Sooner Magic08

Poor Mack Brown

2008-12-02T15:41:00.000-08:00

Poor Mack Brown. Yeah, he beat my Sooners fair and square (way back in October). Now he’s spent the last few days crying like a baby because the BCS ranked us ahead of them. I understand where he’s coming from, and would probably be just as upset if the shoe was on the other foot, but come on. Enough already. The Horns aren’t the best team in the nation. We are. Since the Red River Shootout, the Sooners have completely dominated everyone we’ve faced, while the horns have struggled and lost. To hear the sports writers tell it, Texas whipped the mighty Aggies, while Oklahoma won a game against the Cowboys. There’s only one problem with that story. A&M sucks! To be boastful about defeating a shitty team is like bragging about the ability to tie your own shoes. The way I see it, we’ve spent the last two weeks beating both the team that beat Texas, and the team they only beat by four points at home. Both Tech and OSU were ranked at 2 and 12 respectively. And we beat the hell out of both of them.

Now I have a few questions for Coach Brown. If he’s so outraged about being ranked behind OU, why hasn’t he pointed out that, using his formula, he should be behind Texas Tech? Oh yeah, "neutral field," I forgot. Why? Because it’s Bullshit! Both teams have played in the Cotton Bowl every year for so many years, it’s almost like a home game. For both teams. Plus, Stillwater is just about the most hostile environment a Sooner could ever enter. And we beat them by 3 touchdowns. (Yes, Helpy Helperton, it was 20 points; 3TD’s to beat us ;-)

Here’s another: In spite of the Horn’s dominance over A&M, why is Florida still behind them after pounding Florida State? The Seminoles are ranked, after all. Besides, number 3 is a pretty good place to be, especially since #’s 2 and 4 are the best teams in the nation. Yeah, I said it. The Gators will beat ‘Bama. And my Sooners will beat them.

And third: C’mon Coach. We all knew that a 3-way tie was going to end with someone moving on and two teams getting the short end of the stick. Each team knew that losing a game took away their ability to control their own destiny. So why not just accept things as they are (he’s not going to change anything anyway), and just move on? I’ve had a lot of respect for Coach Brown so far, because he has always seemed like a class act. Now he’s telling me otherwise. And I hate it.

Are the OSU Cowboys for Real?

2008-10-23T19:14:00.000-07:00

Ok. Maybe I should have chosen a picture that shows a thousand words worth of football prowess the Cowboys have shown this season, but instead, I chose one that represents the exact same illusion that Oklahoma State has provided so far. I have no idea how it works, but if you stare at the picture long enough, you’ll see more than one person in it. In much the same way, if you take a good hard look at OSU, you’ll see the same team we’ve always viewed as an "I hope they get into a bowl this year" team transformed into a well rounded team that deserves it’s top 10 ranking. A team that’ll be tough for anyone to beat. I know what you’re thinking: "How can I look at OSU if they’re not on TV?" Touche. You’re absolutely right. We haven’t seen the Cowboys on TV yet. We saw Missouri. We’ll also see Texas play this weekend. But OSU just happened (and will happen) to be the team they were playing. It’s bullshit. But look on the bright side. At least we didn’t miss the game where the domi-not Fighting Irish took on the football powerhouse Stanford. Thank you ABC!

With a history of having some great players (like Barry Sanders and Thurman Thomas), but a not so great team, the completely legit Cowboys are having a hard time earning respect. Just ask Chase Daniel. When asked what they had to do to prepare for OSU, he said: "Not much." Personally, I think he was misquoted. Knowing what we know now, I think he meant to say "Not enough." But Chase is good at running his mouth, isn’t he? After a disappointing loss to my beloved Sooners last year, he called it a fluke and vowed to prove it if we made it to the Championship. How’s that foot tasting, Chase? Is it as good this year as it was last year? It was for me. Watching mouthy boy crying on the sideline again was priceless! It was kinda sad, though. In the middle of a particularly intense tantrum, he threw his helmet. Damned if it didn’t get picked off. (Sorry, couldn’t resist ;-) Free Advice to Chase Daniel: If you just have to run your mouth, wait til after the game to avoid embarrassment. But the more respect you give, the more you’ll get.

But OSU is giving a lot more respect than they’re getting. Everyone likes to beat up on Baylor in the Big 12; it’s usually a game you’re pretty sure to win. (Look out next year, though. I think those Bears are much better this year than they’ve been in a while, and they’ll just get better.) Even so, this year would have been the perfect opportunity to mouth off before the game and avoid getting egg on their face. It didn’t happen. Instead, both Mike Gundy and the players interviewed talked about Baylor being a good team and listed not only the attributes of the Bears, but also the things they would have to work on and execute to get the job done. Just like Bob Stoops and the Sooners. Just like Mack Brown and the Longhorns. We Big 12 fans also like to pride ourselves on a higher level of Class.

With a high powered offense, a surprisingly good defense, and a little touch of class, the OSU Cowboys are a force to be reckoned in this "season of upsets." Don’t be surprised if they don’t stray too far from the top 5 this year. And to answer my own question: yeah, they’re real!

Is Colt McCoy the Only Heisman Hopeful Out There?

2008-10-23T19:05:00.000-07:00

Now before you assume this blog is written in anger by a die hard Sooner fan, still seething from the dramatic loss in the Red River Shootout (calling it a shootout isn’t promoting violence, it merely highlights the rich history of both states), let me be perfectly clear: Colt McCoy is not a good quarterback. He’s one of the best you’ll ever see. Should he win the Heisman, it will be well deserved. But my point is that, in case you haven’t noticed, there has been an explosion of great quarterbacks this year, and the Big 12 is well represented with eight of them in the top 20 in pass efficiency ratings. Sam Bradford, Zac Robinson, Colt McCoy, and Chase Daniel rank 2 thru 5 respectively, while Josh Freeman, Graham Harrel, Todd Reesing and Joe Ganz round out the QB rich conference. Get used to these names, people. I have a feeling the NFL is going to love these guys! Not to mention, have you ever heard of a feller named Tim Tebow? He seems to be pretty good at running a Heisman race, too.

But maybe I should direct my frustration toward the brilliant ABC commentating crew. To begin with, while watching Chase Daniel get his ass handed to him for the second week in a row, (sorry, guilty pleasure), Kirk Herbstreet listed the teams he would vote for in the AP top 5. He forgot my Sooners. Instead, he put in USC, which still remains a mystery. Florida stands at number 10 in the BCS with a loss to a not so great team, but kicked the living crap out of LSU. While USC also lost to a still unranked team and sits at #5. What is the appeal of USC? No.7 Georgia’s only loss is to #2 Alabama. Why is USC ahead of them?

And Brent Musburger. Ooh Brent Musbuger. You have got to get over your man-crush on Colt McCoy. Yes. He is a great quarterback. And yes, right now the Longhorns are proving that they deserve the #1 ranking they have achieved. But let me point out a little bit of man law. A football commentator does not gush like a make-up caked-up teeny-bopper who just scored a "Hi" from the hometown hero while walking down the hall. And nervous tittering is definitely out of the question. But it wasn’t just his infatuation with (his) Longhorns that was irritating. It was the brilliant remarks he made while doing it. First of all, the Horns didn’t "dominate" the Sooners any more than the Sooners dominated them. The majority of the game could’ve gone to either team, which made it one of the best OU-Texas games in recent history (of course the ending kinda sucked). Secondly, when calling a game, watch the damn thing. When you say that Ogbannaya picks up a couple of yards when we can clearly see the ball splitting the blue line that represents the line of scrimmage, it sounds, well, stupid. Let go of your Longhorn locker room gloryhole fantasy and watch the game.

I have no idea who will win the Heisman this year. And if McCoy is in the top 4 without Sam Bradford or Zac Robinson, I’ll be rooting for him. The point I’m trying to make is that, this early in the season, it’s anyone’s ball game. Rather than having the commentators focusing on just one athlete, let’s consider all the great athletes having a good year (not just quarterbacks).

Did Rhett Bomar do the Sooners a favor?

2008-06-16T20:01:00.001-07:00

For those of you who don’t remember, Bomar and some guy (I still can’t remember his name, and it’s really not worth the hassle of researching it.) got "jobs" at a local car dealership with a pretty doggone good salary. Wait, it gets even better. They were being paid when they weren’t even there. You want better than that? They hardly ever showed up! As it turns out, the NCAA had a bit of a problem with their activities. Who knew? But it wasn’t all bad. As a matter of fact, I think we are much better off without them. I’m almost glad it happened, and I’m definitely glad things have turned out the way they have. Now let me try to change your mind. Here are a few points that I think are relevant.

1. Bob Stoops
We already knew he was one hell of a coach, but the "class" thing was more of an unproved certainty. Ok, I knew he had class (we all did), but how far was he willing to take his principles? No one knew. Until Bomar showed us. Stoops could have swept the whole thing under the rug and he probably would have succeeded. But that’s not the kind of guy he is. He runs an honest program. And both his coaches and his players will conduct themselves accordingly. Or they’re out. Period.

2. Paul Thompson
Ok, let’s face it: Thompson got screwed! When Jason White decided to come back for one more year, Thompson’s next move was to red-shirt and save his last two years of eligibility. His actions were wise, but the next year, he (and the rest of us I think) were shocked to find out that Bomar got the start, and Thompson was moved to receiver. What? Why?! The only thing I can figure is that Thompson must have said (or done) something to piss Stoops off. Who knows? But we do know that Bomar was not the better man for the job. Thompson proved that the next year, when he was finally given his chance under center. He was much better than I expected after a year of playing another position.

3. Sam Bradford
Can you imagine having a QB like Bradford on the bench? Behind Jr. QB Rhett Bomar, that’s probably what would have happened. Stoops may have seen how good he was from just the practices, but it’s doubtful. I really don’t think any of us could have predicted how much poise and control this kid has from just practice. No, what makes Bradford special is something you can only see in games. Now that we’ve all seen it, aren’t you glad we didn’t have to wait three more years for it? I am.

4. And finally, Me!
This is probably the sweetest deal of all: I never have to look at that mullet-wearing doofus again! And I won’t hear: "I-35...NORMAN!" ever again. That’s just something you just can’t put a price on. I used to cringe every time those stupid commercials came on. It was almost like Linda Soundtrack: The Next Generation. Good Riddance! Oh yeah, I almost forgot; the mullet is dead. Let it go!

Here’s to you, Rhett Bomar. I mean, the way you threw away your career for the betterment of our beloved Sooners? That’s another thing you can’t put a price on. Well, you got paid, so I guess we don’t owe you anything. So, thank you Rhett Bomar. You’re a helluva nice guy. From the bottom of my heart...thank you!

Should the Sooners Fire Bob Stoops?

2008-06-10T23:33:00.000-07:00

In a word: HELL NO! I guess that was two words. Oh well, the naysayers can’t seem to count either. They can clog the radio airwaves for weeks after a big loss, but they usually don't make much sense. The most infuriating accusation I’ve heard is that Stoops "can’t win the big one." Are you serious? He’s 4-5 in bowl appearances, and granted, that’s nothing to stand up and cheer about, but two of those losses came from his three national championship appearances. Plus, does anyone remember that he’s 6-3 against Texas? That he won 5 in a row? Isn’t that a big game? Have they forgotten that he’s won 4 conference championships in his tenure at OU?

Most schools (besides OSU basketball) give a coach a "mulligan" in his (or her) first year as head coach. It makes sense. No one can turn a team around in their first season. Seriously, you really can’t even expect a national championship in their second season, can you? But Stoops did that, didn’t he?

Still not convinced? Let’s look at some stats, shall we? His average ranking in the past eight years is #6. As a matter of fact, he's had a top 10 finish in 6 of his last 8 years. The Sooner's last top 10 ranking was in 1987 under the great (you may have heard of him) Barry Switzer. The average ranking in the eight years before Stoops: #78. Coach Stoops is #3 in Oklahoma’s all-time winning percentage with 82%. The top two are Barry Switzer and (you may have heard of this one too;-) Bud Wilkinson. It seems that Stoops is in pretty good company to me.

But fair-weather-fans are everywhere, aren’t they? I don’t remember seeing all the banners, flags and sweatshirts in such abundance during the dark ages of John Blake and Kaptain Kangaroo, do you? But we die-hard fans even stuck with our beloved Sooners during those tearful years. And now that we’re on top again, the not-really-Sooners are back on their soapbox, demanding that a non-championship finish is unacceptable. So, to answer my own question (and maybe shut up the whiners on the Sports Animal) should we fire Bob Stoops? Only if you are sick and tired of winning.