Los Angeles ? Some hungover Ohio State fan in Columbus woke up in a cold sweat Sunday morning with this nightmarish newsbreak playing in his head:

This is Bob Bubblehead reporting LIVE for Buckeye Witness News in Columbus: In a stunning development, Ohio State’s invitation to the Fiesta Bowl was rescinded Sunday after it was revealed Oklahoma inexplicably passed Ohio State in the final bowl championship series standings.

Oklahoma, not 13-0 Ohio State, will play No. 1 Miami for the national title in the Jan. 3 Fiesta Bowl. A BCS spokesman said, looking back, he wasn’t sure why the Fiesta Bowl invited Ohio State to the national title game Nov. 23 when Oklahoma still had two games to play and “everyone knows how wacky those BCS computers are.” It was learned a drastic change in The New York Times computer rankings put Oklahoma over the BCS top. Oklahoma, No. 10 the week before Nov. 23, jumped to No. 1 in the last NYT ranking and that gave Oklahoma the decimal point difference.”

Relax, Buckeye fans, it was only a dream, but you know what? I thought the same thing Saturday night in Columbus not long after Ohio State accepted the Fiesta Bowl bid following its 14-9 win over Michigan.

It all seemed so official. John Junker, the Fiesta Bowl executive director, was misty-eyed in the end zone at Ohio Stadium and even formed a giant “0” with his arms as he stood near the Ohio State band’s tuba section. You’ll have to forgive Junker; he’s from Akron.

Yet, in a sport in which two-loss Colorado missed a shot at the national title last year by 0.05 of a point and Miami lost out a year earlier by 0.32, how could anyone make any guarantees?

“There’s no way,” Fiesta Bowl spokesman Shawn Schoeffler said Sunday when asked about the possible Oklahoma surprise. “They (Ohio State) are undefeated. They’re so far ahead.”

True enough. Ohio State, No. 2 in last week’s BCS standings, held a 7.05 lead over No. 4 Oklahoma. But, with Washington State’s loss, the Sooners should move to No. 3 in today’s BCS standings and pick up poll points for moving into the spot vacated by Washington State.

What if Oklahoma thrashed Oklahoma State and Colorado in its last two games? Could they make up gap on Ohio State?

“I hope not,” Schoeffler hedged, “but you never know.” You hope somebody did the math on this before Ohio State coach Jim Tressel accepted the Fiesta Bowl bid.

Schoeffler said the Fiesta Bowl received permission to take Ohio State from BCS coordinator Michael Tranghese.

John Paquette, the BCS’ lead spokesman, confirmed Sunday that Tranghese had given the Fiesta Bowl the go-ahead after determining there was no way Ohio State could fall from No. 1 or No. 2. So there you have it, Buckeye fans. Not even the BCS nerds can screw up this trip to the national title game. At least that’s today’s story.

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OK, USC fans, let’s start that eight-clap: U-rah, C-rah, L-rah, A-rah. One advantage the BCS system has over a playoff is the strange quirks it produces, such as the delicious prospect of USC rooting for UCLA to beat Washington State on Dec. 7. A Bruin win sends USC to the Rose Bowl.