Chris Ogbonnaya got a slap of reality from his calendar sometime in recent days.

''I can't believe Oklahoma is already here,'' Ogbonnaya, a running back for Texas, said as the week began.

Nor, for that matter, can a lot of others. This wasn't a year that Texas-Oklahoma figured to loom all that large on the college football docket. Instead, it has moved from undercard status to this week's main event.

With both teams rolling through 5-0 starts, Saturday marks the fourth time this decade that they will bring Top 5 rankings to the Texas State Fair.

''It's more than just bragging rights now,'' OU coach Bob Stoops said. ``It's an inside track, or one up on the other guy on the way to a championship -- hopefully.''

Stoops takes care not to get too far ahead of himself, but he's right on point.

Since the Big 12 formed in 1996, eight of 12 Red River Rivalry winners have been the South entrant in the league's title game. Two other times, the loser has taken the spot.

In eight meetings this decade, the winner has found its way into the Bowl Championship Series title game four times. And this year might well shape up the same.

A banner year for the Big 12 includes four teams in the Top 10 -- top-ranked Oklahoma, No. 3 Missouri, No. 5 Texas and No. 7 Texas Tech. So as the conference race begins to shake out, bonus points await the survivor.

The Sooners have lived up to their billing, putting themselves in the title chase with a no-huddle juggernaut that's been held under 49 points just once this year. Texas, meanwhile, might be the biggest surprise among the quartet.

Texas had a big talent drain in the offseason, losing Limas Sweed, Jamaal Charles and Tony Hills. But Colt McCoy has been adept in taking a bigger chunk of the offense, leading the team in rushing and passing. And a defense that gave up some big numbers last year has yet to surrender more than two touchdowns under new coordinator Will Muschamp.

Knocking off OU, though, is a tall challenge. In the three previous meetings where both have been Top 5 material, the Sooners are 3-0.

''We just need to put this game into perspective and play it like we have been,'' OU quarterback Sam Bradford said.

UNEASY MEETING?

If nothing else, Auburn's stunning dismissal of first-year offensive coordinator Tony Franklin managed to turn attention away from Saturday's coaching intersect between Tommy Tuberville and Arkansas' Bobby Petrino.

Petrino, you will recall, was Louisville's coach and a former Tuberville assistant who prompted Auburn's president, athletic director and several trustees to board a plane for a clandestine meeting before the 2003 Auburn-Alabama clash.

Problem was, there was no vacancy on the Plains and nobody bothered to tell Louisville brass of any contact. When word got out, Tuberville came away with greater clout while his bosses eventually were run out.

The coaches reportedly talked things out shortly thereafter, and both have tried to dodge the question this week. ''That's such a long time ago, and something we've all put behind us,'' Petrino said Monday.

The issue didn't even get that far with Tuberville, who cut short his questioner with ''Don't even try.'' Then again, Tuberville, a former UM assistant, might have had other brewing issues on his mind this week.

IRISH STEW

Apparently no one is exempt from a recent uptick of auto break-ins on Notre Dame home weekends. The wallet of U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., was stolen last weekend when he left it in the front seat of his rental car.

''He had to call Congress and let them know what had happened and what was missing -- all his personal identification,'' Patricia Dolen, the wife of Notre Dame professor Jay Dolan, told The South Bend (Ind.) Tribune.

Martinez, his wife and son were staying with the Dolans when their car was hit during the overnight hours. The family had come to see Martinez's nephew, Eric Maust, a punter for the Irish.

STAT OF THE WEEK

10: Coordinators under Tuberville in 10 seasons at Auburn, good for an average stay of just two years. Four of those coordinators lasted just one season on the Plains -- Petrino (2002), Hugh Nall (2003), David Gibbs (2005) and the newly canned Franklin. Realtors, keep the AU offices on speed-dial.

HURRY-UP DRILL

• USF linebacker Brouce Mompremier has been cleared to start conditioning work in his recovery from temporary nerve damage stemming from a violent collision in a victory at FIU. No timetable has been set for this former Miami Edison High standout to return in pads.

• Colorado State's Gartrell Johnson (Miami Springs High) earned a share of the Mountain West's weekly offensive honors for his 191-yard rushing day in a 41-28 victory over UNLV. Among his three touchdowns was a 10-yard burst for the winning score with nine seconds left.

• Cincinnati (vs. Rutgers) and New Mexico State (at Nevada) this week become the final teams to play a conference game.

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