Oklahoma-Texas kicks at noon tomorrow, so you have to wonder if Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer will take a peek at that score before his Hokies play Georgia Tech at 6 p.m.

That’s because the developments out there in the Cotton Bowl could have a lot to do with the Hokies’ chances of playing for a national championship. Operative word: could. Texas is 5-0 and ranked third in the country, one spot ahead of the Hokies. If the Longhorns lose, and the Hokies beat the Yellow Jackets, Beamer’s bunch moves up to No. 3.

Why is that significant? The first- and second-ranked teams, Florida and Alabama, seem to be on a collision course to play in the Southeastern Conference championship game. If both remain undefeated and meet for the SEC title, the winner of that game plays for the national title. And while the loser still might be the second-best team in the country, tough luck, because the Bowl Championship Series almost certainly won’t set up a rematch in The Big Game. That would bump the Hokies, provided they win out, into the No. 2 spot.

Now, there are a lot of other “ifs” between a No. 3 ranking seven games into the season and a spot in the national title game.

First, the Hokies have to win their five remaining regular-season games and the ACC championship game. Yes, those five games don’t seem as tough as the first seven. The combined record of the final five opponents: 14-15. And of the first six: 25-9 (24-4 in games not against the Hokies). Georgia Tech is no slouch, either, at 5-1. But it’s difficult to presume anything, so you never know.

Second, they must root for Cincinnati to lose. The Bearcats are 6-0 after last night’s win at South Florida. But it came at a price: Their starting quarterback, Tony Pike, sprained his left (non-throwing) wrist in the game and will miss Cincy’s home game next Saturday against Louisville, which enters this weekend 2-3. The interesting thing about the Bearcats possibly going undefeated is that Virginia Tech was scheduled to play them in this season’s opener. But the Hokies rescheduled the game to 2012 so they could play Alabama in a nationally televised game in Atlanta’s Georgia Dome.

Cincy’s remaining schedule sets up nicely, as the Bearcats play no teams that are currently ranked. Even if Texas beats Oklahoma tomorrow, the Longhorns still must play at Oklahoma State and home against Kansas. The Cowboys are currently 14th, with a signature win over Georgia to open the season. The Jayhawks are 5-0, ranked 15th and haven’t beaten anybody. Another team to watch: Iowa, which is 6-0 and ranked 12th. The Hawkeyes still have to play at Ohio State in their second-to-last game of the season.

(By the way, all of these rankings are from the USA Today coaches’ poll, which matters much more than the Associated Press poll because it factors into the BCS formula.)

Third, they must hope that another one-loss team, like Southern California or Ohio State, doesn’t sneak in the back door. The Trojans’ loss, at Washington, is worse than the Hokies falling to Alabama. But remember that Ohio State’s only loss is to Southern Cal, which is currently ranked fifth. Ohio State is seventh.

We’ll have a better idea of how the BCS standings look when they debut Sunday afternoon. Which means that for the rest of the season, we’ll have to pay attention to a bunch of computer polls and hundredths of a percentile and all that other nonsense that should have absolutely no place in a legitimate sport. It’s amazing that so many people think the BCS’s way of determining the national championship game’s participants—through a formula rather than a playoff—is completely unfair, yet the system continues to exist.

What if Cincy goes unbeaten and gets into The Big Game against another unbeaten—say Florida or Alabama, for argument’s sake. Is that fair? If you’re a Virginia Tech fan or Alabama fan, do you believe that the Bearcats are better than your team?

What if Virginia Tech wins out and gets into the game ahead of Alabama right after the Crimson Tide lost to top-ranked Florida in the SEC title game? Again, how would Alabama feel about losing out to Virginia Tech, a team it beat in the season opener? Not too good, I would imagine.

So we can all agree on two things ...

1. The system is ridiculous, but we have to deal with it.

2. We can what-if ourselves to death, but the bottom line remains: The season still has to play itself out.

And the fall rolls on tomorrow, when the Hokies will try to accomplish several things against the Yellow Jackets, three of which I have listed below (you can also find them in tomorrow’s print edition) ... 

PROPER TACKLING: Georgia Tech’s option-based offense thrives by creating one-on-one matchups. The Yellow Jackets, who run on 81 percent of their plays, use wide splits on the offensive line. These large spaces between linemen create holes up the middle and force opposing linebackers to mind the dive play. The Jackets also spread their skill-position players across the field, which makes opponents account for all that occupied space. One missed tackle – or a Hokie failing to dodge a chop block, which the Jackets use well – could result in a long run.

LONG DRIVES: Because the Jackets run so much, their offense eats lots of clock and wears out defenses. They rank 12th nationally in time of possession, 32:55, and are out-possessing their opponents by an average of 5:50. They held the ball for 24:12 more than North Carolina and 12:06 more than Mississippi State – both wins. The Hokies need to sustain drives with tailback Ryan Williams (5.8 yards per carry) and avoid turnovers. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor has one interception and has now attempted 80 consecutive passes without a pick.

PUNT COVERAGE: The Jackets have the nation’s second-best punt returner in sophomore cornerback Jerrard Tarrant, who, on seven punts, averages 26.7 yards per return and has run back two for touchdowns – tied for most in the country. The Hokies’ punt coverage is better than it was last season, when opponents averaged 12.4 yards per return and ran back three for touchdowns, equaling the Hokies’ total allowed in the previous six seasons combined. This season: 9.3 yards per return and no touchdowns.

Proper tackling, long drives and punt coverage.