Bleacher Report - Articles by J. Robert Byrom

Role Reversal: Oklahoma Sooners Play Spoiler In Bedlam

J. Robert Byrom — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 16:14:09 -0500

It was almost 2001 all over again, where a late season loss to the OSU Cowboys sent the Sooners to the Cotton Bowl, costing them and the conference millions in BCS bowl money.

In this year's version of bedlam, the twist is it was the Sooners playing the spoiler role to the Cowboys’ BCS dreams.

It would of been huge for the Cowboys, sending them to their first BCS bowl, and proving at least one Pickins’ plan is alive and well.

However, a shutout by a sub-par OU and a blowout by Texas shows that OSU has a long way to go before they are able to compete with the big boys in the Big 12 South.

That fact bodes poorly for the Cowboys, who lose a lot of talent on both sides of the ball after the season.

The long-term future looks good, Gundy has proven to be a good coach, Bill Young is apparently happy and staying for the long haul and a top-10 recruiting class will be arriving in Stillwater this spring.

But short term with losing an immense amount of talent and being so far behind the top dogs head-to-head this year, the next two years may really tell us what kind of program OSU has currently.

For the Sooners, after a dominant shutout against a top-15 team and a close loss to an undefeated Texas team, they find themselves wondering what could of been, outside of Lubbock, which has been a house of horrors for the Sooners this decade.

The Sooners came oh-so close in oh-so many games.

At times this year, they looked like the championship caliber defense promised in the preseason while at others, they looked like John Blake never left town.

People have bagged on Stoops this year for five losses but really with their extremee rash of injuries, he deserves an award much more than a pink slip.

Take Texas for example, as good as they are, if they would have lost McCoy (their Bradford), in game one, Shipley (Gresham) and Houston (Granger) before the season started, then during the season lost Sergio Kindle (English) and their secondary tight end and X-factor Dan Buckner (Eldridge), and on top of all that missed one or two lineman every single week due to injury.

Not only does the Stoops not deserve to be fired he deserves a raise.

No one would expect Texas to be competitive with that many personnel losses but the Sooners were in every game except for one.
You can play the injury game with Florida, Alabama, TCU, and really any team. Take five players off their roster, their two best for sure and then three more off their top-10 and two more that have to sit out a few games and see if you think their roster could still win tough games on the road.

The fact that I feel the need to defend Stoops shows that the monster analogy of Barry Switzer rings true. Oklahoma football is a monster and it is always hungry and never satisfied and nothing but winning suppresses it. It does not care why you cannot win and will accept no excuses.

Barry himself had said repeatedly that the monster is in good hands.

If the state that once deemed itself Switzerland, will not believe Barry then they wont believe anyone. Be careful what you wish for, every program is just one bad hire away from obscurity.

Link to http://soonersnews.com , if you copy this article to another site.

Four Wins Is Actually A Huge Milestone For Upstart Oklahoma City Thunder

J. Robert Byrom — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:26:08 -0500

You have to crawl before you walk.

The Thunder have four wins and that is a very big thing.

Not because it is a franchise record but that they did it more than a month and a half faster than they did last year.

If you are of the camp that all the Seattle records, history and stats should remain in Washington, then the Thunder, in only their second year, have made a huge strides.

They started off last year with twenty nine losses before they reached win number four on New Year's Ever. This year, they reached four wins on Veteran's day with only four losses.

Time will tell if they can keep this momentum for an entire season and make a run at a playoff spot in their second year in the OKC but it seems early in the year that it is a no-brainer that this team is vastly improved.

They have yet to lose a game by 10 points this season. Last year by their fourth win they had lost more than a handful by 10.

Two of their losses were extremely competitive that just came down to making shots and plays at the end which they did not. They are still terribly young and need experience in more close games before they can be expected to win the close ones more often than not. However, Being competitive in all eight games thus far is a huge step forward for this team who was often out of games last year by the fourth quarter.

They have played good teams well. The Thunder have played both teams from last years championship and took one to overtime and the other they blew out by 28 at home. While the doubters will say neither team was at full strength, Even Orlando's coach Stan Van Gundy said, "The Thunder are much better than us right now. They would have [won] if we had everybody."

While the Thunder are no where near being the same caliber of either of these teams being competitive and being able to take advantage of one on a bad night shows a lot.

So while winning four games is a somewhat laughable milestone, it is the symbol of so much for the young Thunder. It is a sign that Scott Brooks dedication to defense can yield results even with a terribly young team, that Sam Presti may actually know what he is doing, that the Chicago Bulls made a huge mistake releasing Thabo Selofosha and so much more.

Most importantly, it shows that the Thunder have made immense improvement in just one short year.

If they continue to grow as a team at this pace, they will be a force to deal with in no time.

Include a link to http://SoonersNews.com, if you copy this article to another site.

Oklahoma City Thunder Defense is Leading the Western Conference

J. Robert Byrom — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:26:41 -0500

In the high-flying Western Conference, where 10 teams are averaging over 100 points a game, only one team is holding their opponents under 90. No, not the Spurs; the upstart Oklahoma City Thunder.

Young teams are not supposed to win this way, and last year the Thunder proved that. They fit easily into the mold of young talented teams. You live and die by shooting percentages.

This year, the Thunder have gotten off to a respectable start in a way that young teams seldom do: with dominating defense.

Last year, they added guard Thabo Sefolosha for one of their coveted draft picks after the Tyson Chandler deal fell through. While the move had many scratching their heads, Sefolosha's impact was felt immediately. The Thunder had already started to improve, but he showed the young team how much good defensive effort can impact the game and the Thunder have apparently took that lesson to heart.

While it was expected the Thunder would improve on both sides of the ball as they gain experience, the total transformation and dedication to defense was not.

The most impressive increase in defensive intensity has been down on the low post. The finally healthy Nenad Krstic and veteran Etan Thomas are matching the efforts of Sefolosha in the post as well. Jeff Green and Durant have not been afraid to go low and help out when needed.

Many are now picking the Thunder to make the playoffs. They definitely have the talent, but are extremely young. They may still be a year away, but with their defensive effort and great young core, the Thunder's future is as bright as any teams in the NBA. The scariest thing is they still have tons of room to play around before their roster is locked.

Include a link to http://soonersnews.com , if you copy this article to another site.

Bob Stoops, Landry Jones, Oklahoma Sooners Hit New Lows

J. Robert Byrom — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:09:28 -0500

Defense may win championships, but winning any game is tough when asked to do it all alone.

The Oklahoma defense is championship caliber and did everything it could Saturday. It only allowed Nebraska into scoring range once, when a missed tackle led to a 60-plus yard run. Even then, they got a turnover to keep the Huskers from scoring.

Landry Jones threw five interceptions. Holding down the Huskers offense was a monumental accomplishment. However, two of those interceptions were too deep to shut them out completely. One led to a field goal and the other, a one-yard touchdown drive.

Those 10 points were all Nebraska needed as the offense struggled all night. Nebraska deserves the majority of the credit, but not all of it.

The Sooners moved the ball well and on most of the interceptions, an open receiver was overthrown and an even more open defender was waiting.

Let face it, OU should have put a nickelback on offense to cover Matt O'Hanlon. He was open all night and was Jones' favorite target.

Jones reminded us all what Sam Bradford made us forget: what a freshman quarterback looks like.

Just a few weeks ago, he was the next Heisman contender at OU, now Sooners fans are checking their watches to see how long till recruit Blake Bell steps on campus.

Sooners fans criticized Kevin Wilson for not opening up the playbook for Jones in the BYU and Miami games. Now we know why he did. Wilson knew how terribly inconsistent Jones can be.

It is not time to give up on Jones after his first bad game, but it is time to realize he is a long way away from being able to be counted on week-in and week-out.

Stoops had never failed to score a touchdown as a head coach. Now is he not only faced with the worst offensive performance of his tenure at OU, but possibly his worst team and record.

The 7-5 record of 1999 will be hard to beat. They need wins over both Texas Tech and Oklahoma State.

If the performance in Lincoln is any indication, the defense will slow both teams down but both opponents will score a few points and the OU offense may not be able to counter.

Let's face it, there has not been much improvement this year for OU. The problems of the BYU game were almost identical to the problems of the Nebraska game. Penalties, poor line play, inconsisternt effort from the receivers.

Please include a link to http://soonersnews.com if you copy and paste this article to another site.

Disband the NCAA: Dez Bryant Ruling Reminds Us All What We Already Know

J. Robert Byrom — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:08:58 -0400

Dez Bryant needs to raid Brian Bozworth's closet. The Boz has one shirt that goes perfect with what Bryant is wearing, an unjust one-year suspension from college football for lying about NOT breaking a rule.

Yes, you read that right not that he lied about breaking a rule and got caught. He lied about doing something that is not against the rules and loses nearly a year of his college football career.

Let's face it the National Communist Against Athletes, NCAA, t-shirt that Boz wore makes much more sense for Bryant to wear than it ever did for the Boz, who has actually caught breaking the rules.

When I first heard the news that Bryant was suspended for lying about spending time with Deion Sanders, I thought there would be more to this story. At the very least, if there was not any wrong doing uncovered that he would be reinstated the second the investigation into his relationship with Sanders was finished.

However, the investigation was concluded and no evidence of any other violations were uncovered. The NCAA decided not to reinstate him until September 2010.

To add insult to injury, the NCAA seems to be patting themselves on the back for being so lenient.

Let's face it. The NCAA wants Deion Sanders out of the college game. They do not want college athletes talking to Sanders and much less spending time with him.

I actually get that, I am not a fan of Sanders being involved in these young kids lives either. One he does have business connections to both people who own bookies and to agents..

Two, all of his past mentor projects have not panned out. Last year he did nothing to improve the situations of the two cowboys player's lives he got himself involved in, Pacman and TO and both situations ended badly for all parties involved.

Yes, he has Primetime U and it seems to be getting a lot of publicity but despite him being one of the best defensive backs in NFL history, he always had a snake in the grass feel to him to me.

So, the NCAA does not want it athletes dealing with Deion. I get that but it is not a violation and unless they make it a rule, which they cant. There is no reason that players should be suspended for visiting him if they wish to make that err in judgment.

Make no doubt about it, this suspension is all about Deion Sanders. If Bryant had visited with Dan Marino or John Elway and lied about it, He would be dressing up as an OSU Cowboy for Halloween and taking the field against Texas.

Lets face it, no one has any faith in the NCAA and has not for years. Now, granted their job is impossibly tough and much needed but they could not be doing a more poor job without actually trying to be an embarrassment.

Why universities continue to fund them and let them retain their power is beyond logic.

The hypocrisy is unbearable. The institution suspends a player for lying about NOT breaking a rule and then tells us that the USC Trojans are still under investigation and more evidence is needed. You have receipts, you have audio tape and eye witnesses to actual rule violations but that is not more evidence than a kid lying to you about once again, NOT, breaking a rule.

Or, Blount who may very well be reinstated after not only punching a player on-field but trying to go into the stands and duke it out with the fans as well.

This year, the NCAA has tried to prove it still has teeth after letting major violations go on at major universities for the past few seasons but until they punish the major violators who it is obvious to all were cheating. Such a harsh punishment for such a minor violation, is extremely petty.

The NCAA needs to be disbanded. No if, ands or buts about it. This is the same organization that argued allowing more games to be shown on TV would diminish the popularity of college football. So their inadequacies go way beyond dealing with violations.

The message they are sending here is wrong. Never admit anything and if you are going to make a minor mistake, lie like you just broke every rule in the book because we are going to punish like you did unless, of course, you go to the right university.

please include a link to http://soonersnews.com , if you copy this article to another site.

Sam Bradford's Heisman Should Actually Be Upside Down

J. Robert Byrom — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:10:25 -0400

For those of you unfamiliar with the OU policy. If you win the Heisman, you get a statue, where you spend eternity looking at Sims Afro, Steve Owen's jaw line, Billy Vessels' signature stride and Jason White's pocket presence.

So, now that Sam Bradford has said he has played his last game at OU, it is time to seriously consider the design of the trophy.

About a year ago, a Facebook group popped up with the title "Sam Bradford's Heisman Park Statue Should be Upside Down!" Click here to Join . The now infamous Jenny Carlson, whom Mike Gundy assured her and everyone else on the planet that he was 40 and a man, when she wrote his starting QB, Bobby Reed, was mentally week after observing his mother feeding him chicken, also included it on her blog, here .

While initially it was more a fun joke than anything serious, you have to ask yourself the question, "What is Sam Bradford's signature play?"

It is a hard question to answer because despite the immense amount of great and wonderful moments Sam Bradford had, there are hardly any you would call a signature play.

If you look at Tebow, You can find plenty. Third down and short and he runs over someone, or some two or some three, to get the first down. It happens plenty and I doubt any future Tebow statues are going to show him in his pocket pose.

Bradford's games, mostly due to his effectiveness, were seldom close and actually never did he lead his team on a final game winning drive, not that there were many opportunities.

There are no pictures of him holding the Golden Hat or the Crystal ball.

When I try to look for one play that encapsulates who Sam Bradford was as a player at OU, The OSU flip hits my mind first and foremost every last time.

It was third and nine and the Sooners were already up four. So a fourth-down field goal still would of kept them up a touchdown. Everything a QB is taught tells him to slide or throw it away when there is no receiver open in that situation.

Bradford did not do either. He scrambled then he gave up his body and went airborne, trying to dive for a touchdown like a running back or wide receiver trying to clip the pylon.

Linebacker Orie Lemon must of thought Christmas came early with Bradford going Delta right in front of him after being stiff-armed by Bradford earlier in the game.

The collision caught all-everything tight end Jermaine Gresham's eye, "I thought it was a gangling deer got hit by a car or something, All I saw was his legs go in the air."

While he came up short and got knocked out of bounds at the one, Bradford and the Sooners did cross the goal line the next play after a botched snap.

If not for the effort OU would of never got the touchdown according to wide Receiver Manuel Johnson, "Coach said that was a big play because if he would have just threw it out of bounds, he probably would’t have went for it on fourth down. He probably would have went with the field goal. But he got it down there to the 1, and with that effort I think coach was like, I can’t kick a field goal since he made that effort."

It was the turning point in a game were both teams were trading punches and helped OU get the decisive victory it needed to break the three-way tie for the South Division in 2008 which sent OU to both the Conference And National Championship games.

It was the tenth 300-yard game of Bradford's Sophomore season.

The OSU flip also encompasses Bradford's career at OU. He always did his job well and put his team in a good position to win. You cannot blame any of OU's losses on Bradford, he came to play week in and week out.

Yet, the team came up short both against Texas and in the National championship, always getting pushed out of bounds before he crossed the goal line of the teams biggest goals despite giving it everything he had.

Bob Stoops' knew what a treasure he had in Bradford. “His heart, his toughness, his competitiveness is second to none,” Stoops said.

So please if you want to make the statue truly show what Slinging Sammy Bradford was all about, make his statue upside down because no play told us more about Bradford than the Fearless Flip.

Include a link to http://soonersnews.com , if you copy this article to another site.

Sam Bradford's Struggles with Big Decisions Should Inspire Us All

J. Robert Byrom — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 11:46:31 -0400

Right now, there are countless articles being written by both professionals and amateurs on why Sam Bradford should have taken the money last year and why he should do it again this year.

These articles are about as generic as they come to the point where they can just keep them on file and change the name year in and year out publishing tons of articles without every rewriting their first one.

It goes beyond articles of course, on TV and radio it is the same thing but still the opinion is the same yearly and you can just change the names just as generically.

There is little doubt that we live in a take the money and run society and the Bradford's and his ilk are tempted to take the money.

But Bradford is different than the status quo and if he was not then he would not be in the position he is in today.

As a senior in high school he was a semi-touted quarterback at best. OU had been getting the top recruits at QB when he was ready to go to college. His prospects of playing more than one-year as a starter at OU were bleak at best.

There were at least 50 schools were he could have gone to and had a great chance to be a four-year starter.

He didn't, he followed his heart to the University of Oklahoma and it paid huge dividends when Bomar was kicked from the team and it paved the way for him to start as a redshirt freshman.

Bradford is special because he has followed his heart and he should not let money change that now.

Once, he starts doing what is expected of him, he becomes less of a leader, less of a superstar and has less of a future.

Really, Bradford is already a millionaire, whether it is through the draft, through insurance or through the jobs and business opportunities that his celebrity will bring him in life.

Yes, he gets the most millions by going to the draft. When you start talking about how much more or less of a millionaire someone is going to be, are we not splitting hairs at that point?

Bradford is better than the status quo, Bradford is a leader, Bradford followed his heart last year when we decided to stay and not take the money.

Following his heart is what makes him so special, Sometimes it works out like when he followed it to Oklahoma. Sometimes it doesn't like when he got hurt twice this year.

Either way, the second he stops following what his heart tells him to do. He becomes less of a man and less of a leader because most of us do not have the guts to do what are heart tells us to in everyday normal situations.

But Bradford is special because he was able to follow his heart despite being pressured by millions of dollars to do something else.

We should all try to be more Bradford-like and have the strength to follow our hearts even though the stakes of our decisions are so much smaller.

Plenty of College athletes follow their heart to go to the NFL early because playing in the NFL was their childhood dreams. Others dream of leading their favorite colleges to a national championship.

So, Sam, whatever you decide, stay true to your heart, It has made you who you are today and that is no little feat.

Include a link to http://soonersnews.com , if you copy this article to another site.

Seven Losses Is a Real Possibility for the Oklahoma Sooners

J. Robert Byrom — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 10:52:04 -0400

It seems weird to mention this because with a few less injuries and a few more good breaks, OU could very well be undefeated and one of the top-ranked teams in the nation.

Oklahoma is more likely to go win out and go 9-3 then lose four more games and not go to a bowl game for the first time in Bob Stoops' tenure, but both scenarios are very much in the realm of possibilities.

Yes, they are 3-3 but they have been mangled by injuries and still lost all three games by less than one touchdown combined despite playing one of the toughest schedules to date in the country

So, given the likely fact that with better luck and fewer injuries the Sooners could very well be an undefeated or one-loss team well within the hunt for the National championship, it seems very weird to look down their schedule and see four more potential losses.

Now, do not get me wrong, as you look down the Sooners' schedule, they are better than every team than they play, but did we not say that about BYU and Miami?

They only have two games that are sure wins. Kansas State and Texas A&M have to go to Norman, where the Sooners are almost invincible and both teams have looked horrid against good teams thus far.

Three more tough road games are on the schedule and all are pretty even match-ups for the Sooners. Yes Oklahoma is better than Kansas, Nebraska, and Texas Tech, but not that much better and road games are tough to win in conference.

All three games are potential losses for the Sooners.

Then Oklahoma State comes to Norman. Norman is a tough place to win and has been since the 40's, but Stoops has only lost two games at home in his eleven years; however, Oklahoma State gave Stoops one of those two home loses.

OU is a good defensive team, but even good defenses can have a bad game and if the Bedlam Battle turns into a hundred plus point shootout like it did last year, OU has little chance of winning an offensive shootout against any team with their offensive struggles and penalties.

Chances are that the Sooners run the table or have one more loss at the most, but with three tough road games plus a heated rival coming to town, do not be surprised if much more heartbreak comes for Sooners fans.

Please include a link to http://soonersnews.com , If you copy this article to another site.

Sixty Years Ago, Everyone Ran The Wildcat

J. Robert Byrom — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:30:56 -0400

"Outlined against a blue-gray October sky, the Four Horsemen rode again. In dramatic lore their names are Death, Destruction, Pestilence, and Famine. But those are aliases. Their real names are: Stuhldreher, Crowley, Miller, and Layden. They formed the crest of the South Bend cyclone before which another fighting Army team was swept over the precipice at the Polo Grounds this afternoon, as 55,000 spectators peered down upon the bewildering panorama spread out upon the green plain below."

That was from Grantland Rice's article in the New York Herald that made the All-American studded backfield of Notre Dame into legend and lore.

The passage sticks in my mind every time I hear how the Wildcat is changing the game and makes me think, "oh, how quickly we forget."

All the Wildcat is doing is reminding us that 11-on-11 is better than 10-on-11 and is much more an ode to the past than a peek into the future.

I was not alive 60 years ago, but every time I hear about the Wildcat and how it is changing the game, I quickly remember the grainy films I have watched of the Maryland Power I, the T-Formation, The Veer, the Flex, and even to a lesser extent, the Wishbone.

I see how quickly Jimmy Harris would take the snap and run around the end to make the Sooners unbeatable for about half of the '50s or the Four Horseman of Notre Dame and the most dominate backfield ever.

Before you made your best passer your QB, you made your best athlete your QB. Whoever was the best overall player was always your QB. If he could happen to throw it as well, it was a bonus. Sometimes your fastest player was your RB, but the QB was always the best overall player.

Tim Tebows weren't so rare in the early days of football both on and off the field, but I will leave the morality debate for another day.

Don't believe me? Read the short bio of the quarterback component of the four horseman in 1924.

"Harry Stuhldreher, was a self-assured leader who not only could throw accurately but also returned punts and proved a solid blocker. He emerged as the starting signal caller four games into his sophomore season in 1922. He was often labeled cocky, feisty, and ambitious, but his field generalship was unmatched."

Take the punts and cocky out, and you have an almost interchangeable description of Tebow.

Misdirection and overload formations were the name of the game before the pass and power run offenses became popular in the '60s and '70s.

Just like the clothes in my father's closet that become fashionable again about every 30 years, the wildcat formation is nothing new; it's just in-style once again.

Bleacher Creatures Debate the Red River Rivalry: Both Teams Have Issues

J. Robert Byrom — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:30:05 -0400

This week, I will be debating the Red River Rivalry with Texas Featured Columnist Dino. Today, we debate which team has more problems going into the game. There is little doubt both teams have been less than expected to this point in the season. Some are beyond their control some are not.

Once again, I concede to Dino and allow him to go first.

Both Texas and Oklahoma have some noticeable flaws that need to be addressed, but one team's problems have already gotten the best of them. Twice.

It is clear that heading in to this year's Red River Rivalry the Oklahoma Sooners facing an uphill battle. In fact, since the season began Bob Stoops's squad has had to deal with a great deal of adversity.

It all began with quarterback Sam Bradford's nasty spill against BYU that resulted in a sprained ACL joint in his throwing shoulder. The injury cost Oklahoma the game as well as their quarterback, as Bradford would miss the next three weeks of play, including the Sooners' second loss at Miami.

Sooner nation got an emotional boost when Bradford finally returned to action last Saturday against Baylor. The Heisman Trophy winner looked good in his first game back, throwing for 389 yards and a touchdown.

However, he completed a little over 50 percent of his passes against a sub-par Baylor
defense. Moreover, the Sooners failed to score a touchdown on three separate occasions inside the Baylor 20 yard line. Bradford was able to make some nice throws, but he will have to perform a heck of a lot better against a loaded and hungry Texas defense.

It wasn't all Bradford's fault that the Sooners failed to produce touchdowns. With the loss of talented receiver Ryan Broyles to injury (should make a return against Texas), the inexperienced Sooner receiving corps. dropped 11 passes combined, a stat that doesn't bode well for them in this weekend's matchup. If Bradford can't rely on his other receivers, this Sooner attack becomes a lot less potent.

The loss of stud tight end Jermaine Greshman before the season began was almost as bad as losing Bradford. Gresham was perhaps the most dangerous offensive weapon in the Sooner arsenal a season ago. The red zone woes the Sooners are having at the moment are significant, and without Gresham on the field to convert inside the 20, this offense will likey stall early and often against the stout Longhorn front.

The running game has been good so far this season, but against Baylor, it got bogged down at times. Sure the Sooners finished with over 200 yards on the ground, but after three quarters of play, they hadn't reached 100. This week tail backs Demarco Murray and Chris Brown will be facing a defensive line that gives up 1.8 yards a carry and 48 yards rushing a game, which is first in the nation.

If the Sooners can't run, they won't win. It's that simple.

The offensive line has suffered this season, with the loss of three starters to the NFL. Trent Williams is a sold NFL prospect, but the rest of this group had failed to step up on a consistent basis. Bradford will be on the run all day on Saturday if they can't get a push against a smaller, but quicker, Longhorn defensive line.

The defense is good, but they have cost the Sooners both of their losses. Defensive coordinator Brent Venerables is just flat out too aggressive. He spent the whole Miami game pressuring Jacory Harris, but in the end it came back to bite him. Harris picked apart the Sooner secondary after the first quarter.

This defense was torn apart by the precision passing game of Texas last season (McCoy went 28-35 for 277 yards and two touchdowns, no picks). They face a very similar Texas attack this season, and if Venrerables is too aggressive with his linebackers, McCoy will tear them apart yet again.

The Sooner defensive line is loaded with NFL-caliber talent, but it was dominated for the most part by both BYU and Miami. The Longhorn offensive line may be struggling with run blocking, but its pass blocking may be better than any line in the country. If Colt has time to throw, he will be able to dictate the pace of the game, running game or not.

Overall I see a Sooner team that has the potential to stay competitive, but has far too many problems with inexperience and injuries to stay consistent for four quarters against a fast and athletic Texas squad.

Thanks Dino, a great write up. Now let's take a look at Texas issues.

Arguing who has the most issues is a moot point. OU definitely has more question marks going into the game.

But Texas has their fare share as well. One is, for some reason, their offensive line seems to have taken a step backwards, despite returning all five starters from last year. While the Texas line did have a few minor problems last year, they seem to have gotten worse, not better.

Poor defenses have been able to pressure McCoy and make him uncomfortable leading to a lackluster season by Colt McCoy thus far.

Colt McCoy's play is also an issue. While his numbers are respectable, there is a huge drop off in efficiency this year. He is averaging over an interception per game, so chances are he gives one up to the Sooners. McCoy has been unable to stretch the field with his arm and he has not looked anywhere near as good as he did early in the season last year.

He has had to rely on the short pass and the speed of Jordan Shipley and the size of Dan Buckner. OU's defense has proved over the past two years that it devours one-dimensional offenses. Teams that can run and pass are quite a different story but a one-trick pony offense is not going to beat the Sooners.

Which leads me to my last point. While the Sooners have more issues, the Longhorns have the biggest issue by far, the inability to run the ball despite not playing one defense that is worth a damn.

If you look back at the the past ten years, the team that gets the most rushing yards wins the Red River Rivalry with the Exception of 2006 where both team finished with 124, I believe. If Texas has had trouble running on Wyoming and Colorado, their line has almost no chance of enforcing its will against the Sooners front seven.

OU still has one of the best defensive lines in the nation and three good run-stopping linebackers and Texas has poor line play and at the very best will have its two best running backs less than 100 percent, if at all.

Of course, Texas does have a chance to move the ball if they use the same formula as last year. The Longhorns could not run the ball in the first half, then killed OU over the middle with Shipley in the third quarter which opened up the run game in the fourth allowing Texas to run all over the Sooners late and put the game away.

This year though, using the short pass to get the run game going is a must, instead of an added benefit, because nothing the Texas offensive line has done should give you any inkling that they will be able to push back a good defensive front because they have not been able to push around some bad ones.

Yes, the Sooners have the most question marks, but Texas has the biggest one by far.

Bleacher Creatures Debate The Red River Rivalry: Defense, Who's Better?

J. Robert Byrom — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:56:33 -0400

This week I will be debating the Red River Rivalry with Texas Featured Columnist Dino. Today we argue who has the better defense. Naturally, we will be taking the position of the teams we write about even if we are not quite sure we agree with everything we say, but it is all about looking at the questions through the crimson/burnt orange glasses so we can really get a good point/counterpoint going.

Today's question starts with defense, and we both debate which defense is better. Being on my homefield I will allow Dino to bat first and let him have the first crack at answering the question.

Why Texas' Defense is better

I look at this game and I see two defenses that can flat out play.

Texas ranks fourth in total defense and Oklahoma is not far behind at ninth. Both squads boast a boatload of talent, specifically along the defensive line. The Longhorns and Sooners are particularly adept at stopping the run (first and third, respectively).

In a game that is so evenly matched on the defensive side of the ball, I'd have to give the edge to the Longhorns, but by the slimmest of margins.

Sergio Kindle leads an under-sized, yet speedy defensive line that really knows how to put pressure on the quarterback (14 sacks in five games). While Kindle is the big time name on the line, I look for junior Sam Acho to take advantage of double teams on Kindle.

Acho has good speed and has racked up three sacks on the season to go along with three fumble recoveries. Defensive tackle Lamar Houston has proven to be Texas' best run-stuffer and will be key in slowing down Demarco Murray and Chris Brown.

Looking at the linebackers, Roddrick Muckelroy may be one of the better players Mack Brown has had at the position in some time. Last season versus the Sooners, "Muck" single-handedly shut down the OU running game, getting in on 16 solo tackles. Look for Muckelroy to pound on the Sooner backs early and often. Keenan Robinson and Emmanuel Acho will need to continue their improvement to aid against the Sooner running attack as well.

The secondary may be the most improved unit on the team. This group has eight interceptions through five games (last season they had a total of six).

Sophomore safety Earl Thomas has been the defensive MVP so far this season (four interceptions). He flies all over the field and does an excellent job of reading the quarterback's eyes, allowing him to defend virtually any route a receiver could run.

Aaron Williams and Curtis Brown have been solid, but neither has a pick so far this season. In a game that is annually decided by turnovers, these two will have to step up and make some big plays.

The Sooners have looked just as impressive on defense, but they have already suffered two losses (BYU, @ Miami). Granted they were by one point a piece, but contrary to popular belief, it was the defense, not the offense, that cost Oklahoma in both of those games.

The Sooners held a lead late in both games, but the defense was unable to make the critical stops needed to preserve the victory. Moreover, the Sooners have yet to face a quarterback of McCoy's talent, so they should be in for a rude awakening.

On the other hand, Texas' defense has saved them from a couple of scares. When the Longhorns traveled up to Laramie, Wyo. to face the Cowboys, they had a three-point halftime lead.

While the offense struggled mightily, the defense was able to hold Wyoming to 273 yards of total offense (much of which came against the Longhorns' second stringers late in the game) and shut out the Cowboys in the second half.

Just last weekend against Colorado, the Texas offense struggled in the first half, but the defense came up huge (96-yard interception return for a touchdown by Earl Thomas and a blocked punt recovery for a touchdown by Ben Wells) essentially winning the game for Texas.

Because the Longhorn defense has been able to bail Texas out of some sticky situations and OU's defense has cost them some tight games, I give the edge to Texas.

Why the Sooners' Defense is Better

The key to any good defense is the front seven and OU has the better front seven than Texas. Some will point to the numbers and say that Texas has the better defensive numbers and allowed less yards. Which is true, but who have they played?

Texas has allowed about five less running yards per game than OU. However, Texas has yet to play an offense that can run the ball. Of the two conference games they have played one team doesn't even try to run and the other gets stopped by second-and-third-tier teams on their schedule.

OU has played two ranked teams that can and do run the ball. They held one to less than 30 yards rushing.

Plus Tulsa, the No. 1 offense in the country in total yards the past two seasons. Unlike Texas Tech, Tulsa tries to both run and throw the ball but could not do either against OU.

Another plus for OU is scoring defense. Despite have a much tougher strength of schedule than Texas, OU is allowing nearly a touchdown less than the Longhorns per game. OU has almost allowed half of the points than Texas despite the fact that Texas has yet to play a ranked team and the Sooners played two ranked teams away from home.

The one place you would expect Texas defense to be much better is pass defense. The Texas pass defense is highly regarded while the Sooners' is considered second class at best.

But the numbers are not that different, OU has allowed 990 pass yards to date while Texas has allowed 934.

Texas has played only one good pass offense all year and that was Tech, whom burnt Texas passing for 420 yards in Austin. Some will say, "yes, but that is Tech and they cannot be stopped" but remember what happened to them last time they went to Norman?

The only yards they got were against OU's prevent defense trying to burn out the clock for nearly two full quarters. So Tech can be stopped and usually are when they step up against a good defense.

Which brings me to final point. It remains to be seen whether Texas is a good defense. They lead the nation in a few defensive categories but have yet to play anyone ranked and have allowed way too many points to teams that should not be scoring on a top-tier defense.

OU on the other hand is much more proven having almost identical numbers despite having a much tougher schedule especially on the road.

Please include a link to soonersnews.com, if you copy this article to another site.

Red River Rivalry Loses Some Of Its Luster; None Of Its Blood-lust.

J. Robert Byrom — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:44:17 -0400

Unless you are blinded by your fan hood, it's easy to see that Oklahoma and Texas have lost a step this year.

For OU, they are who we thought they would be; a team that has had struggles replacing the offensive line and receivers they lost last year.

Mix in a few big injuries to their best offensive players; and a couple of tough foes away from home; and the Sooners' last hope to make the BCS is to win the conference championship for a fourth straight year.

Although Sam Bradford looked good in his return, a few things are evident; one is his arm strength has improved immensely and his receivers are surprised by how fast the ball is getting to them. They dropped eleven balls on Saturday against Baylor- three were in the end zone and a few others could have led to TD passes.

The Sooners QB still managed to throw for 389 yards, but was frustrated by drops all game long. The signature Bradford smile was replaced by head shakes and head burying way too often.

The Sooners' offensive struggles in the red zone are a major concern.

They have had way too many first and goals inside the five that haven't turned into touchdowns. It hasn't just been the good teams either; they have struggled to cross the goal line running the ball against every team this season.

While overall, the Sooners' rushing defensive numbers look good, in both of their losses this season, they have allowed a running back to run all over them. The only reason they are ranked third in run defense is they barely allowed any running yards against Idaho State, Tulsa and Baylor.

This tells you that the Sooners can be run on, but only if you have a good back and a good line. This may not bode well for Texas as they have had struggles establishing the run against anyone this year. Also, their top two backs are listed day-to-day and may not start against the Sooners on Saturday.

For Texas, their struggles do not have such tangible reasons.

On paper, there appears to be no logical reason why they would struggle against teams like Colorado, Wyoming and a Texas Tech team that lost more on offensive production than ever before under Mike Leach.

The one question mark they had going into the season, the defensive line, is playing much better than expected.

None the less, Texas has seemingly gone somewhat south this season as well. The good news is in two of the three close games- they dominated the second half and in the third- they made the plays down the stretch.

Colt McCoy has looked uncomfortable in the first half of almost every game despite having one of the easiest early season schedules of any team in the top 25. While it is likely McCoy turns it around, it is worth noting that he has never put two good seasons together in a row in his college career.

A stellar freshman season- was followed by a poor sophomore one- then a junior year that lead him to second in the Heisman voting. A bad senior season would be the next logical step in that pattern, but I don't see it happening.

Colt McCoy is too good to let that happen. A step back from last year is possible, but a overall bad season is out of the question. However, with his early play, it seems he may need to have a wake-up call before he turns this season around.

Let Longhorn fans hope that wake-up call is not a loss.

Without major improvement from McCoy and the Longhorns offense, Texas does not get through the Big 12 with out a loss.

Texas has struggled to run the ball and find themselves being forced to go to a finesse passing attack, instead of a power running game to close out games.

Anyone who has watched the BCS the past few years can tell you what happens to finesse offenses when they get stacked up against top SEC defenses. Plus, the long delays between regular season and bowl games affects passing teams more than running units.

If Texas fancies itself a championship contender, they need to establish the run and it needs to start this week against Oklahoma.

As for the blood-lust, there is one true way to know it is their under the surface. No one on any team has said anything to give the other team bulletin board material. A silence that is deafening to anyone who knows the history of this rivalry.

The coaches have obviously made it a point of emphasis for the teams not to give any bulletin board-worthy statements to the media.

Not that there could be any more, enough was said last year with the three-way tie.

A thousand quotes couldn't match the fuel that having negative banners flown over your stadium; or getting snubbed for the championship game by a team that you beat and have the same record as.

You could let the players talk all week long in a locked room with the lights turned out and it would not ratchet up how much they want to beat one another on Saturday.

Some say that the intensity of the Red River Rivalry could never be turned up, but trust me this year it has. The fans of both teams have never wanted a win more than they do this season, and if the fans want it, you can rest assured the coaches and players want it even more.

Vegas and the AP offered the first things that could be considered bulletin board material this year, with the first released spread giving Texas only a point and a half over Oklahoma. Extremely low for a second-ranked team over a two-loss team at a neutral site near halfway through the season.

Even with Bradford's return, Oklahoma has shown enough issues to see this as more of a lack of respect for Texas than a vote of confidence for Oklahoma. Expect the spread to rise as more money goes Texas' way than Oklahoma; and Vegas adjust the spread accordingly.

Also note that Texas has only met the spread in one game this season and has fell way short on multiple occasions.

The AP poll also provided Texas with an insult dropping them behind Alabama this week. But this is only a minor annoyance.

The AP poll made itself irrelevant a few years back by asking it be excluded from the BCS process; and add that Florida and Alabama are on a crash course with one another again this season; and it certainly shows a lack of national respect for Texas' accomplishments thus far in the season.

Look for this game to be an easy win by one of the two teams, though I honestly could not tell you which is more likely since both teams have shown major flaws.

But games never live up to the hype and this is easily the most-hyped regular season game in years.

If the game is close, expect it to be ugly with both teams exposing one another's flaws and not a huge shootout like last year.

Big 12 Football: Week Five in Review

J. Robert Byrom — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:56:56 -0400

Five Big 12 teams did not play this week: Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Kansas, Texas, and Missouri.

Of the teams that played, it was another bad week for the conference which continues to look like it lost all the momentum that last years regular season brought.

Through the first five weeks there were many more disappointments than surprises for the Big 12. The ACC, Mountain West, MAC, and Conference USA have all made big statements against the Big 12 this year. Week 5 was no different as the conference suffered losses to the Big East, ACC, and SEC this week.

Colorado opened the disappointing weekend with a better than expected performance against West Virginia. The Buffaloes stayed in the game by capitalizing on West Virginia turnovers, but also committed a few of their own.

However, Colorado is improving and appear primed for another upset over one the better Big 12 teams.

The game of the week in the Big 12 was probably the fight to not be the worst team in the conference between Iowa State and Kansas State. The Cyclones scored the game tying touchdown with seconds left only to have the extra point blocked and their hearts broken by the Wildcats.

Texas Tech played the expected against the New Mexico Lobos, winning 48-28 and gaining 450 yards through the air. Mike Leach showed his system is quarterback proof, as Taylor Potts struggled and then got injured before half. Back up QB Steven Sheffield came in blazing and threw for 238 yards and three touchdowns.

Baylor got a decent win over Kent State, 31-15. The Bears started third string QB Nick Florence, and he did really well. He was 20-27 passing with over 200 yards. He also rushed for 60 and two touchdowns.

Texas A&M played Arkansas in Cowboys Stadium. For the first few minutes it looked like Texas Tech may actually be back, but surrendered 23 points and scored none in the second quarter to kill any chance of a win.

OU finished the weekend for the Big 12 with a tough road loss at Miami. They lost by one point, but showed that the flaws shown in the BYU game were not just opening game jitters. The defense gave up 10 yards a carry to Javarris James and could not defend the short pass whatsoever.

Week 6 is the first real week of conference play and it could not come soon enough for the Big 12.

All 12 teams play another conference foe, meaning no team will suffer an embarrassing out-of-conference loss. The Big 12 kicks off Week 6 with its premier matchup between Nebraska and Missouri in Columbia on Thursday night in a game that will tell us tons about both teams.

Please include a link to SoonersNews.com, if you copy this article to another site.

Injuries Aside, The Sooners Have Major Issues

J. Robert Byrom — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:47:07 -0400

Sooner apologists will tell you the injuries are the problem, their point is not without merit. Bradford, Gresham, and even Broyles probably do get a few extra points to turn a couple of one-point losses into victories and a 4-0 start.

The Sooners, however, are in no way a championship caliber-team. They have tons of problems that go well beyond injuries.

The offensive coordinator calls plays like he coaches a WAC team; the defensive coordinator cannot disguise a blitz; the linebackers cannot cover the pass, whatsoever; the O-line, while improved, still has penalty problems; the conditioning, once the biggest strength of Stoops teams, looks like an issue; and the defensive line, thought to be one of the best in the country, does not even look like one of the best in its own conference.

Let us take nothing away from BYU and Miami, they are good teams thsat there is no embarrassment in losing to, especially on a neutral site or the road. They earned their victories by being the better team and more importantly having much better line play.

Kevin Wilson seems to think that Quentin Griffin never left Norman. End-a rounds, reverses, and draw plays do not constitute a run game, nor does OU have the personnel to pull it off consistently.

Demarco Murray and Moises Madu, though fast, are not small enough to get lost behind the line. Chris Brown, while small enough, is a power back that thrives on hitting the hole quickly. Draw plays, which often start of with a juke, are not the best way to utilize him.

OU is a team that gets top-10 recruiting classes year-in and year-out. They should be able to enforce their will on most teams and run right at them. What happened to running out of the I-Formation that has been so successful the past few years?

Brent Venerables, who has long been the whipping boy for Sooner fans, is too aggressive. Against good quarterbacks, you cannot blitz every down or you will get picked apart look at last year's Texas game or this year's BYU for proof. Plus, you cannot show blitz or they will hit the hot route every time.

Of course, with the way the linebackers cover the pass, blitzing every down may be the better option than dropping them into coverage.

Great pass defense starts with covering the middle of the field. It is more important than deep coverage, because few QBs can consistently make the deep passes. OU has not been able to cover the middle of the field in years.

The linebackers are seldom in man and almost always in zone. When one is in man-coverage, it seems that the middle linebacker is the on the tight end. Middle linebackers are seldom fast enough to cover the pass and Ryan Reynolds is no exception.

Most teams will knock fullbacks and tight ends off their routes before the ball is passed, but OU seems happy to allow them to run right in front of them when they are less than five-yards down field and the ball hasn't been thrown. Most middle-school teams teach linebackers to check the receivers in front of you when they are in a five-yard zone as long as the QB still has the ball in his hands.

The problems with the offensive line were expected, so beating them up would be excessive. They are serviceable, but they do seem to get penalties at the worse times.

What is surprising is the newcomers are getting less penalties than the ones that have more playing experience. Williams, Simmons, and Jones are getting many more penalties than the first-year players. Trent Williams should be better as a potential first-rounder, Brian Simmons has played in way too many games for his struggles, and Jarvis Jones got a few starts for a championship LSU team in 2007 before getting kicked off the team. The line is not going to push anyone good back, but other than the veteran's penalties they have done well for being so green.

When Jerry Schmidt arrived at Norman, he was heralded as a hero. He had a reputation for being the best in the business and having his teams in better condition than any other. His early teams wore teams down their opposition and always finished strong. The were seldom outworked on or off field.

However, lately it seems in close games let downs have been the norm in Norman. In the past year, all three Sooner loses have came by late-game letdowns. Texas and Florida took over close games in the fourth-quarter, and with BYU it was a last minute drive that they could not stop after playing well on defense all game.

Have the Sooners become complacent in their workouts? Are they not keeping up with new trends in conditioning? Or is it mental that they are not finishing games strong as years before?

The defensive line is the big surprise, though. Last year, they were great and the corner stone of a defense that improved greatly over the course of the year. This year, they have been mostly handled by the best teams they have faced. While they are still a good squad, they are in no way the dominate line they were last year, nor one of the best in the country as they were last year.

Miami and BYU both ran easily on OU and they were unable to put consistent pressure on either teams QB. They returned the entire two-deep from last year and are mostly healthy, why they are not better than last year is a complete mystery.

Tempering the disappointment

While there are tons of problems with the Sooners, let's keep things in perspective. OU last two games away from home by one-point each against two really good teams. They have been hit by injuries harder than any team to this point in the season.

It would be dumb for any team to write them off as an easy win, even the Big-12 championship is possible, though not probable. Texas does not need to worry about a three-way tie this year, with OU, Tech, and Oklahoma State all having losses the chances of them being behind any of the teams in the BCS seems unlikely, even if they do lose a game in conference.

This article can also be viewed at SoonersNews.com.

Oklahoma Sooners Look to Reclaim Miami As Second Home

J. Robert Byrom — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:45:45 -0400

There was the tough loss to Florida last year and the embarrassing loss to USC to end the 2004 season, but before that, Miami has been home away from home for Oklahoma.

No one, except Miami of course, has enjoyed as much success as Oklahoma in the hottest city in the U.S.

In the fifties, they went four and zero in Miami all Orange Bowls and cemented two of their three national titles that decade in Vice City.

In the sixties OU played in Miami only once, again in an Orange Bowl beating Tennessee 26-24 in the 1968 game.

The seventies saw OU become a regular in Miami. During the '75 season they played Miami and beat them at home for the first and only time. Then they finished the season in the Orange Bowl as well, defeating Michigan 14-6 capping another national title year.

In the 1978 Orange Bowl, The Sooners suffered their first loss ever in the Magic City. They lost to Arkansas in a rout 31-6.

They avenged their first loss the next year in an odd rematch against Nebraska who had beat them during the regular season by a field goal. Nebraska was upset by the rematch but OU was delighted and it showed on the field as OU won the rematch by seven, 31-24.

The eighties were a mixed bag of bitter defeat and glory for the Sooners in Miami. They started off with a victory on the first day of the new decade with an easy win over Florida State 24-7. The next year they got Florida State again, while the game was much closer. Now politician, J.C. Watts, sporting a huge 'fro, lead the Sooners to a one-point win 18-17.

They returned in 1985 to the Orange Bowl for the infamous "Sooner Schooner" game.

With 14 minutes left the Schooner charged on the field prematurely when a made kick was recalled due to a procedure penalty the Schooner got OU tagged with another fifteen yards. Turning a chip shot to take the lead into a blocked kick and a momentum swing that Washington carried turned into a victory.

In '86, OU lost to Miami in the regular season 28-16 but returned to Miami to play Penn State where OU ended up securing another national championship with a 25-10 win.

In the 1988, OU got its only matchup with Miami in an Orange bowl. It was a classic that almost all Sooner and Miami fans can recall the score of to this day. Miami came out on top, 20-14. It cemented OU-Miami as a rivalry though the teams seldom face one another.

The Sooners went into hibernation for the next 13 years in the wake of the Switzer NCAA penalties. It would be 2001 before OU returned to Miami.

In a game that was supposed to be a offensive showdown 15 total points were scored as OU won a defensive struggle 13-2.

That was OU's last taste of success in Miami.

They seem to return to the championship in the BCS every time it is in Miami as they were defeated in the last two title games in Miami after winning the first Miami BCS title game.

OU looks to return to their winning ways in Miami on Saturday. Miami and OU are both in must win situations and Miami has the home-field advantage and OU has a inexperienced QB starting so it will be a major challenge for OU.

In Orange bowls, the Sooners are 12-4. In the actual Orange bowl overall with the regular season games with Miami they are 13-6. Overall, in Miami, they are 13-7 which is impressive seeing how most or the games have been against top ten, or even top five teams.

Please include a link to http://soonersnews.com, if you copy this article to another site.

Sooners to Start Landry Jones: Ends Heisman Chances of Sam Bradford

J. Robert Byrom — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:26:48 -0400

Sam Bradford's Heisman campaign probably ended in Dallas on Sept. 5, when he returned from halftime without a uniform. But last year his numbers were so gaudy it would take almost anyone another two-and-a-half games to match them.

Thus, while a long shot, there was an outside chance that Bradford could have gotten back into the race with big performances in all the big games.

Now, however, with today's decision to start Landry Jones against Miami, Bradford's Heisman campaign is most likely officially over. After missing three-and-a-half games, it would take an unbelievable performance for the rest of the season to even get into the race, and winning it may be impossible.

However, starting Jones is the right decision. Considering how good Jones has been the past two games, if there is any doubt whatsoever with Bradford, you must let the backup try to continue his success until the starter is 100 percent.

For Miami, however, Jones starting is good news.

He is not as experienced and much more likely to throw interceptions than Bradford. Plus he has not faced a team that could apply constant pressure besides BYU. (But Jones was barely allowed to pass in the half of that game he played.)

Expect Miami to blitz constantly, especially on passing downs. I do not expect them to vary that strategy until Jones can make them pay for it.

He has the arm to handle the blitz and the legs. But does he have the head?

It seems likely Bradford will return next week against a Robert Griffin-less Baylor. It will be a tune-up before the Texas game, which will be the biggest regular season game of the season for both teams—maybe for any team the entire season.

Bradford can further cement himself as a college football legend on Oct. 17, but it seems that his Heisman campaign is all but over for 2009.

Miami Goes from Big Game to Trap Game for the Oklahoma Sooners

J. Robert Byrom — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 12:58:55 -0400

It had all the makings of historic heavyweight slugfest.

Two proud schools with a ton of history reviving a rivalry that was one of the most intense during the historic rise of the Miami Hurricanes during the '80s.

The Sooners, a perennial top dog, recently wounded against a young brash team skyrocketing up the rankings looking to restore the lore of "The U".

But Alas, it was not meant to be. While the Sooners held up their part of the bargain with a dominating defense that shutout the most prolific offense of the past two years in their last game before the match-up, the Hurricanes fell apart at Virginia Tech, barely even showing up in an embarrassing loss that demonstrated none of the prowess of the previous two games.

If anything, the "U" looked like it stood for uninspired. There was none of the infamous Miami swagger in Blacksburg this weekend as the Hurricanes were dominated in every possible facet of the game.

It would be appealing for Sooner fans to write off the Hurricanes as any easy win after that horrific performance, but as any handicapper knows, teams perform much better the week following an embarrassing loss.

The Sooners will be on the road, and with the history of the rivalry, this is the game Miami has been looking forward to ever since they realized how good they are. Reports are team members had "Beat OU" written in their locker room before they ever left for Virginia. Maybe "Beat VT" banners would have served them better.

Miami will be looking forward to restoring their reputation against the Sooners. The problem for Miami is that the Sooners are already on the road to redemption themselves after their first week loss to BYU.

For Oklahoma, this once-big game is now a virtual no-win situation. Oklahoma will be favored by more than road teams usually are and nothing but total domination will impress the pollsters. And domination is much harder to come by on the road.

Sam Bradford is likely to come back after consulting Dr. James Andrews for clearance, and if he does, he will need a quarter or two to re-calibrate with his receivers.

One thing that remains the same for the Sooners is that this game is a must-win even if the win will not be as impressive. But now the same thing can be said for the Hurricanes.

Please include a link to http://soonersnews.com, if you copy this article to another site.

As Week Four Begins, BCS Championship Is Wide Open

J. Robert Byrom — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:24:23 -0400

Texas struggles mightily against Wyoming and Texas Tech. Florida has all it can handle at home against a Tennessee team that already had a blemish. USC doesn't look the same against Ohio State and then loses to Washington.

OU, a perennial BCS mainstay, opens the season with a loss to BYU. Oklahoma State makes it to the top five and then loses to Houston.

Week Four looks to be full of surprises as well. In the first game, Ole Miss, another top five team, falls to an unranked and struggling South Carolina team.

A season that started with a fair amount of certainty that Florida would play the winner of Red River Shootout seems as uncertain as any over the past few years.

Could this be another 2007, wherein a two-loss team makes it to the championship game? The road looks much harder for all of the favorites and the teams we expected to run the table look much less likely to do so.

Of course, there have been surprises. Miami has looked really good against ranked teams, Alabama has been great, and Penn State has had an easy time with all their opponents.

There are also mid-majors who have a chance to run the table still, but Boise State is the only one still undefeated that has the perennial street cred to be taken seriously as a national title contender.

In the major conferences, it looks unlikely anyone will run the table. In the SEC, a team will need to be absolutely perfect to go undefeated.

No team in the Big 12 has shown that they are a far and away favorite.

The Pac-10 is now wide open with USC losing, but that makes going undefeated much harder for the other teams as USC knows it cannot lose a second.

The Big Ten and Big East have the best chance to run the table but those conference's teams are usually never forgiven if they do have a loss at the end of the season.

So no matter who you root for, even if they already have a loss, dont lose hope because it looks like this season is going to be another wild ride.

If you copy this article to another site, please include a link to SoonersNews.com

Landry Jones Ensuring That Oklahoma's Long Line of Quality QBs Will Continue

J. Robert Byrom — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 01:07:06 -0400

Josh Heupel came and rewrote almost all the passing records. His feat was small as Oklahoma had long been a power running team prior to his arrival.

Despite winning a national championship less than a decade ago, already he has coached the players that have all but banished him from the Oklahoma record books. His feat was small, but Heisman winners Jason White and Sam Bradford had a much tougher feat.

Now Landry Jones has done something that none of Bob Stoops' three great QBs have been able to do: throw six TDs in one game.

Jones may have to sit for the rest of the year, as Bradford should return before the Miami game on Oct. 3; however, in his two-and-a-half games filling in for the injured Bradford, he has shown that he possesses all the tools to be the next great QB at OU when Bradford leaves.

Landry Jones, a great unknown just three weeks ago, is now a source of pride for Sooners fans, who now know they have a high-quality backup to Bradford—a backup that has gotten quality minutes.

While he definitely makes more mistakes than Bradford—but who doesn't, really?—he has shown a strong arm that can make all the throws and possesses much of the calmness that has become a synonym with QBs under Stoops.

With more seasoning, Jones should be Stoops' fourth great QB and a possible Heisman contender. OU has had a crop of QBs under Stoops that could compare with almost any school in the nation the last 10 years.

Jones looks to continue that trend, and Sooners fans should be confident that the future of the Sooners is in good, strong, and accurate hands.

Please include a link to SoonersNews.com if you copy this article to another site.

Mid-Majors Making Major Statements Against The Big 12

J. Robert Byrom — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 14:17:18 -0400

Note to Big 12, think twice before you schedule any more teams that fancy themselves the Cougars.

A week after soundly defeating Georgia from the mighty SEC, the high-flying Cowboys were shot down in a dog-fight with the Houston Cougars.

Zac Robinson, who has had a lackluster season so far, was outplayed by Case Keenum, whom showed that the Cowboys still have major issues with pass defense.

The Big 12 may have landed the first punch in the annual Big 12 vs SEC debate but two teams in Oklahoma that had high hopes and expectations find themselves seeking redemption after being upset early in the season by Mid-Majors.

Colorado has been beaten badly by both the mid-major teams on their schedule so far.

Missouri needed a second half rally to avoid the upset from a mid-major and the same thing can be said for Texas though their rally was much more impressive than the Tigers.

Mid-majors, especially the western ones, have long been a buffet table for the top Big 12 offenses.But now they are showing not only can they compete with the BCS, they can beat its top- tier teams.

Despite starting out 3-1 against the other BCS conferences, the Big 12 finds itself 5-4 against mid-major conferences after the first two weeks and many of those five wins were tougher to get than expected.

Please include a link to SoonersNews.com, if you copy this article to another site.

Sooners' Coaching Staff Lied About Offensive Line.

J. Robert Byrom — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 13:27:35 -0400

It's understood a coaching staff has to say things to give their team confidence and that they can't throw their team or players under the bus to the media, but the coaches for OU made some statements about the Line that were flat out lies.

In the spring, Stoops publically scolded his offesive line saying that they were the weak link of the team and need to work harder. I believe he was being honest and trying to send a message to the lineman that they needed to work harder to meet the expectations the coaches had for them.

As the summer went on, however, the tune changed. We heard how hard they were working and how much they had improved. I have no problem with those statements. I am sure they were true; I am sure the line was working hard and the line was improving.

As the summer went on, the line seemed to improve tenfold every practice according to the coaches. We then started hearing from a few that this line could be really good, and finally the one thing that seems to be a flat out lie, that they may be better than last year.

While I do think that Sooner fans dismissed that statement and knew there was no way the line would be that good, it instilled hope to the fans that the line would be good from the start, and that hope seems to be fool's gold after the BYU performance.

The line could not figure out the snap count much less figure out how to pick up a blitz. The line we were just told could be better than one of the best lines ever at OU may have had one of the worst performances in the school's history.

Maybe the coaches knew the issues with the line and thought their only chance was to pump up the line with confidence and hope they would be as good as they were told they were.

The line could still end up being good. They have the talent, and with time they may gel into a formidable force. Sooner fans shouldn't lose confidence from one bad performance.

Either way, it was a flat out lie that the line was as good or better than last year's. The question remains: were the coaches lying to themselves, or just the public?

Truth be told, I don't need honesty from coaches, but I need much more than what they put out on the field against BYU.

Landry Jones may be a better fit behind Green Sooners' Line

J. Robert Byrom — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 12:56:59 -0400

While Landry Jones has no skins on the wall and is in no way a better QB than Sam Bradford, his scrambling ability may serve him well behind a line that has not lived up to the preseason hype.

The Sooners coaching staff told the media that the line was progressing well and that they may be better than last year's. The reality was the line could not even figure out the snap count and could not hold a candle to last year's line.

The line will improve. It is pretty much the only option after a horrid first game, but it looks like it will takes months, not weeks, for them to find their stride. I think the line has the talent to become good, just do not hold your breath because chances are you will be blue long before they get it together.

So, with the realization that it will more than likely take the line a while to become a strength and not a liability, Landry Jones' skill set may be better behind a bad offensive line than Bradford's.

Bradford is the prototypical pocket passer; he is tall, strong and makes quick decisions. His legs are in no way a liability but they are not a strength either. It was obvious in the BYU game he looks to throw before the defender gets to him rather than side step and scramble to buy more time.

Landry Jones, on the other hand, was recruiting for his dual-threat ability. While he is no option QB, if you watched his high school tapes one thing is for sure, He made a living scrambling until his WR shake their defenders and streak downfield then he used his big arm to make the deep throw. Doing that in college, however, is much much tougher but it is what attracted OU to him in the first place.

That being said, when Bradford comes back he should definitely be the starter. He has proven he is an amazing talent and you would never put a QB as good as him on the bench. He has proven his ability and Landry Jones has shown us little more than a prepubescent mustache; however, the Sooners QB will definitely find himself scrambling a ton this year and there is little doubt that Jones is the better scrambler.

So in Bradford's absence due to injury, Jones may not be a bad option at all while the line tries to figure things out.

Please include a link to http://soonersnews.com if you copy this article to another site.

As North Improves, Big 12 Gets Six into the Latest AP Poll.

J. Robert Byrom — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:30:00 -0400

It was supposed to be a down year for Missouri; they lost too much on offense to compete with that defense. Well, both sides of the ball showed up to drub the Illini and move Missouri into the top 25. This means that half of the Big 12 is ranked.A feat like this is Extremely impressive and not something we have seen often from any conference, Especially not one big enough to have a conference championship game. Also, Texas Tech is in the top 30 so if all the ranked teams can avoid cougar-style upsets. It may be seven really soon.

Nebraska and Kansas played cream puffs, but they did what your good teams are supposed do when they have a cupcake in front of them, they devour it. Kansas and Nebraska eeked up a bit just to make enough room for Missouri to join the top 25 parade.

Iowa State played a complete game and after Iowa's struggles believe they can take down their rival next weekend.

Kansas State and Colorado still look Big 12 north like but the rest of the teams look like they may be closing the gap with the south.

In the South, Everyone looked good except the "team" that has owned the Big 12 this decade, the Sooners.

The Sooners look like a pick up group and team does not describe anything resembling what they showcased in Dallas this weekend.

Stoops called a press conference to announce star TE Jermaine Gresham's status, which most likely means extremely bad news for the Sooners. Do not be surpised if All-American TE Jermaine Gresham is out all year.

Texas looked good the lines were not as dominate as they should have been and two injuries on the O-line are not going to help but the pass offense in smooth and Jordan Shipley may be even faster than last year. Colt McCoy took a big leap forward as a heisman contender with Bradford going down for Oklahoma, the three-horse race is now two, at the gate at least, anyway.

Texas Tech does not seem to have fallen as far as people thought and Baylor and Texas A&M look like they have improved.

A&M's offense looked much better. While they did not play a good team, 600 yards of offense was not happening last year no matter who they played.

Oklahoma State is the talk of the conference and deservedly so. While many doubted them, they beat a Georgia team in a way no one thought they would, with Smash-mouth physical defense. If their offense gets back on track and that defense is as good as they looked in week one. They may be the toast of the conference this year.

The Big 12 definitely looks even more interesting this year than the mega drama that played out last year. The North does not look like easy wins for the south any more. Will Texas get the redemption they so desperately seek this season. Is Oklahoma State for real? Can OU get up off the ground and recover to win the conference they have dominated for the past decade.

Those are just a few of many more compelling questions.

Thank you, Lord, for sending college football in full force to the Big 12, yet again.

Please include a link to http://Big12sportsnation.com, if you copy this article to another site.

Sam Bradford Goes Down and So Do the Oklahoma Sooners

J. Robert Byrom — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 00:46:29 -0400

The biggest question for the Oklahoma Sooners coming into this year was the offensive line. Replacing four on the line is always a challenge and the new line was definitely a huge issue for the Sooners.

Not only where they penalized early and often, killing drives before they got started, they let BYU have two or three free unobstructed paths to Sam Bradford. One of which resulted in losing Bradford for, at the very least, the rest of the game.

Lets face it, the Sooners were struggling against BYU before Bradford went out but the insertion of back up QB Landry Jones for the second half left the OU offense predictable and against a good team like BYU, you need to keep the defense guessing.

Jones did a decent job but the conservative play calling and continued holding and offside penalties from the offensive line kept him in tough third and long situations when he did need to make a throw.

There are plenty of questions following the Sooners loss, the main one remains the offensive line, if they do not get better especially when it comes to penalties, this will not be the only loss for the Sooners this year. They need to get better and smarter and fast as Tulsa is no easy win and Miami on the road will not be won without better line play.

Is this 2005 all over again? The opening game certainly felt a lot like the TCU opener that year. The offense struggled and the defense could not quite do enough to win.

Of course, Sam bradford's should return in a few weeks and that will help but the Sooners will need much better play from the offensive line to return to glory and repeat as the Big 12 champions for the fourth year in a row.

The offensive line, however, was not the only problem for the Sooners.

More reasons to worry for the Sooners

Injuries.

The Injuries have started early and they have hit the biggest possible players at least on offense. Bradford is likely to miss at least one more full game and Gresham may need his knee scoped if the Injury does not heel itself like the Sooners are hoping.

It was more than just penalties.

While the penalties were the biggest problem on the O line, it was not the only problem. On run plays, the Sooners only stood the Cougars up and could not push them back leading to a lackluster running attack.

Picking up blitzes was also a weak spot, especially the delayed blitzes from the linebackers. BYU was overloading the left side of the line on most blitzes and the line was not shifting over to compensate leaving the left side to block three to five defenders.

The run game

The run game was average at best. In order to win, they will need to rely on the run more than last year and the line and backs were lackluster tonight.

Fumbles

OU has historically been a team that does not fumble all too often but they fumbled twice agaisnt the Cougars.

The middle of the field remains a hole in the defense.

While overall, the defense did well, most of the time when BYU needed a big conversion to keep a drive alive they went to the middle of the field and usually they found a hole in the zone, especially when OU blitzed more than four.

Some positives Sooner fans can take from the game

Turnovers

The defense forced four turnovers, a trend that could serve them well like it did last year.

Defense

While the defense allowed more yards than you would like and the fourth quarter drive, Overall they did a good job and Kept OU in the game despite the offense not doing much at all.

The safeties played well

I really only saw one mistake by the new safties and Carter even filled some of the holes at the line of scrimmage to stop running plays. On passing plays, they did a good job keeping the deep options covered and the receivers in front of them.

Landry Jones got some great experience.

While Landry Jones did not get the job done, getting game experience means he will be much less nervous if he is called on to start another game or is needed in the middle of a game again if Bradford goes down.

BYU should be the best team we face until Texas.

While Tulsa and Miami are not easy games and big challenges, BYU is probably the most complete of the four out of conference opponents. TU has a great offense and Miami has some great young talent especially on defense, BYU is the highest ranked team and may be the best overall team the Sooners face out of conference.

If OU can turn things around, they may be forgiven

I do not think OU is going to get too much sympathy given their poor BCS record and the Texas controversy from last year. However, if they could run the table and win the rest of the games, they may be forgiven for this loss since they were without Gresham and only had Bradford for the first half.

However, this team needs to improve immensely before they can even think of running the table or winning another conference championship.

Please include a link to soonersnews.com, if you copy this article to another site.

Oklahoma State Out D's SEC Power

J. Robert Byrom — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 23:27:58 -0400

Watch out Sooners, watch out Longhorns, the Oklahoma State Cowboys are bringing someone new to the party this season and it is not Boone Pickens. It is new defensive coordinator Bill Young and what looks like a formidable defense.

The defense has been the Achilles' heel for many Big 12 schools and has stopped many schools from turning the corner to becoming great. Texas Tech, Missouri, and Oklahoma State have had top class offenses, but have been stuck as second-class citizens due to defenses that couldn't stop the Pop Warner all-stars on fourth and one.

However, in a game that was supposed to be a Big 12 high-powered offense versus a stingy SEC defense, Oklahoma State did something no one expected, outplayed the Georgia Bulldogs on defense.

Georgia's defense definitely threw a wrench in Mike Gundy's offensive plans. They kept the Cowboys out of sync on offense, especially early, but that was expected. What was not expected was that Oklahoma State would only need eleven points to win the game. A team that gave up an average of approximately 30 points a game last year held one of the best teams they will face all year to ten.

The talk of the offseason was the Cowboys would be this year's Texas Tech, but they may have something that Tech has not ever had as a member of the Big 12, a defense.

Bill Young is no stranger to the Big 12 offenses or the BCS, leading the Kansas Jayhawks' team to a 2008 Orange Bowl win with strong defense throughout the season.

Now he has something he did not during his time at Kansas, a prolific offense. Seeing how he is not only an alum of Oklahoma State, but also left a big time job and school in Miami to return home to Stillwater, he may stay awhile.

It is no secret that OSU has a booster that makes them financially competitive with any of the teams in the Big 12. The new facilities are already paying big dividends in recruiting as some services show them having a top ten recruiting class maybe for the first-time ever. All that, however, is useless without a great defense and while they probably aren't good enough to compete for a Big 12 title yet, if they can keep Young, they will be soon.

Trust me, Texas and Oklahoma took note of the way they played defense against a good SEC team and no one wants to change places with Texas who has to go to Stillwater on Halloween.

Please include a link to Big12sportsnation, if you copy this article to another site.

Key to Oklahoma Sooners Season: Do Not Let Teams Believe They Can Beat You

J. Robert Byrom — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:04:39 -0400

OU lost two games last year.

In both of those games the Sooners started off extremely well, taking early leads and looking to have no trouble in cruising to victory. However, OU made mistakes and those mistakes gave their opponents the one thing they needed to win, belief.

OU, despite is early success, let both Texas and Florida back into games by letting them believe they could win against the Sooners.

In the end, they were both right and this is not just something that goes to last season. OU has been mistake plagued for three of four seasons now and seems to find the worst time to make mistakes especially on special teams.

The Sooners may have only lost to a few teams that they were less-talented than the past few seasons. If Stoops wants to hold another Crystal ball, the mistakes have to stop. They have to start with the coaching staff because they have made as many mistakes as the special teams in the past few seasons.

The list is long, deciding to pass late when your running all over a team, falling for three trick plays at the end of a game, not being ready for a BCS game, and failing to take points in a National Championship game.

The coaches cannot expect perfection from their players if they themselves are so flawed. The problem has to be fixed at the coaching level before the players will stop making mistakes. Stoops always says you cannot compare one year's team to another but they do have one common denominator coach, You. If they are making the same mistakes year after year I do not think it is a player problem, it is a coaching problem.

Ask most NFL scouts and they will tell you OU is the most talented team this year in college football but unless the mistakes can stop and OU can keep teams from believing they can win, They will continue to lose big games & bowl games.

Please include a link to SoonersNews.com if you copy this article to another site.

Is Oklahoma's Opening of Cowboys Stadium an Insult to Texas Football?

J. Robert Byrom — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 18:58:25 -0400

To tell you the truth, I really cannot answer this question, but it strikes me as extremely odd that an Oklahoma team would play the first game that counts for something in the new Cowboys Stadium—extremely odd.

Not just any Oklahoma team either: It's the Oklahoma Sooners, without any doubt the most hated college football team in all of Texas.

Texas doesn't just pride itself on football—football is part of their identity. You hear it all the time: In Texas, football is a religion.

Dallas is the prototypical Texas city, where the Texas stereotypes are actually lived day in and day out. Millionaire oil tycoons and CEOs of corporate giants play golf with ranchers that usually wear 10-gallon hats. The city is burned into the American psyche thanks to the TV show that had the country asking each other, "Who shot JR?" for well over a decade after it ended.

We all understand why the game is in Dallas: money. Jerry Jones will certainly make money off the deal, and no doubt OU and BYU will both have a much bigger take than they would playing as a visiting team to one another's campuses. So financially, the game makes sense, of course.

But why Oklahoma, the biggest rival of the state as far as college football goes? Especially after what happened last season, where the Sooners were picked over both Texas and Tech in a three-way Big 12 South Division tie that eventually sent the Sooners to the National Championship game.

Could Jerry not have gotten a Texas school to open the stadium? There are eight bowl subdivision schools in Texas that I can think of right off the top of my head.

Of course, Texas is the only draw as big as OU, but my guess is that a game with Tech or A&M to start the season would sell out as well, or at least come close.

Dallas does have a lot of OU fans and has been called South or Baja Oklahoma by some of the other major cities in Texas. OU recruits the Dallas area as well if not better than anyone, including the Longhorns, but this is the Dallas Cowboys' new stadium, and if you're a fan of Texas football, that is a better reason not to allow them to open the stadium.

If the Cowboys have a few horrible seasons to start out in the new stadium, will we be talking about the Sooner Curse?

Like I said, I do not know, but having the Oklahoma Sooners open up the 1.2-billion-dollar mecca of Texas football sure seems odd to me.

Please include a link to SoonersNews.Com if you copy this article to another site.

Oklahoma Sooners Safeties: The Other Big Hole That No One is Talking About

J. Robert Byrom — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:45:27 -0400

The Sooners do return a lot of talent, maybe more than ever under Stoops. The award watch lists and preseason Big 12 teams are littered with Sooners, but you hear non-stop about how the offensive line is the key to the Sooners' season.

Well, there is one other position that OU lost their starters that could bite them hard. No, it is not the wide receivers. Despite losing two great receivers there is plenty of young talent, and receivers have never been an issue under Stoops.

We're talking about safeties.

Despite returning the front nine, the Sooners will be replacing both of the starting safeties from last year. In the spread/pass happy Big 12, the safety position is one of the most important on the field. So do not think replacing both safeties is no big deal, because sloppy safety work can destroy a pass defense and make the difference between a seven and a 70-yard run.

Safety has been a weak point for the Sooners for a few years now. Ever since the days of Roy Williams and Brandon Everage, there has not been anyone making the opposition pay consistently for catching passes over the middle.

The second half of last year the safeties were very strong, but both Nic Harris and Lendy Holmes are gone now.

Nic Harris had flashes of brilliance last year but seemed to be more effective as the nickel back in years previous than a starting safety, and Lendy Holmes was an excellent cover safety but not a big bruiser. Neither was making people pay for catching passes over the middle, especially early in the year.

Receivers on teams like Texas and Florida had no fear of going to the middle to get their yardage.

The good news it that the new guys are young but have shown something already. Quinton Carter and Sam Proctor are the likely candidates to start, and they both got quite a bit of playing time last year with a few starts.

Proctor was especially good on special teams and made quite a few special teams tackles, while Quinton Carter showed the Big 12 that he may be the next big hit threat that can make people pay for throwing over the middle. I can guarantee Jeremy Maclin has not forgot Quinton's name or number after the hit he took during the Big 12 championship game.

Plus do not forget Austin Box. After returning from injury Box has not found a home on the defense yet despite showing immense talent. So using him as an extra safety or nickel back is not out of the question with all the incoming talent on the linebacker corps. Box is just too strong of a talent not to get on the field.

In a normal year where OU replaces five or six starters on defense, the new safeties would not worry me so much. However, with all nine other positions returning proven and highly-touted starters, this defense has a chance to be something special.

But the safeties are the lynch pin of a great defense, especially in a conference that passes so much. Without the two new starters stepping up and filling their shoes quickly, the Sooners defense will not realize its full potential.

Please include a link to SoonersNews.Com, If you copy this article to another site.

I Should Love The BCS, But I Just Can't

J. Robert Byrom — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 14:04:06 -0400

I do not believe any team has benefited from the BCS more than my Alma mater, the Oklahoma Sooners.

As a sooner fan, I should love the BCS with all my heart. It has brought money, recognition and notoriety to my school and its conference to an even greater extent than ever before. The Sooners have benefited from the system like no other getting four chances to play for the National Championship in the last ten years.

Trust me, like any good Sooner, I have no love for the Longhorns nor am I a fan of Mack Brown and UT complaining about a system that they voted for repeatedly only after it reached up and bit them but they are right the system is broken.

I have heard the arguments against a playoff and they all have major flaws.

It is too hard on the student athlete. Well, it would be played during Christmas break and i have never met a student athlete that would rather be in class than the playing field.

I love the tradition of the bowls. well, I do to but that tradition has been thrown out the door along time ago. The conference alignments have been thrown off. A good number have moved to new stadiums. Sorry, the tradition of all these bowls were majorly compromised when the BCS first started.

The schools would make less money. Are you serious? Are you telling me that if No. 1, and No. 2 had to play three or four times to get to the national championship that it would not make more money than one game.

It would be too hard on the fans to travel to every game. Well, only a very few fans go to these games to begin with. Most successful schools sell much more in season tickets than they get allotted for these big games.

Plus every game would be televised so there is no requirement to go to all these games. But if you did, imagine the memory you would have of following your team and entire Christmas break and watching them march all the way to the championship.

I know we are stuck with the system for a while. I do think it will change eventually though because more and more coaches are becoming unhappy with it which means that school presidents will have to change their votes to appease their top paid and coveted coaches.

Plus, if an OU fan, who was reaped the benefits of the BCS like no other cannot support the BCS, there is definitely a problem.

If you copy this article to another site, include a link to SoonersNews.com

Far from Cupcake, Oklahoma's Non-Conference Schedule Could Offer Sweet Rewards

J. Robert Byrom — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 00:51:29 -0400

For the second straight year, the Sooners' non-conference schedule is undoubtedly the toughest in the Big 12—not that it is a hard feat in the Big 12, a conference that has a plethora of teams that schedules cupcakes as not only a rule but a philosophy.

Kansas State, Texas Tech, and A&M are notoriously horrible schedulers, and although the philosophy definitely helped Bill Snyder build something at Kansas State, it seems to have been contagious, as teams like Kansas have opted to go for another payday instead of testing their team's mettle before the conference season starts.

OU was once one of the offenders that notoriously scheduled cupcakes but has made huge strides in the past few years in scheduling big-name teams from well-known conferences.

And why not?

It was a blessing last year when the BCS formulas took the strong non-conference schedule and used it to break a virtual tie in the polls, which sent the Sooners to not only the Big 12 championship game, but eventually the National Title game.

Top teams from other conferences should be aware of the computer component and that strength of schedule still matters to the BCS polls.

This year the Sooners look to have another big advantage in the non-conference schedules over the rest of the Big 12, especially Texas, who ranks among the bottom of the Big 12 in non-conference schedules.

That does not bode well for Texas, who has a trip to Stillwater on their schedule and has notoriously played poorly there before picking it up and making a last minute comeback.

Another three-way tie would be disastrous for the Longhorns, as the Sooners and Oklahoma State have much tougher non-conference schedules, and Texas would likely fall behind one or both in the BCS polls in case of a three-way tie.

Most major publications that have published a top non-conference schedules list have OU in the top 10 nationally as well as No. 1 in the Big 12. It all starts with BYU in the New JerryWorld in Arlington and then a virtual bye against Idaho State before they face Hurricanes back to back with a trip to Miami and home game against Tulsa.

Let's take a look at these teams.

BYU

OU deserves credit for this one. Last season they lost one of their games when a school backed out, but the Sooners found a quality replacement and a tough challenge instead of signing up for another cupcake for a sure payday.

The game will be the first football game played in the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas—a fact that irks many Longhorn fans, as many are also Cowboy fans.

BYU is coming off a 10-win season in which they finished second in the up and coming Mountain West Conference. The Mountain West may not have a BCS-level conference top to bottom, but the top teams have been so successful lately that is as hard to call them a mid-major without a little chuckle.

Ask Alabama if it is a mid-major after Utah punched them in the mouth in a way that no SEC team could last season.

BYU has one of the best QBs in the country returning in Max Hall. Mix in RB Harvey Unga, three talented receivers coming off their mission years, and a good TE in Dennis Pitta, and no doubt BYU will have a good offense.

However, it won't be great because they lost over half of their offensive line, forcing Unga to have to create holes on his own and Hall to see much more pressure this year.

The biggest place to doubt the Cougars is on defense. While this is usually a big strength of BYU, they lost a lot of depth last year, and their secondary is a huge question mark. The defense won't be the strength of the team this year like it was last.

One bright spot of defense will be the line with All-American-caliber DE Jan Jorgensen. They also have two good linebackers returning in Coleby Clawson and Matt Bauman.

Idaho State

The one big blemish in OU's non-conference scheduling is that they continue to schedule one FCS opponent every year, and lately they have not even been good FCS teams.

While I like the idea of one cupcake to start the season, there are plenty of perennial cellar dwellers in the bowl subdivision.

This year their FCS opponent is Idaho State, who had a 1-7 record in the Big Sky Conference last year.

No disrespect to ISU, but I refuse to do a preview of them or insult your intelligence by pretending I actually know anything about the team.

All you really need to know about this game is that a win ties the program record for home winning streak at 25, cementing Norman as one of the hardest places to play in all of college football.

So on to the next opponent.

Tulsa

Tulsa has had "the offense" the last two years, leading the country in total yards and even outgunning the Sooners' high-powered attack in production.

This year presents some tough challenges.

The biggest is the departure of offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn to Auburn to try to fix their joke of an offense. Also, QB David Johnson leaves, along with the prolific RB Tarrion Adams.

Tulsa, after nearly two decades of cellar dwelling, has posted 10-win seasons the past two years and has made it to the Conference USA championship three of the four years since the major realignment in 2005.

So expect fireworks once again from this offense.

The cupboard is in no way bare at the QB position with athleticism to go around. Jacob Bower is the early favorite to start, but Shavodrick Beaver dropped a verbal commitment to Michigan to try to become the next great QB at TU.

Expect him to push the QBs hard for the starting position.

One place where TU has a ton of talent returning is the WR corps. This is one of the best out there and was the key to the offensive success the past two seasons. They are fast, hard to cover, and have a knack for finding holes in coverage.

While Damaris Johnson is deservedly the media darling, expect Slick Shelley to have a breakout year for the Hurricanes.

On defense they should be improved, bringing back eight from a defense that got much better last year. Their pass coverage has holes, especially because they love to play safety James Lockett up close near the line.

That's something OU will definitely look to exploit.

Miami

While this is not the epic that it could be with Miami down right now, there will be plenty of pride on the line in this battle. Miami has not been all too hospitable to the Sooners either of late, losing their last two National Championship games there.

It is hard to say if Randy Shannon turned a corner last year or not; he did have a winning season, but he failed to take advantage of a wide-open ACC field and had to settle for an invitation to the Emerald Bowl.

The upside is that the roster was full of underclassmen and still pulled off a seven-win season.

I would say there is no way to go but up, but with their schedule this year, they could actually improve as a team and see their record not improve or even go down.

The Hurricanes have a tough schedule with three top 25 opponents before OU comes to town in Florida State, Georgia, and Virginia Tech. The U will be no stranger to the top 25 when OU comes rolling into town.

Miami recruiting has been stellar the past few years, so they are stocked with young talent, especially at the skill positions. But that has not led to many wins or much offensive production.

The defense has been great at defending the pass but horrid at defending the run—something that will no doubt need to be corrected before Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray arrive in Vice City.

QB Jacory Harris should have the offense all to himself this year with Robert Marve gone. However, that may not be a good thing with his TD to INT ratio of less than two to one.

OU's defensive line will be the best he has ever seen in his young career. He may be forced into even more mistakes than normal.

There are not the big names you expect on a Miami team this year, but they do have an extremely capable RB tandem in Graig Cooper and Javarris James.

On defense, they should be much improved, but the rush defense will have its hands full against the Sooners.

One player to watch on defense is Sean Spence. Spence is an absolute beast; he is a game changer that can ruin anyone's day. If Miami is to have a chance, the defensive line and Spence must have a huge game.

If you copy this story to another site, please include a link to SoonersNews.com.