Kansas City, Mo ? Earlier this week, the Bowl Championship Series committee announced that top-ranked Oklahoma’s lead in the rankings was so insurmountable that OU likely could lose the Big 12 Conference football championship game and still play for the national championship.

Looks like the Sooners are going to find out if that’s true.

Oklahoma (12-1) put its national title hopes in jeopardy with a 35-7 loss to No. 13 Kansas State Saturday night at Arrowhead Stadium. The Wildcats (11-3) accepted a Fiesta Bowl bid following the game, but the Sooners will now play wait-and-see about their possible pairing with Southern Cal or LSU in the Sugar Bowl.

“We just got our butt whipped,” OU coach Bob Stoops said. “I’m not going to sit here and lobby and bargain or try to lobby our way into any bowl game.

“If the way the BCS structure is developed, if we come out where we’re one of the top two teams, then that’ll be the case. If we’re not, we’re not.”

K-State dismantled the Sooners in every way imaginable. It corralled their lethal kick-return game. It shut down the run. It made quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Jason White a virtual non-factor.

Meanwhile, KSU’s 5-foot-7 tailback Darren Sproles weaved and wiggled his way through the defense for 235 yards on the ground.

“Let the little man run it,” KSU quarterback Ell Roberson said of K-State’s offensive strategy. “If they don’t respect him, we’ll throw it. That’s what it came down to.”

When Roberson did throw it, he was usually on target. He completed 10 of 17 passes for 227 yards and four touchdowns. The Wildcats racked up 519 yards of total offense to Oklahoma’s 398.

Kansas State players, from left, Andrew Shull, Tony Madison and Ell Roberson hold the Big 12 Conference championship trophy. The 13th-ranked Wildcats upended top-ranked Oklahoma, 35-7, Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.

“It just feels great to get that many points on the No. 1 team in the nation said,” K-State linebacker Ted Sims. “I feel like we should probably be the No. 1 team in the nation right now.”

The Wildcats’ efficiency was only half the story. White threw two interceptions, OU receivers dropped at least a half-dozen passes, and its defensive schemes never fooled the Wildcats.

“A lot of tackles that we always make, a lot of catches we always make … there’s a lot of stuff tonight that we just didn’t do,” said Oklahoma linebacker Teddy Lehman. “It’s not characteristic of the way we’ve played all year, and they beat us in every part of the game tonight.”

The Sooners looked poised to deliver a drubbing when they took a 7-0 lead just 2:49 in on Kejuan Jones’ 42-yard touchdown run.

When usually automatic kicker Trey DiCarlo shanked a 44-yard field goal to open the second half, however, Sproles took over, and the Sooners went totally kaput.

Sproles broke off a 55-yard run on the first play following DiCarlo’s miss. Roberson hit Brian Casey with a 19-yard touchdown pass three plays later that tied the game. The Wildcats took the lead for good 2:23 later when Roberson connected with James Terry for a 63-yard score.

A dropped pass by Jejuan Rankins and a White interception in the end zone ended OU’s next two possessions. Then Sproles took a Roberson screen pass 60 yards for a touchdown just before halftime.

Oklahoma never regained its spark in the second half, making the final two quarters a mere formality. Antoine Polite scored on a 10-yard pass from Roberson with 3:02 left in the third quarter. Ted Sims’ 27-yard interception return for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter was the final damage.