College football roundup: Alabama sheds aura of invincibility in Sugar Bowl

NEW ORLEANS In the final year of the Bowl Championship Series, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops won the one major bowl that had eluded him and proved a point about parity in the process.

After taking the past month to cultivate a young quarterback who was still coming into his own, Stoops brought a confident and motivated squad to the Sugar Bowl, where they stunned 16-point favorite Alabama, 45-31, on Thursday night.

Freshman Trevor Knight completed a Sugar Bowl-record 32 passes for 348 yards and four touchdowns for 11th-ranked Oklahoma, outshining Heisman Trophy runner-up AJ McCarron, who saw his otherwise charmed college career come to a sour end with No. 3 Alabama.

The convincing victory also gave Stoops an I-told-you-so moment, backing up his comment last off-season that the gap between the Southeastern Conference and other top leagues like the Big 12 is not as great as some propaganda makes it out to be.

I have the utmost respect for Alabama, and I think this shows that obviously we can play with anybody, Stoops said. So, enough of that. And I just watched them go through their entire conference and play pretty well. Im not pointing any fingers. But I think sometimes the comparisons arent very true.

Stoops is the first coach to win all four BCS bowl, having already won the Orange, Rose and Fiesta.

Before the game, Stoops had provided an element of mystery by declining to say whether he would start Knight or junior Blake Bell, or how much hed play either one.

Alabama scored on the opening drive before Stoops made his decision know by sending Knight out for OUs first series. Knight had played behind Bell much of the season. His completion percentage entering the game was 52.2. He had completed 47 passes all season before a breakout performance in which two of his TDs went for more than 40 yards.

Oklahoma (11-2) won the 80th Sugar Bowl, the first in which both quarterbacks topped 300 yards.

Alabama (11-2) had been ranked No. 1 much of the past three seasons, winning the previous two national titles before its shot at a third straight was derailed by Auburn on the last play of the Iron Bowl in November.

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College football roundup: Alabama sheds aura of invincibility in Sugar Bowl