Nov. 30 (Bloomberg) -- The University of Oklahoma moved past Texas to claim the No. 2 spot behind Alabama in the Bowl Championship Series standings, giving the Sooners the right to play for the Big 12 Conference title and the inside track to a berth in college football’s national championship game.

Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech all tied atop the Big 12’s South Division with 11-1 records, so the BCS standings are the tiebreaker to determine which school gets to play Missouri for the conference title on Dec. 6.

Oklahoma, third in the BCS last week behind Alabama and Texas, jumped up to the No. 2 spot following last night’s 61-41 win over Oklahoma State.

“After the game, everyone was excited but the odd thing was having to wait until today to find out what we accomplished,” Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said during a news conference. “I’m excited about the opportunity.”

Texas, which beat Texas A&M 49-9 on Nov. 27, fell one spot to third behind Oklahoma even though the Longhorns were the only team to beat the Sooners this season.

By moving past Texas in the BCS, Oklahoma not only gets a chance to play for the Big 12 title, the Sooners also would probably be guaranteed a spot in the BCS championship game with a victory over Missouri.

Alabama Advances

Undefeated Alabama supplanted Texas atop the BCS standings four weeks ago and plays No. 4 Florida in the Southeastern Conference title game on Dec. 6. The Crimson Tide (12-0) would reach the BCS championship game with a win over Florida (11-1), which has won eight straight games.

The teams that are first and second in the final BCS standings on Dec. 7 will play in the national championship game, which is scheduled for Jan. 8 in Miami. The BCS standings are determined using the USA Today coaches’ poll, the Harris Interactive poll and six computer rankings.

Southern California is fifth in the BCS standings, followed by Utah, Texas Tech, Penn State, Boise State and Ohio State.

Alabama has a BCS rating of .9713 out of 1.000, followed by Oklahoma at .9351 and Texas at .9223.

Texas had a .9209 BCS rating last week, while Oklahoma was at .9125, yet the Sooners’ 20-point road win against then-No. 12 Oklahoma State helped them claim the highest average ranking in the computer polls used by the BCS.

Oklahoma’s average computer ranking last week was third.

Strong Finish

Stoops credited the Sooners’ strong finish with helping them move to the No. 2 slot. Since losing to Texas 45-35 on Oct. 11, Oklahoma has averaged 59.5 points a game and two weeks ago scored 65 points in a 44-point win over then-No. 2 and previously unbeaten Texas Tech.

“The way we played down the stretch was pretty incredible,” Stoops said. “We had over 60 points four straight games. That says a lot about the way we’ve been playing. We’ve played well and put ourselves in this position.”

While Texas slipped in the BCS, the Longhorns may still get a chance to play for the national title should Alabama or Oklahoma lose in their conference championship games.

If Florida beats Alabama for the SEC title, the Gators also could jump up to one of the top two slots in the final BCS standings.

USC (10-1) can clinch a spot in a BCS bowl game as Pacific- 10 Conference champion by winning its regular-season finale next week against UCLA. The Trojans, with a victory, would probably play Big Ten champion Penn State (11-1) in the Rose Bowl.

The champions of the six BCS-affiliated conferences -- the Big 12, Big Ten, Big East, Pacific-10, Southeastern and Atlantic Coast -- are guaranteed spots in one of the BCS bowl games.

Cincinnati (10-2) claimed the Big East title, while Boston College (9-3) will play Virginia Tech (8-4) in the ACC title game on Dec. 6 for the league’s BCS berth.

Utah (12-0), which won the Mountain West Conference, is also assured of a spot in one of the other BCS games -- the Sugar Bowl, Fiesta Bowl or Orange Bowl.

Western Athletic Conference champion Boise State is also unbeaten at 12-0 and may claim an at-large berth to a BCS bowl.

To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Matuszewski in New York at matuszewski@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: November 30, 2008 17:46 EST