Nobody wants to play Oklahoma’s rampaging No. 1-ranked football team right now.

Oklahoma’s soccer team isn’t a box of lollipops, either.

“They’re a tough team to play,” Kansas coach Mark Francis said. “It’s tough to get behind them because they usually have eight or nine players behind the ball.”

OU’s defensive bent has resulted in a Big 12 Conference-high four ties, including three in league games.

Kansas (4-3-1 in the league) and Oklahoma (3-2-3) will collide at 4 p.m. today at SuperTarget Field.

No doubt the Sooners will concentrate their defense on Caroline Smith, the league leader in goals (15) and points (32). Smith, a 5-foot-2 sophomore from Edina, Minn., is the most prolific single-season scorer in school history.

“Oklahoma may main-mark Caroline,” Francis said. “Everybody who plays us singles Caroline out. That’s good, because when they follow her that helps other people.”

Kansas (12-4-1 overall) also boasts a strong defense and one of the league’s top goalkeepers in Meghan Miller, a 5-10 junior who is tied for the Big 12 lead with eight shutouts. Miller has allowed only four goals in the Jayhawks’ dozen victories and has a goals-against average of 0.81.

Kansas is coming off one of the biggest wins in school history — a 1-0 decision at Nebraska Sunday, the first against the Cornhuskers in the nine years Kansas has had a varsity soccer program.

Kansas goalkeeper Meghan Miller makes a leaping save against Baylor in this file photo from the game Sept. 26 at SuperTarget Field. Miller, tied for the Big 12 Conference lead with eight shutouts this season, and the Jayhawks will play host to Oklahoma today. Game time is 4 p.m. at SuperTarget Field.

Francis does not expect a letdown in the wake of that landmark victory.

“If it was Friday-Sunday, if we played Nebraska Friday and came back and played Oklahoma on Sunday,” Francis said, “I could see that might happen. But we’ve had a few days off since then.”

With a dozen wins, Kansas is focusing on making its second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament.

“That’s been our goal, and if we take care of business we can do that,” Francis said.

Kansas has two more regular-season games prior to the Big 12 Conference tournament Nov. 6-9 in San Antonio.

The Jayhawks will travel Sunday to Michigan, then close at home Oct. 31 against Oklahoma State.

Tangling with a nonconference foe this late in the season is unusual, but because only 11 of the Big 12 schools have soccer — Kansas State is the holdout — Francis had an open date Sunday.

“Michigan was in the Elite Eight last year,” Francis said, “so when they called I said, ‘Why not?'”