Tag: Lance Leipold

No. 6 Oklahoma at Kansas Jayhawks: Sooners Wire Staff Predictions for Week 9

The Oklahoma Sooners get set for their 114th meeting with the Kansas Jayhawks. Here are this week’s Sooners Wire Staff Picks.

The undefeated Oklahoma Sooners go on the road to face the [autotag]Kansas Jayhawks[/autotag] in a Big 12 showdown that has title game berth ramifications.

The Sooners control their own destiny to get back to the title game after a two-year hiatus. Go 1-0 each week and the Sooners will get there. But each week will present unique challenges for the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners. And that includes this week against the Kansas Jayhawks.

Kansas is on the verge of bowl eligibility for the second straight season. With two losses in conference play, they’re also fighting for Big 12 title game survival. It’s unlikely they’ll reach the title game, but they certainly can’t afford another loss in conference play and still make it.

The Sooners will face an impressive run game and a quarterback very capable of making plays in the passing game.

Will the Sooners keep their undefeated season alive on the road in Lawrence? Will Oklahoma maintain its historical dominance over the Jayhawks, or will Kansas thwart the Sooners’ Big 12 national aspirations?

Sooners Wire Staff Predictions and more from the College Wires

No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners vs Kansas Jayhawks: How to Watch, key players, weather forecast for gameday

Here is how you can watch, key players and the weather forecast for the Oklahoma Sooners matchup with the Kansas Jayhawks.

The Oklahoma Sooners and the [autotag]Kansas Jayhawks[/autotag] are set to play for the 114th time. This game will be the final one as [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] foes as the Sooners are set to head off to the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] next season.

The Jayhawks come into this game at 5-2 and with a top 30 offense.

While Head Coach [autotag]Lance Leipold[/autotag] said star quarterback [autotag]Jalon Danels[/autotag], who has been battling a back injury all season, is doubtful/questionable, there are some who think the preseason Big 12 Player of the Year could return this Saturday.

They also possess a top-12 rushing offense in the country. Devin Neal leads the way and is No. 5 in the country in yards per carry. The Sooners’ run defense will have to be on its game to slow down the Jayhawks rushing attack.

The Jayhawks and Oklahoma’s opponent last week, the [autotag]UCF Knights[/autotag], play very similar styles. Both have a weak defense with a solid offense and fantastic rushing attack. The difference is, Kansas isn’t as bad against the run, but they aren’t as good as the Knights are against the pass.

But let’s take a look at how you can watch and some of the key players to keep an eye on.

5 Jayhawks to know ahead of Oklahoma vs. Kansas

Get ready for Oklahoma’s road trip to face Kansas by getting to know these 5 Jayhawks.

Oklahoma’s quest to Arlington for the right to play for one final Big 12 title continues again this week as the Sooners travel to Lawrence, Kansas, to take on Lance Leipold’s Jayhawks.

Kansas has had a renaissance of late. They are no longer the sport’s worst program and can undoubtedly give Oklahoma a fight. There’s an avenue for KU to win, especially if the Sooners play like they did against UCF.

Kansas (5-2, 2-2 Big 12 play) will try to get back on track vs. No. 6 Oklahoma (7-0, 4-0) after suffering a loss in their last game on October 14th against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The bye week came at a perfect time. The Jayhawks will be motivated and rested to try and knock off a top-10 team at home and secure bowl eligibility for the second straight season.

Oklahoma will have their hands full, especially defensively. Kansas has a dynamic offense. KU averages 212 yards on the ground per game on 5.6 yards per carry. The most dynamic aspect would have been their talented signal caller, Jalon Daniels, but he will not play. Instead, senior Jason Bean will lead the way.

Who are the players to know for a team that Oklahoma can’t take lightly? We’ve got you covered below.

Brent Venables one of the 20 highest paid coaches in college football

Brent Venables is one of the highest paid coaches in all of college football.

[autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] is in year two as the head coach for the Oklahoma Sooners. Venables had been a long-time assistant coach for the [autotag]Kansas State Wildcats[/autotag], Oklahoma and Clemson Tigers.

His first year in Norman as the head man didn’t go as planned. The Sooners went 6-7 and had its first losing season since 1998. Year two has started off much better.

The Sooners are 5-0 heading into the [autotag]Red River Rivalry[/autotag]. The defense went from one of the worst in the nation to now one of the best. They are a top 30 total defense and top three scoring defense. That can be attributed to the work of Venables and his coaching staff.

With it being Venables’ second season as head coach, you can imagine he’s not one of the top 10 highest-paid coaches but where exactly does he fall? USA TODAY Sports put out a list of the highest-paid coaches and Venables comes in at No. 17 making $7.1 million a year.

This actually ranks second among Big 12 schools. Only [autotag]Oklahoma State Cowboys[/autotag]’ [autotag]Mike Gundy[/autotag] makes more at $7.625 million. Next is [autotag]Kansas Jayhawks[/autotag]’ [autotag]Lance Leipold[/autotag] at $5.75 million and Texas Longhorns‘ [autotag]Steve Sarkisian[/autotag] at $5.6 million.

Both Venables and Sarkisian have their teams sitting at 5-0 and ranked in the top 12 in the country. If they are able to continue their success and get both programs back to their high standards, there’s no doubt neither coach will be out of the top 10 for long.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.

Two candidates have emerged as strong candidates for MSU football opening

College football insider Bruce Feldman is reporting a pair of current head coaches have emerged as “strong candidates” for the Michigan State opening

College football insider Bruce Feldman is reporting a pair of head coaches have emerged as strong candidates for the Michigan State opening.

Feldman is reporting Kansas head coach Lance Leipold and Washington State head coach Jake Dickert have emerged as strong candidates Michigan State will pursue. Both Leipold and Dickert are leading teams that are off to good starts this year and have been often linked to the Spartans since Mel Tucker was let go.

With both Leipold and Dickert serving as head coaches, don’t expect either to openly express interest in the Spartans’ job anytime soon. But this is definitely a report we will need to monitor for additional developments over the next few months.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on Twitter @RobertBondy5.

By the numbers: No. 3 Texas Longhorns vs No. 24 Kansas Jayhawks

Taking a look at the numbers between No. 3 Texas and No. 24 Kansa as they face off as ranked teams for the first time ever.

No. 3 Texas will host No. 24 Kansas on Saturday in front of another sold out crowd. Continue reading “By the numbers: No. 3 Texas Longhorns vs No. 24 Kansas Jayhawks”

No. 3 Texas is the 16.5-point favorite over No. 24 Kansas

Are you buying the three-score blowout against the undefeated Jayhawks?

The No. 3 Texas Longhorns are 16.5-point favorites over No. 24 Kansas in Week 5, according to BetMGM. Are you buying the three-score blowout against the undefeated Jayhawks?

Kansas head coach Lance Leipold has turned the program around in Kansas, and in 2022 delivered their best season since 2008. It seemingly all started with a major upset against Texas in 2021, but according to Leipold that’s now old news.

Neither Sarkisian or Leipold want to talk about a game that happened two years ago, which ironically changed both programs for the better.

Texas and Kansas are both undefeated heading into Week 5 and this will be the toughest conference matchup for both teams thus far.

Kansas, like Texas, has scored 30+ points in every game this year. Their high-powered offense will meet Texas’ stifling defense to see which breaks first.

Will the Texas defense stop a Kansas offense that has lit up the scoreboard every week? Can Texas’ surplus of weapons on offense outlast the weak Kansas defense? Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday in Austin.

20 potential candidates to replace Mel Tucker as Michigan State football’s coach

Who could potentially replace Mel Tucker? We came up with 20 coaches to consider.

Following an in-depth investigation by USA TODAY into the allegations made by Brenda Tracy against Mel Tucker, the university placed Mel Tucker on an unpaid suspension.

Operating under the assumption that Tucker has coached his last game as the head man of the Michigan State football program, as Lansing State Journal reporter Graham Couch speculated, the Spartans will be in the market for a new leader of their football program.

Check out some of the potential candidates Michigan State could look to bring in:

Oklahoma Sooners trap game on the 2023 schedule per Heartland Sports

Each year there’s always one “trap game” teams have to look out for, the one for Oklahoma could surprise some people.

Each and every year, there are certain games teams look over because of a bigger matchup the following week. These are called “[autotag]trap games[/autotag].”

The best teams know how to be prepared for any game but at the end of the day, these are college kids. It’s natural to look at other teams on their schedule as games they are more excited about.

Heartland Sports identified one trap game for each [autotag]Big 12 [/autotag] team, who did they select for the [autotag]Sooners[/autotag]? That is the[autotag]Kansas Jayhawks[/autotag].

Oklahoma narrowly escaped an offensive shootout with Kansas in 2022, winning 52-42 in Norman. However, that was without Jalon Daniels on the field. If Daniels can stay healthy in 2023, the Jayhawks’ offense should be even more potent than it was a season ago.[autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] faces his former team with UCF coming to town in Week 8, while the last-ever Bedlam game is scheduled for Week 10. Brent Venables had better have his guys ready for a trip to Lawrence, because KU will certainly be ready to give the Sooners their best. – Bryan Clinton Heartland Sports

As I mentioned in my season preview, Kansas could be a problem. The Jayhawks have a high-powered offense and return just about everyone on both sides of the ball. They could have won the matchup a year ago if not for the injury suffered by [autotag]Jalon Daniels[/autotag].

That game is sandwiched between two emotional games for the Sooners. One versus Gabriel’s old team, the UCF Knights. The other is the final [autotag]Bedlam[/autotag] matchup for the foreseeable future. Don’t be fooled. This isn’t the Kansas of old. [autotag]Lance Leipold[/autotag] is doing a great job of building something there.

Their defense isn’t great, but as Sooner fans know, if you have an elite offense, you can compete with anyone. If the Sooners aren’t ready to play and overlook that game, the Jayhawks will gladly send them to the SEC with a loss.

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Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.

CBS Sports Big 12 Hot Seat Ratings: ‘Pressure is mounting’ for Brent Venables

In their updated hot seat rating for the 2023 season, CBS Sports believes “pressure is mounting” for Oklahoma’s Brent Venables.

Coming out of a 2022 season where the Oklahoma Sooners had their first losing season since 1998 with one of the worst defenses in the team’s history, it’s not unreasonable to have questions about the direction of the program.

At the same time, it’s only been one year, and we haven’t seen Venables’ recruiting classes take the field and play significant snaps yet. The team may not have much success to speak about on the field yet, but the coaching staff has done a tremendous job off of it on the recruiting trail.

They’ve put together two top 10 classes, and with the way things are shaping up, the Sooners are looking at a third straight top 10 class in the 2024 cycle.

Ahead of the 2023 season, CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd took a look at every head coach in the FBS and determined where they stood on his “hot seat rating system.”

It’s a system that rates coaches from 0-5. “Zero” represents coaches that are untouchable, like Nick Saban or Kirby Smart. “Five” represents coaches that are in must-win mode heading into 2023.

Here’s a look at where the 14 Big 12 coaches stand heading into 2023. We also included where each coach ranked in CBS Sports’ head coach rankings in the Big 12 and overall and their career winning percentages.