Oklahoma was ranked earlier this week as the top two-loss team by the College Football Playoff selection committee.
They sure looked deserving of that respect on Saturday.
Against lowly Iowa State, the Sooners' high-powered offense exceeded expectations for a record-breaking 59-14 performance on what has been a difficult Big 12 road trip for some teams.
Quarterback Trevor Knight looked like the Sugar Bowl version of himself, becoming the first FBS signal-caller this season to throw for three touchdowns while rushing for another three scores. He finished the day with 230 yards passing (and two interceptions) and added 146 on the ground.
Knight was used effectively in the quarterback run game all day long against an overmatched ISU defense, and that clearly opened things up quite a bit for the team. Tailbacks Alex Ross and Samaje Perine both exceeded 100 yards rushing to give the Sooners three players with 100-plus rushing yards in a game for the first time since 1992.
Despite playing a ton of backups in the second half, the Sooners kept their streak of scoring in consecutive quarters intact (32). If there was any negative for the offense, it was the fact that star wide receiver Sterling Shepard left the game with an injury after making a catch early in the first quarter. Head coach Bob Stoops said after the game that Shepard is "wait and see" for next week's game against Baylor.
Linebacker Eric Striker also had a terrific outing and was all over the field for a Sooners defense that limited the Cyclones offense on third down and on the ground, holding them to less than 100 yards rushing. Striker, a potential early round NFL draft pick whether he enters the draft after this season or next, at one point missed the quarterback on a blitz but showed off plenty of closing speed to chase him down and make the tackle on the play anyway.
Iowa State tight end E.J. Bibbs is one of the best at his position in the country but was limited as a pass-catcher and caught just two passes for 39 yards in the team's sixth loss of the season.
The impressive outing should no doubt give Oklahoma a boost heading into its meeting with highly ranked Baylor. That game will have significant Big 12 implications.
You can follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.
