Quick Slant: Oklahoma State and Being Aware of Pitfalls

Our leader and SBN's chief nerd touched a little bit on this topic in the BTBS preview, but I wanted to offer my thoughts on this topic.

When the season started, there were a handful of games that I believe most college football fans were looking at from a national perspective as being critical to the determine who would play for the BCS Championship.

One of those games was Bedlam. 

The Cowboys, to this point, have passed two of the four perceived preseason tests, scoring close victories over Texas A&M in College Station (30-29) and over Texas in Austin (38-26). Coming to Mizzou was the third road test, and then Bedlam at home was the final exam hurdle for the Cowboys.

If we continue to think of the season like we would a class, there is a pop quiz that was added to the syllabus late in the semester that might be more daunting than anyone would have predicted before the season started: the November 5 game against Kansas State.

Obviously, Mizzou can give Oklahoma State some headaches, since we can run the ball pretty well. But that is K-State's M.O. If the Cowboys want to come close to those preseason expectations, and truly make Bedlam a national semifinal as it is setting up to be, they have to stop the run these next few weeks. Can they? 

We'll get a glimpse tomorrow.