Who would have thought entering the season that Oklahoma, ranked No. 3 in the preseason, would consider it necessary to prove itself in its home game against Idaho State today?

And yet, those are the circumstances surrounding the 5:05 p.m. game at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium after Oklahoma's stunning loss to BYU last week.

On top of that upset, the Sooners have had to deal with a bevy of injuries, most notably to quarterback Sam Bradford. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner sprained his throwing shoulder in the first half against BYU and will miss today's game.

"With all we're fighting through right now, it's just: Take it week by week," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said in a Big 12 coaches teleconference Monday. "We just need to focus on this week and getting better."

The prospect of facing a newly intensified Oklahoma squad has to be a scary notion for Idaho State. The Bengals, after all, were physically out-matched by Arizona State in their season opener, after which they seemed resigned about the vast difference in the Pac-10's and Big Sky's levels of play.

"Our guys had and played with a lot of heart," Idaho State coach John Zamberlin said during his weekly Monday news conference, "and sometimes when you run into a lot of heart with better genetics, that's kind of tough to match up to."

Here is a capsule look at some talking points about the two teams.

FIRST DOWN

Idaho State's quarterback saga took a dramatic twist Friday when its coaches decided on the charter plane to Oklahoma to hold out Russel Hill, who apparently injured his throwing hand midweek during practice. Hill is day-to-day and could play if he absolutely had to, said Frank Mercogliano, Idaho State's assistant athletic director for media relations. But the coaches decided not to risk further injury to him. Instead, Kyle Blum will get the starting assignment and presumably most of the snaps.

Hill's injury further muddies the team's newly launched quarterback competition. Zamberlin said earlier in the week he wanted to give Hill the chance to audition for the starting spot once again. The Bengals ideally would like to settle on a permanent signal caller by the time Big Sky play begins, Zamberlin added.

Well, that's next week, when Idaho State travels to play Weber State. Does that mean Hill's window has closed? Or will he get another lifeline when Idaho State plays its final nonconference game the following week against Central Washington? Will Blum render all that speculation irrelevant with a stellar outing against the Sooners today? Stay tuned.

SECOND DOWN

Oklahoma's quarterback picture is much clearer, but that's not a good thing. The most horrifying of the Sooners' nightmarish spate of injuries is Bradford's shoulder sprain, which will keep him out two to four weeks.

In addition, All-American tight end Jermaine Gresham will miss the rest of the season due to cartilage damage in his right knee. Gresham was the Sooners' top returning receiver.

Idaho State can't really gloat about those injuries, though. Oklahoma, being the Big 12 powerhouse that it is, has plenty of reinforcements. Bradford's backup, redshirt freshman Landry Jones, was ranked the third-best quarterback in the high school class of 2008 by ESPN. Gresham's replacement, Brody Eldridge, received scholarship offers from Arizona, Kansas, Oklahoma State and TCU.

THIRD DOWN

Stoops hasn't minced his words when criticizing his offensive line in the aftermath of the BYU loss.

The unit, which Stoops called Oklahoma's "weak link" during spring ball, committed nine penalties that stalled one drive after another.

"As far as physical play, playing hard, it's there," Stoops said. "But the part of having the discipline to play by the rules and eliminate penalties, we have to improve."

Remember, the Sooners began the year with four new starters on the line. The lone returner, Trent Williams, moved from right tackle to left tackle.

Oklahoma may not be done shifting linemen around, either. Injuries to its top two centers meant Eldridge had to snap the ball against BYU, but he likely will move back to tight end with Gresham out.

FOURTH DOWN

Zamberlin instructed offensive coordinator Brian Jensen to call as many running plays as possible in the second half of the Arizona State game so Idaho State could milk the clock and give its defense some relief.

It's possible the Bengals will resort to that strategy again this week, which raises the question: How sharp will their offense be next week against Weber State if they've barely skimmed their playbook during their first two games?

That's not something that worries the Bengals. For one, they work on their offensive plays every day in practice. In addition, every Big Sky team except Montana plays at least one guarantee game and faces the same quandary as Idaho State.

For those reasons, the Bengals have no qualms running a basic form of their offense for now.

"A lot of our reps and a lot of working on our full complement on offense is during the week here," Jensen said before Wednesday's practice. "We'll be fine. We play who we play."

Key matchup

Oklahoma's defensive line vs. Idaho State's offensive line

The Sooners' defensive front is anchored by tackle Gerald McCoy, an All-American and Bronko Nagurski Trophy candidate. ESPN analyst Mel Kiper ranked McCoy the fourth-best prospect in the nation in a preseason NFL mock draft.

McCoy isn't the only threat on Oklahoma's line. Defensive ends Jeremy Beal and Auston English, both upperclassmen, combined for 24.5 tackles for loss and 13 sacks last season.

If the Bengals are to accomplish anything on offense this week, their offensive line will have to fend off the Sooners' front four. Idaho State allowed only two sacks last week against Arizona State, but the Sun Devils were in the backfield threatening to take down quarterbacks Kyle Blum and Russel Hill on seemingly every play.

Idaho State's inability to pass then hurt its running game, as Arizona State began stacking the box with defenders. The Bengals ended up with 37 total yards on offense, an output coach John Zamberlin said they should be embarrassed by.

Redemption for them begins in the trenches.

System Battle

When the Bengals pass

Oklahoma has intercepted at least one pass in 88 of its last 116 outings. Starting cornerbacks Brian Jackson and Dominique Franks combined for 20 pass deflections and six interceptions last season, with Franks returning a pick for a touchdown.

Advantage - Oklahoma

When the Bengals run

Oklahoma surrendered only 28 rushing yards to BYU last week on 33 carries. If the Sooners could keep the Cougars' runners in check, chances are they'll do the same to the Bengals, who rushed for minus-5 yards last week.

Advantage - Oklahoma

When the Sooners pass

Even without Bradford, Oklahoma's passing game boasts a few weapons. Backup quarterback Landry Jones was ESPN's No. 3-ranked quarterback in the high school class of 2008. He should be talented enough to move the ball against Idaho State, even if his receivers, besides slot man Ryan Broyles, are relatively inexperienced.

Advantage - Oklahoma

When the Sooners run

Oklahoma running backs Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray both rushed for more than 1,000 yards last season. They each averaged 5.9 yards per carry. With brilliant playmakers like the two at their disposal, it's no wonder the Sooners have declared they will keep the ball on the ground plenty until Bradford returns.

Advantage - Oklahoma

Special teams

The two teams are more evenly matched in this phase of the game than any other. Idaho State punter Jon Vanderwielen had a better average than Oklahoma's Tress Way did in their respective season openers. Idaho State kicker Jarrett Huk's 55-yard field goal against Arizona State tops Oklahoma's all-time record. Still, the Sooners are stacked with phenomenal athletes. They ranked No. 5 in the nation in kickoff returns last year, while punt return man Broyles averaged 9.9 yards per return. During Stoops' tenure, Oklahoma has 26 special teams touchdowns and has blocked 21 kicks.

Special teams - Oklahoma

Coaching

Oklahoma has a 109-25 record in coach Bob Stoops' 10-plus seasons at the program. Still not convinced? Sooners quarterbacks coach Josh Heupel was a Heisman Trophy runner-up in 2000 and has mentored two Heisman winners in Jason White and Bradford. Oklahoma's list of coaching accomplishments stretches on and on.

Advantage - Oklahoma

In the end…

Oklahoma is a year removed from playing in the BCS National Championship Game against Florida. Anyone expecting Oklahoma to lose this game is either delusional or doesn't follow college football.

Oklahoma 67, Idaho State 3

Around the Big Sky

Southern Oregon (0-1) at Portland State (1-0)

2:05 p.m. at PGE Park in Portland, Ore.

Series: Southern Oregon leads 11-8-1

Prediction: Portland State 47, Southern Oregon 17

Eastern Washington (1-0) at California (1-0)

3:35 p.m. at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif.

Series: First meeting

Prediction: California 63, Eastern Washington 10

San Diego (1-0) at Northern Colorado (0-1)

1:35 p.m. at Nottingham Field in Greeley, Colo.

Series: San Diego 1-0

Prediction: Northern Colorado 22, San Diego 20

Sacramento State (0-1) at No. 12 Cal Poly (0-0)

5:05 p.m. at Spanos Stadium in San Luis Obispo, Calif.

Series: Tied 15-15

Prediction: Cal Poly 42, Sacramento State 13

Weber State (0-1) at Colorado State (1-0)

3:05 p.m. at Hughes Stadium in Fort Collins, Colo.

Series: Colorado State leads 2-0

Prediction: Colorado State 31, Weber State 24

Dixie State (0-1) at Montana State (0-1)

1:05 p.m. at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman, Mont.

Series: Montana State leads 1-0

Prediction: Montana State 44, Dixie State 14

Northern Arizona (0-0) at Arizona (1-0)

7 p.m. at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Ariz.

Series: Arizona leads 9-1

Prediction: Arizona 34, Northern Arizona 13

Montana (1-0) at UC Davis (0-1)

7:05 p.m. at Aggie Stadium in Davis, Calif.

Series: Montana leads 3-0

Prediction: Montana 24, UC Davis 20