A last-second Hail Mary bounced into the hands of Keith Nichol. Down goes Wisconsin.
A hailstorm is only the second most unpredictable event in Norman, as Oklahoma falls into an unbelievable 31-7 third quarter hole that they can't climb out of against the Texas Tech Tubervilles.
Meanwhile, ho-hum, another four touchdown win for the Cardinal red and white.
The Stanford Cardinal are alive and kicking. Kicking ass really. And they're inching closer to controlling their BCS destiny.
Stanford took Washington's Pac-12 North title hopes and blew them into a billion pieces, which will likely send Washington DC Nick Holt looking for future employment. Stanford didn't even need Andrew Luck's arm much to get the win, as he was content to game manage, while every Cardinal running back decided to take their turn piling up 30 to 70 yard runs. It was pretty much as firm a statement as you could hope for on national TV for a Stanford team looking to get the love they need. They should get three more chances to prove themselves with USC, Oregon, and Notre Dame on the docket.
The loss by Oklahoma places a brutal blow to the hopes of anyone from the Big 12 making it to the BCS title game. Not only are Oklahoma's chances hurt, but so are Kansas State's and Oklahoma State's. Unless both of them can beat Oklahoma too, the Big 12 might not be quite as solid in earning the second spot against the LSU-Alabama winner.
That would open up the second bid. The Wisconsin Badgers seemed like the most natural candidate to slide in; they're in the Big Ten, one of the strongest conferences remaining. Michigan State could be poised to take their place, but they still must visit Lincoln next week and take on a monster Nebraska squad. Additionally, a likely rematch with Wisconsin awaits in the Big Ten Championship game, and you know how hard it is to win rematches.
There are two other potential teams standing in the way of Stanford. The Clemson Tigers could manage an undefeated season and have a pretty strong strength of schedule. The Boise St. Broncos will likely be tossed aside regardless. But if Stanford can win their final big tests on the schedule (especially their epic clash against Oregon in a few weeks) and sweep their way to 13-0, it'd be hard to see how they don't at least enter the discussion to be in the dance. Let the race to the top commence.