Oklahoma State Football: Three Reasons They Will Knock off the Oklahoma Sooners
The Oklahoma-Oklahoma State football rivalry—formally called the Bedlam Series—has typically produced anything but exciting results. The gridiron feud between the two schools has actually resulted in one of the most lopsided series to date, with the football superpower Oklahoma Sooners generally seizing the victory.
Things have changed, though. While nowhere near the same stature as the mighty Crimson and Cream, the Oklahoma State Cowboys have made great strides in improving their football program—so much that it took two huge touchdown passes in the final moments of last year's game to let the Sooners win. This season, though, is going to be different. There are three solid reasons that prove that this Bedlam game will be the moment that all Cowboys will remember—when No. 1 Oklahoma went down in flames.
OSU Is Loaded!
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Coming off an 11-2 season (the best in school history), one would likely expect a drop-off in OSU's performance on the field. After all, they have lost offensive guru Dana Holgorsen to West Virginia and running back Kendall Hunter is gone. The defense, which lost many starters, is still porous at times. And how can Oklahoma State actually live up to expectations, now that they have them?
The answer is simple: a loaded offense that will keep the Cowboys tossing touchdowns through all of autumn. With this top five scoring squad, expect them to upset some perennial powers in the Big 12. Star quarterback Brandon Weeden and his favorite target, Heisman-contending wide receiver Justin Blackmon, will continue to be pivotal, game-changing leaders for Mike Gundy's squad.
The overwhelming amount of veterans on the offensive side of the ball will ensure that Oklahoma State will be a threat to any team they play. If they can catch the Sooners team hobbled by injuries, or just plain playing lazy, it is very likely that the Cowboys will take down Oklahoma.
The Perfectly Timed Bye Week
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Bye weeks can often make or break a national title run. While this sportscaster is not insinuating that Oklahoma will not be No. 1 after the championship game, he believes that the heaven-sent off week will seriously jeopardize all that OU head coach Bob Stoops and the Sooner crew have worked for.
Oklahoma State gets a week off before having to play the Sooners, while Oklahoma faces off against the Iowa State Cyclones. The allotted time provides OSU coach Mike Gundy's squad enough time to heal from minor injuries. The result will be that the Cowboys will be fresh for a showdown in Stillwater the next Saturday!
It's NOT in Norman
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No one will deny the consistent success that Bob Stoops has as an elite football coach--especially if we exclude the BCS bowl game losses. Performance in Norman, though, is what makes the tenured Oklahoma coach legendary. Since 1999 (the era of Pokemon, Fight Club, and Backstreet Boys), Oklahoma has lost a grand total of two home games. I repeat: two losses in twelve years! Nobody beats them in Norman, the home of college football's longest active winning streak.
Fortunately, the game is not in Norman. With the reconfigured Big 12, Oklahoma is going to play at Stillwater (Oklahoma State's turf) for the second year in a row. Bob Stoops, quarterback Landry Jones and the rest of the team's future NFL stars will have the ability to stop them--but will they be lethargic coming in (likely) as the number 1 team in the country? Will Landry Jones be out injured (remember Sam Bradford)? If anything tips the scales against Oklahoma, the Cowboys have the chance to scrape out a victory. And for all of you who saw the game last year, one knows that Oklahoma was lucky to escape Stillwater alive. With motivation from being oh-so-close to a win last year, and with the Cowboys football team's unprecedented talent, timing, and tenacity, don't be surprised to see true bedlam this year.
Yee-haw!
