LOCAL

Po Hi Band Invited To Inaugural Parade
Citys Utility Crews Help With Outages
Nearly News

Po Hi Band Invited To Inaugural Parade

By KRISTI HAYES

News Education Editor

For the first time in 31 years, Ponca City High School Marching Band has been selected to march in the Inaugural Parade in Washington, D.C.

The last time The Big Blue Band marched in the inaugural parade was 1969, for the inauguration of Richard Nixon. The 2001 event will be held on Jan. 20.

A total of 138 Big Blue members are invited to participate — as long as they raise $84,000 in expenses ($500 per person).

Two groups were chosen from Oklahoma — the local group — and a color guard from Oklahoma City. Ponca City will be the only band from the state.

Serious time constraints have been placed on the band members to raise enough money to go. Had the election not drug out until this month, the group would have known by Nov. 12 if they were selected.

Mark Caspersen, band director, said in order for the band to go to D.C., the money had to be raised. “It’s simple. If we don’t raise the money needed, we can’t go,” he said.

Caspersen said Pioneer Bank and Trust has donated $500 so far and established an account called PC Band Aid. “Our members have adopted a slogan for this trip called “Send PC to DC.”

Donated money can be made at the bank, by calling the band office at 767-9500, ext. 134 or by contacting any band member.

The band will depart on Jan. 16 for a 22-hour bus trip to Washington. “That leaves us with only two weeks to raise $84,000. We are asking the community to help us raise this money. It will not only be for the marching band, but for the entire community. It would be sad if the state didn’t have a band representing them,” Caspersen said.

Throughout the next couple of weeks, several band members will raid two local radio stations — KLOR and KPNC — and act as disc jockeys. A donation of $50 will buy an ad played on the radio during this time.

Caspersen said fund-raising events will probably not be held. “We just don’t have the time to plan this. We only have two weeks.”

Citys Utility Crews Help With Outages

By JEFF POLITTE

News Staff Writer

Ponca City utility crews are spending the week in Wynnewood as part of a mutual aid agreement through a municipal power organization called Municipal Electric Systems of Oklahoma (MESO).

The city of Wynnewood requested the crews, consisting of four men and two bucket trucks, on Wednesday. Residents were preparing to spend their second night without electrical power in the wake of Monday and Tuesday’s ice storm when the call was made.

City crews are expected to return to Ponca City on Saturday.

“We just felt very fortunate we didn’t sustain the damage some of our sister cities sustained because of the weather,” indicated Phillip Johnston, Ponca City Utility Authority director. “I was pleased we were able to turn loose of some of our resources to help them restore power.”

“At the time they called,” said Johnston, “Wynnewood residents were preparing to spend their second night without power.”

Under the MESO mutual aid agreement, cities which have sustained severe damage to their electrical system can request mutual aid from other municipal systems. In addition to Ponca City, Edmond also sent a similar size crew to Wynnewood. Ponca City’s crews are expected back on Saturday.

Johnston said city crews had to stay in Paul’s Valley because of the outages. “There are no hotels in Wynnewood with electricity,” he said. “It’s a pretty dire situation down there.”

Johnston noted a lineman had called earlier this morning with a progress report on power restoration efforts. The lineman reported most of the major feeder lines have been restored and crews would be working to repair small taps and individual services throughout the day today.

According to Johnston, this isn’t the first time Ponca City has had to send utility crews to other cities. “I believe the last time was when we sent crews down to Stillwater after a tornado,” he said. This was in the spring of 1990.

Nearly News

Conoco has hired a commercial-filming company to come to Ponca City to shoot a TV spot. The spot is to feature some local people. Men and women 25 to 70 years old and boys and girls 10 to 14 and all ethnicities are invited to interview on Jan. 3 from 3 to 8 p.m., at the Holiday Inn’s Native American Room. No experience is necessary. The commercial filming is set for Jan. 25. The film company needs people to work with the film crew on a “fun” TV commercial. For more information call Sunny Seibel at (602) 956-7700.

DEATHS

Orbay Edgar Smith
Mary Etta Beddo Wigley
Clesta Marie Wiechmann Tomlin

Orbay Edgar Smith

ELK CITY — Orbay Edgar “Smitty” Smith, resident of Elk City, died Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2000, in the Great Plains Regional Medical Center in Elk City. He was 77.

The funeral was scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 29, at the Antioch Christian Church in Elk City with Todd Moss officiating. Burial will be at Fairlawn Cemetery under the direction of Whinery-Savage Funeral Service in Elk City.

Orbay Edgar Smith was born Aug. 18,1923, in Paoli, Okla., the son of Luetta and R. Belton Smith. He was employed in the oil field and lived in several communities. He married Montie Muriel Fogle in Gainesville, Texas, on July 17, 1956. They lived in New Mexico and Texas before moving to Elk City in 1971 to make their home. He went back to work on his 70th birthday at Homeland, where he was employed until 1995. He was a member of the Antioch Christian Church of Elk City.

Survivors include his wife of the home; six daughters, Brenda Hughes of Ponca City, Susan Cupp of Elk City, Debra Clifton of Norman, Jeanie Townsend of Sweetwater, Texas, and Kay Smith and Cathy Peterson, both of Andrews, Texas; three sons, Ron Smith of Elk City, Joe Don Elkins of Elk City and Jimmy Lee Smith of Norman; two brothers, Audrey Smith of Chandler and Bill Smith of Jacksonville, Ore.; 13 grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and numerous other relatives.

Obituaries

Mary Etta Beddo Wigley

Mary Etta Beddo Wigley, 1613 Trio Lane, died Thursday morning, Dec. 28, 2000, at her home. She was 74.

The funeral service will be Saturday, 11 a.m. in the chapel of the Trout Funeral Home with the Rev. Andy Jobe, Immanuel Baptist Church of Blackwell, officiating. Burial will follow in the Elmore City Cemetery with the Rev. Bruce McCrae, First Baptist Church of Elmore City, officiating.

Born July 19, 1926, west of Elmore City, she was the daughter of Fred and Effie Barnett Beddo. She attended schools at Pauls Valley and graduated from Paoli High School in 1946.

On May 7, 1949, she married Roy A. Wigley at Pauls Valley. The couple resided there until 1967 when they moved to Ponca City. In 1981, they moved to Moore and returned to Ponca City in 1993.

Mrs. Wigley was a member of Sunnylane Baptist Church and Eastern Star Chapter 185 in Pauls Valley. She enjoyed collecting turtles, playing with her granddaughter Samantha, visiting with friends, fishing, and traveling with her husband, son and daughter-in-law.

Surviving are her husband, Roy of the home; a son, Fred and his wife Cindy Wigley of Ponca City; a granddaughter, Samantha; a brother, Hub Beddo of Norman; and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; three sisters, Bernice Hicks, Freddie Minton, and Elizabeth Stead; and a brother, Ralph Beddo.

Memorials may be made to Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, for Alzheimers Research, 825 N.E. 13th, Oklahoma City, Okla. 73104 or to Golden Villa, 901 Monument Road, Ponca City, Okla. 74604.

The family will be at 1613 Trio Lane.

paid obituary

Funerals

Saturday

Clesta Marie Wiechmann Tomlin

Clesta Marie Wiechmann Tomlin — Funeral at 1 p.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Burial will follow in the Newkirk Cemetery under the direction of Trout Funeral Home.

NEWS BRIEFS

Annual Meeting — Church Women United annual board meeting, Jan. 5, 9:30 a.m., St. John Baptist Church, 1009 South Eleventh Street.

After Christmas Sale. 40% off entire stock. Mel’s Clothing and Shoes, 2008 North 14th. adv.

Accident — A one-vehicle rollover one-half mile south of Waverly Street was reported to the Communications Center at 7:40 a.m. Thursday. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol was advised.

Dougan's Bar-B-Q Friday special from 4-8 p.m., all you can eat

ribs with beans, potato salad and coleslaw, $7.49. 215 South 14th, 765-7979. adv.

Stalled Vehicle — A stalled vehicle in the intersection of East Hazel Avenue and North Twelfth Street was reported to Ponca City police at 8:05 a.m. Thursday. No one was inside the vehicle. An officer responded to the scene. The owner returned and the vehicle was towed from the scene.

Free Pregnancy test. Birth Choice cares. Confidential. Hours: Monday 1-3 p.m., Tuesday, 6-8 p.m., Wednesday, 1-3 p.m. and Thursday, 6-8 p.m. 700 West Broadway. 765-9689. adv.

Accident — An accident at the intersection of North Ash Street and West Highland Avenue was reported to Ponca City police at 9:35 a.m. Thursday. An officer was assigned and a report was taken. A vehicle was towed from the scene.

Theft — A woman in the 3500 block of North Union Street reported some earrings were missing from her residence to Ponca City police at 9:12 p.m. Thursday. An officer was assigned and a report was taken.

Accident — A two-vehicle, non-injury accident in the 1600 block of West South Avenue was reported to Ponca City police at 10:53 a.m. Thursday. Two officers responded to the scene and a report was taken. A 31-year-old man was taken into custody for driving under the influence of drugs, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and no insurance.

Jim Bowen Construction­ Custom homes, room additions and remodeling. Call 762-3077. adv.

Intoxicated Subject — A clerk at a business in the 900 block of East Prospect Avenue reported to Ponca City police at 1:53 p.m. Thursday a man had been inside the store asking for beer and the clerk had told him no. The clerk told police the man had left the business and was walking toward Wal-Mart, 1101 East Prospect Avenue. A description was given of the man. An officer responded to the scene and a 40-year-old man was taken into custody for public intoxication.

Court Allen Construction. Brick, flagstone, concrete, walkway’s, patios and planters. Call 765-2720. adv.

Accident — A hit-and-run accident in Wal-Mart parking lot, 1101 East Prospect Avenue, was reported to Ponca City police at 2:56 p.m. Thursday. An officer was assigned and a report was taken.

Wright Masonry for all your masonry needs. Call Raymond or Doug 1-580-765-1901. adv.

Subject Held — An officer in the 200 block of North Eighth Street reported a 25-year-old man was taken into custody on a city warrant for failure to pay and felony warrants out of Henry County, Mo., at 11:25 p.m. Thursday.

Accident — A hit-and-run accident in the 1700 block of North Waverly Street was reported to Ponca City police at 3:34 p.m. Thursday. A description was given of the offending vehicle. An officer was assigned and a report was taken.

Head Country Saturday night special. All you can eat beef brisket with beans, potato salad and coleslaw, $7.49. All day. 1217 East Prospect. adv.

Burglary — A resident in the 500 block of North Eleventh Street reported a stolen cell phone to Ponca City police at 3:37 p.m. Thursday. An officer was assigned and a report was taken.

Burglary — A woman in the 500 block of North Ninth Street reported to Ponca City police at 4:03 p.m. Thursday several items had been taken out of her vehicle overnight. The woman believed her vehicle had been unlocked at the time. An officer was assigned and a report was taken.

Intoxicated Driver — A caller reported a woman was passed out in a running vehicle that was stopped in the middle of the street in the 1200 block of East South Avenue to Ponca City police at 5:02 p.m. Thursday. Two officers responded to the scene. A 34-year-old woman was taken into custody for actual physical control of a motor vehicle while intoxicated and her vehicle was towed from the scene.

Fire Run — A woman in the 500 block of South Tenth Street advised the Communications Center she believed her kitchen was on fire at 9:56 p.m. Thursday. Ponca City fire stations one, two and three responded to the scene. Firefighters advised the fire was out upon their arrival. The woman had been trying to cook.

Fire Run — A resident reported a gas meter was possibly leaking near the intersection of Canterbury Avenue and Dover Drive to the Communications Center at 10:06 p.m. Thursday. Ponca City fire station four and Oklahoma Natural Gas responded to the scene.

Gives Water Service Club will be hosting social dance this evening at 7:00 p.m. at White Eagle Cultural Center. Everyone is welcome. adv.

Burglary — A man in the 800 block of East Ponca Avenue reported to Ponca City police at 9:29 p.m. Thursday someone had tried to break into his apartment earlier in the day. A neighbor advised of seeing the two men trying to kick in the door around 5 p.m. A description was given of these men. An officer was assigned and a report was taken.

Sale! 20%, 50%, 70% savings. Kids/Her Review. adv.

Gas Drive-Off — A clerk at Save-A-Trip, 207 East Highland Avenue, reported a $5 gas drive-off to Ponca City police at 10:01 p.m. Thursday. A description was given of the vehicle and driver. An officer was assigned and a report was taken.

Subject Held — An officer in the 800 block of North Osage Street reported a 41-year-old man was taken into custody for domestic assault and battery at 1:03 a.m. Friday.

Gas Drive-Off — A clerk at Conoco Convenience Mart, 1613 West South Avenue, reported a $14 gas drive-off to Ponca City police at 6:29 a.m. Friday. A description was given of the vehicle. An officer was assigned and a report was taken.

LIFESTYLES

Xi Delta Chapter Members Meet

Xi Delta Chapter Members Meet

Xi Delta Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi sorority met Dec. 11 in the home of Sue May. Guests were Becky Bezdek and Susan Wilson. Dinner was provided by the hostess, assisted by Patsy Hastings, Lynda Smith and Lisa Mena.

Dorothy Leonard, chapter president, conducted a brief business meeting, and Susan Hinshaw, ways and means chairman, gave the report on the Santa project held at KMart. Pat Schissler and Sue May, service committee, announced plans to purchase Christmas gifts for a family.

Secret sister gifts were exchanged and announcement made that the New Year’s eve party will be held in the Leonard home. The next regular meeting will be Jan. 8 and will be hosted by Dorothy Leonard.

RELIGION

Church Briefs

Church Briefs

Celebration Continues

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, ELCA, at 2800 Turner Road will celebrate the first Sunday after Christmas with Christmas carols and a service of scripture readings. Sunday school is at 9 a.m. followed by the worship service at 10 a.m. and fellowship at 11. There are now Bible verses available on the church’s website at www.princeofpeacechurch.net.

Call for Prayer

Members of the Secular Franciscan Fraternity of Ponca City invite citizens opposed to the death penalty to join them from 6 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the corner of Fifth Street and Grand Avenue to pray for the victim, family of the victim and the condemned and his or her family. Other scheduled dates will be Jan. 9, 11, 16, 18, 23, 25, 30, and Feb. 1. If unable to attend, they ask for prays from wherever.

Hartford Avenue

Church of Christ

Members of the Hartford Avenue Church of Christ, 1905 Joe Street, invite the public to share God’s Word each week. Sunday Bible classes are at 9:30 a.m. followed by worship service at 10:30 a.m. Sunday evening worship is at 6 o’clock and Wednesday worship is at 7 p.m. There are classes for all ages. Watch the Search program Sunday at 8 a.m. on Channels 5 or 8; this week’s topic is Live for Something. The members of the church encourage all to read the Bible through in the year 2001 and suggest an easy way to do it is by reading three chapters a day and five on Sunday.

Glad Tidings

Assembly of God

There will be a watch night service Sunday starting at 8 p.m. at the Glad Tidings Assembly of God Church, U.S. 60 east and Victory, The different ministers in the church will be speaking. At 10 p.m., there will be a gathering in the fellowship hall for a time of fellowship and games. The community is invited to attend and greet the new year.

EDUCATION

Local Superintendent Attends Technology-Focused Seminar
Technology Proposal Tops Meeting
Local Senior Named Scholar
Superintendent’s Corner

Local Superintendent Attends Technology-Focused Seminar

Dr. Bill White, superintendent of Ponca City Public Schools, spent part of last week with education officials from across the state learning effective methods to prepare students to thrive in a high tech society.

The technology-focused executive seminar, hosted by Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP), brought the expertise of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, OneNet — Oklahoma’s telecommunications network, and JDL Technologies together to present models for creating cutting edge learning environments in Oklahoma’s schools.

The executive seminar was designed to help GEAR UP school district officials understand the full range of growing possibilities for using external funding support services to enhance their knowledge base for bringing vital technologies to their classrooms.

GEAR UP is a federal program designed to help middle and high school students better prepare for college. In August 1999, the U.S. Department of Education awarded Oklahoma a five-year grant totaling $20.5 million to implement GEAR UP activities across the state, including college preparation and awareness programs for students and parents, and scholarships.

“The primary goal of GEAR UP is to help all Oklahoma students be prepared for the challenges of college,” said Chancellor Hans Brisch. “The first year of GEAR UP, we worked with districts helping them assess needs and gaps in academics. This second year of the grant we are expending our services to include technology needs assessment. We know Oklahoma students need to enter college classrooms not only academically prepared, but technologically prepared as well.”

The executive seminar was the first in a series of five institutes GEAR UP has planned this year on helping participating districts bridge the digital divide in Oklahoma’s schools.

During the inaugural institute two representatives from JDL Technologies, a Minnesota-based company specializing in school networking, spoke to public school superintendents and board members on building schools for this millennium — providing participants with a blueprint for 21st century learning centers.

The technological gurus, Dr. Allen Schmieder, vice president for K-20 Education, and Jim Volkmar, vice president of the South Central Region, provided participants with outlines to help districts determine their level of technology readiness regarding people, hardware and applications. Also, they discussed the importance of understanding technology sufficiently well to lead, direct and guide its installation and operation in addition to understanding the role of technology in teaching sufficiently enough to provide leadership in teacher education and introducing technology into the curriculum.

“It is vital to the future of Oklahoma to make sure our young people are equipped to compete in a technology-based society,” said State Regents Chairman Leonard J. Eaton Jr. “Through the GEAR UP institutes, participating districts now have access to strategies and support systems that will help ensure that their schools have a modern technology infrastructure as well as a knowledge base on how to effectively use new technologies in instruction and management.

Technology Proposal Tops Meeting

The Ponca City Board of Education Curriculum Committee met on Dec. 12. Members present were Chris LittleCook, Mike Kruck, Vicki Graves, John Scroggins, Linda Powers and Lowell Lefebvre.

Jerry Jantz and John Vogt spoke to the committee regarding the Technology Plan presentation that was given to the board on Monday night.

Jantz presented an outline of goals that have been determined for keeping Ponca City schools up to date in technology. Vogt informed the committee that a Self-Maintenance Program through COMPAQ that will let the district handle warranties on computers in-house.

Jerry Winkle, Po-Hi principal, gave an update on the first trimester. He feels that the first trimester went well. Winkle made a complete report to board members during Monday night’s board meeting.

Linda Powers presented a proposal from the Academic Council to have the board rescind the decision to move to a weighted grading system based on 5 points indefinitely. They recommend the current weighted system of .03 add-on continue to be figured by hand.

Discussion was held on the Time and Organization and Alternative Education Focus Groups. It was agreed by all present that the school must make changes and these changes need to be what is in the best interest of the student. Linda Powers presented a progress report on the focus groups.

Dr. Scroggins said he was contacted by Katina Combes, United Way, who wants to come before the board to talk about a Youth Risk Behavior Survey. A Youth Risk Behavior Survey had been approved by the board during the last school year but was not administered because of time restraints.

The librarians have reexamined the current policy on Selection of Instructional Media Center Materials and made some changes. The changes to the policy will be brought before the next committee meeting.

Dr. Scroggins informed the committee that due to increased enrollment in special education, a new teacher will be hired in January. This teacher will be shared between West and East Middle Schools.

The Literacy Resource Specialists at the three Literacy First Phase IV Schools have a tough and challenging job. They are doing well and the Literacy First Process is being transferred to the classroom teachers with the help of the three Resource Specialists. The Literacy First Phase IV Schools are Liberty, Lincoln and Roosevelt.

Scroggins also informed the committee that the National Staff Development Conference was one of the best he has attended. The committee asked Scroggins to compile the participants’ reports and put something together on what was learned and how the teachers plan to implement the knowledge in their classroom..

A Brown Bag Lunch Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 10 at noon. School administrators, PTA/PTO presidents and community leaders will be invited.

Local Senior Named Scholar

Andra Nuzum, a Ponca City High School senior, has been named to represent Ponca City High School in the Toyota Community Scholars Program.

This program recognizes students who excel academically, serve as an effective leader and maintain a record of service both in the school and in the community. Toyota will announce in April 2001 the 100 recipients who will each receive renewable scholarships valued at $10,000.

A scholarship committee comprised of high school staff members made the selection from the 15 seniors who submitted applications.

Nuzum has been an active participant in the high school orchestra, the swim team, the National Honor Society as well as other organizations. She has served on Ponca City’s Youth Traffic Court for two years and is currently serving as the judge. She has been a youth lay delegate to the Oklahoma Methodist annual conference and serves as a volunteer for several community events.

She is the daughter of Don and Lori Nuzum of Ponca City.

Superintendent’s Corner

by Doug Major

Pioneer Technology Center Superintendant

With Information Technology (IT) driving much of our nation's economic growth, building a strong technology-literate workforce is of critical importance. Why is this so critical? In a recent study by the Information Technology Association of America it is projected that more than 1.6 million IT workers will be needed this year and 843,328 of this positions will more than likely go unfilled. This study also shows that by 2008, more than two million new skilled IT workers will be needed!

The good news is that Pioneer Technology Center is currently working to help fill this need by offering a brand new Information Technology program in August 2001. But, before I begin telling you about this program, let me first explain what IT really is. IT is all around us! IT includes all aspects of managing and processing information from computer software, hardware, network design, database development and administration, web development, technical writing, technical support, programming, and enterprise systems analysis and integration. As you can see, IT is just about everywhere. Although IT is all around us, the projected figures reveal that IT professionals are definitely not.

As we implement IT programs, our initial program will primarily focus on preparing students for technical or professional certifications. Network Administration / Troubleshooting will prepare first year students for Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) A+, CompTIA Network+, and Cisco Part 1 and 2. For the second year, students will prepare for the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) and Cisco Part 3 and 4.

The Web Services program will prepare students for CompTIA A+, CompTIA I-Net+, CompTIA Network+, Certified Internet Webmaster-site designer, Certified Internet Webmaster-application designer, and Certified Internet Webmaster-database specialist. Network Cabling Specialist will also be offered with these programs.

Since these programs will prepare students for a variety of certification tests, Pioneer Technology Center will also be a testing site through the Virtual University Enterprise (VUE). These certification tests are nationally recognized and measure the high level of competency that prospective employers are looking for when hiring individuals for these types of jobs. By becoming a testing facility, our students will be able to get both training and certification at PTC!

Currently, PTC does offer MOUS (Microsoft Office User Specialist) certification through the Business Technology program and A+ Certification through the Adult Short-term training program. These programs also prepare students for nationally recognized certifications.

The two-year IT training program at PTC will be for both high school and adult students who are interested in attending on a full-time or part-time basis either during the daytime or the evening short-term training hours.

It is evident that there has never been a better time to start a career in the growing industry of Information Technology. Both large and small businesses throughout this area are needing people with a variety of IT skills and backgrounds.

Pioneer Technology Center will be announcing enrollment dates for the new IT program next semester. For more information about the Information Technology program, please call or visit us at 2101 N. Ash, 762-8336.

SPORTS

Unbeaten Sooners Enter Miami as Underdogs

Unbeaten Sooners Enter Miami as Underdogs

MIAMI (AP) — Oklahoma enters the Orange Bowl as the No. 1 team in the country, unbeaten and without much respect from the oddsmakers.

So what else is new?

“If the oddsmakers were determining our fate, we’d be 7-4 this year or 8-3, whatever. That’s why you go play the game,” coach Bob Stoops said Thursday. “And as you guys know, those oddsmakers have been known to set traps, too. So beware.”

The Sooners (12-0) are listed as 12-point underdogs to No. 3 Florida State in next week’s national championship game.

“I still don’t see many people who are giving us any respect,” receiver Josh Norman said. “We’re a fluke.

“Y’all can call us a Cinderella story if you want to, but this team doesn’t think it’s no Cinderella story. We always believed in the team and the system and we always knew our abilities.”

In Oklahoma’s first major test of the season, against Texas in Dallas, the 10th-ranked Sooners were 3-point underdogs to the 11th-ranked Longhorns. Oklahoma won the game, 63-14.

A week later, on the road against No. 2 Kansas State, the eighth-ranked Sooners again were underdogs. The wound up leading by as much as 38-14 in the second half and won the game, 41-31.

Top-ranked Nebraska visited Norman two weeks later for a game against the then-third-ranked Sooners. Nebraska was a slight favorite and took a 14-0 first-quarter lead. But Oklahoma dominated the rest of the game, scored 31 straight points and won 31-14 to move to No. 1.

“We’ve been underestimated the whole season,” safety Roy Williams said. “We’re used to it. We’re not worried about it.

“It’s motivation. Hands down, it is motivation. We’re going to take that into every practice and prepare for it.”

Stoops, though, said he would not use the point spread as a way to try to motivate his team.

“Our guys just won the Big 12 championship and we’re getting ready for a national championship and playing a great team. That’s motivation enough,” he said.

If Oklahoma finished the season as strongly as it played during that three-game October stretch, the line might be smaller. But instead, the Sooner offense struggled down the stretch. Oklahoma had to rally from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win at Texas A&M, then held off Texas Tech before closing out the regular season with a 12-7 victory against Oklahoma State.

The general feeling also is that Florida State has more talent on both sides of the ball than Oklahoma.

“They have great athletes, but we didn’t get here just through being smart,” Norman said. “We’ve got talent on this team. We’ve got great players on this team. We’ve made plays all year and we’re not planning on not making plays in this game.”

One of the Sooners’ more gifted athletes is linebacker Torrance Marshall, whose 41-yard interception return for a touchdown gave Oklahoma the lead against A&M.

“It doesn’t matter to me if we’re underdogs or we’re projected to win,” he said. “The game is still going to have to be played to decide that.”

Unlike his players and most of his coaches, Stoops has seen Florida State up close. He coached against them four times, winning two and losing two, during his time as defensive coordinator at Florida.

“I think we match up, really, across the board in a good way,” he said. “All we need to do is play like we’ve played all year. If we play like we’re capable, that’ll be enough.”