Open season: Oklahoma's dazzling defense, which pummeled Texas in another clutch win, puts the Sooners near the top of a jumbled heap of national title contenders. (College Football).

Chris Simms isn't sporting that fresh-pressed look. His right hand is propping up the chin of his flush-red face as he stares forward at nothing. You can make out the pad marks from his helmet on the Texas quarterback's forehead. Oklahoma's hits left an impression.

This is the mask of defeat, and it's not the first time the Sooners have plastered it on him. In a tent adjacent to the Cotton Bowl, in the fuzzy afterglow of a 35-24 loss, Simms tries to hide his shame. In fact, he has nothing to be ashamed of because the Sooners' defense is the best in college football.

As a team, though, Oklahoma is good, not great. Except for Miami, which barely escaped ...