Lubbock, TX -- (Sports Network) - The third-ranked Oklahoma Sooners remain in the hunt for the national title, but they figure to be tested this weekend by the Texas Tech Red Raiders when the two meet for a Big 12 tussle in Lubbock.

Oklahoma needs to win either this weekend or next against Oklahoma State to clinch a berth in the Big 12 title game opposite either undefeated Kansas or Missouri. The Sooners trail only LSU and Oregon in the AP poll, and they are fourth in the BCS standings. The lone loss for Oklahoma came against Colorado, and the Sooners have won five straight games since that point, including a 52-21 romp over Baylor last weekend.

This game for Texas Tech represents its regular season finale, and while the Red Raiders are bowl eligible at 7-4, they can greatly strengthen their postseason prospects with a victory. Tech has lost three of its last four games, including last weekend's 59-43 setback at Texas.

Oklahoma owns an 11-3 advantage in the all-time series with Texas Tech, including a 34-24 decision over the Red Raiders in Norman last season.

Oklahoma is averaging 45.0 ppg and 459.6 total ypg thanks to an explosive offense that has achieved tremendous balance. The Sooners have scored 56 offensive touchdowns, including 27 on the ground. DeMarco Murray leads the ground attack with 670 yards and 13 touchdowns while averaging 6.2 ypc. As for teammate Patrick Allen, he has rushed for 628 yards and five scores. The passing game is lethal, and freshman Sam Bradford pulls the trigger from the quarterback position. Bradford has completed 70.1 percent of his passes for 2,509 yards with 28 touchdowns and six interceptions. Juaquin Iglesias has made a team-high 48 catches for 705 yards and four touchdowns, while Malcolm Kelly has scored nine touchdowns and racked up 695 yards on only 38 grabs. Jermaine Gresham is a true red zone weapon, as 10 of his 30 catches have resulted in touchdowns. Oklahoma rolled up 533 yards en route to 52 points against Oklahoma last weekend. Bradford threw three touchdowns in that contest, and Murray ran for three scores.

Oklahoma is allowing only 16.8 ppg and 312.3 total ypg this season, and the run defense has been particularly strong. The Sooners are yielding a mere 84.9 ypg on the ground on 2.5 ypc, outstanding by any standards. The pass defense has been solid as well, as Oklahoma has registered 16 interceptions while permitting just 12 scores through the air. A high total of 28 sacks have been recorded by Oklahoma, and Auston English leads the club with 9.5 sacks. While English is suffering from an ankle injury, he is expected to be on the field this weekend. Chris Lofton has been one of the top defenders in all of college football this season, as he has registered 112 tackles for Oklahoma. Just to put that figure in perspective, no other Sooner has totaled more than 60 stops. The defense wasn't as dominant as expected against Baylor last weekend, as the Bears were able to post 450 total yards en route to 21 points. All three touchdowns surrendered by the Sooners came on plays of over 40 yards, a bit concerning for a team challenging for a national title.

It doesn't happen often that a quarterback will throw for 466 yards and five touchdowns in a loss, but that was the case last weekend for Texas Tech's Graham Harrell. The Red Raiders only attempted seven runs against 48 passes in the setback against Texas. Michael Crabtree, the nation's leading receiver, added to his already staggering statistics with nine catches for 195 yards and two touchdowns. The fact that the Red Raiders were able to post 43 points with only 10 rushing yards is proof of the power of this passing game. Overall this season, Harrell has completed 73.6 percent of his passes for 4,878 yards and 43 touchdowns against 12 interceptions, and while those numbers are Heisman- worthy, quarterbacks from Texas Tech are always ignored in that discussion. Crabtree is just a freshman, and the fact that he has caught 113 passes for 1,707 yards and 20 touchdowns in only 11 games is hard to comprehend. He has put together one of the most remarkable seasons of any receiver in the history of college football, but he too figures to be overlooked by Heisman voters.

Texas scored 59 points against Texas Tech last weekend, including 24 points in the fourth quarter alone. The Red Raiders looked helpless on defense for much of the contest, surrendering 551 total yards. The Longhorns are able to rack up 283 rushing yards on 62 attempts, as they continued to pound the ball against Tech. While the defense didn't play well, the unit spent over 40 minutes on the field because of Texas' commitment to the run and Tech's complete refusal to run the ball on offense. Opponents are scoring 25.6 ppg while gaining 363.4 total ypg against Texas Tech, which has been much better defensively than it showed last weekend. The run defense is yielding less than four yards per carry, the strength of the defensive unit. Keep an eye on Jamar Wall, as he has registered five interceptions.