at least to Tennessee standards.  Showing unaccustomed levels of patience, the Vols stuck with Dooley for three losing seasons in a row, by which Tennessee had almost disappeared from the national scene.  Dooley was finally replaced with one game left in the 2012 season, with a dismal record of 15-21.  The Vols then turned to Butch Jones, who had enjoyed great success at the University of Cincinnati.  Jones appeared to bring a new level of seriousness and organization to Knoxville, but a lack of talent doomed him to a 5-7 record last year -- Tennessee's fourth losing season in a row.

This year, UT fans are desperate to see significant improvement, and so far the Vols look better.  They opened with easy home wins over Utah State (38-7) and Arkansas State (34-19).  They are almost certainly not ready for a prime time UCFC battle on the road against Oklahoma.  But the ever-ambitious Tennessee fans will like the feeling of being back in big-time college football -- at least for awhile.

Tennessee is 10-10-2 in UCFC play.  But they have not held the title since September 20, 1975, when they were beaten 34-28 by UCLA.  Their biggest UCFC game came on January 2, 1998, when they played Nebraska for the National Championship.  That game, however, did not go so well for the Vols, who lost 42-17.  Since then, they have had three more shots at the crown, losing to Miami (Fla.) in 2002, Florida in 2007, and Florida in 2009.

Tulsa 7 - 52 Oklahoma (Final)

Normally we give each team that plays for the UCFC a few write-ups, including an individual post describing the football history of the school.  But this game was so forgettable that I literally did not remember it was taking place until Oklahoma already had a 31-0 lead, so I don't think Tulsa deserves the full UCFC treatment.

The most interesting thing about this game is that Tulsa has actually held the UCFC on several occasions.  On November 10, 1934, they took the title from Centenary -- Centenary! -- with a 14-8 victory.  They held it until September 27, 1935, until they lost it to Central Oklahoma.  But they won it on October 3, 1936 with a 40-7 win over Central Oklahoma -- only to lose it the next w4eek to TCU.  Tulsa didn't get the title again until September 21, 1996, when they upset Iowa 27-20.  Tulsa then beat Oklahoma (!) 31-24 to keep the title, and then beat Colorado State 20-14 to keep it for another week.  But then they lost the crown to BYU (who kept it until the end of the season), and they haven't had it since.  Tulsa entered this game with a very respectable record of 6-6-1 in UCFC games, and even after this blowout their record of 6-7-1 is not too shabby.

(For the record, Centenary got the title on October 20, 1934, when they beat Texas 9-6.  You won't see that result any time soon.)

Anyway, Oklahoma crushed Tulsa with very little difficulty, and they are now 30-16-1 in UCFC play.  This weekend, the Sooners will host the Tennessee Volunteers in what feels like the first true UCFC bout of the season.

Oklahoma 48 - 16 Louisiana Tech (Final)

Well, this wasn't much of a game -- although Oklahoma did not cover the 35-point spread. So that's something for the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs' record in UCFC play falls to 0-5.  Oklahoma moves to 29-16-1.