Tag: Oklahoma football

Why Alabama football is ESPN’s top priority this week

Here’s why Alabama football is getting ESPN’s ‘A-list’ treatment in Week 13.

After their 52-7 win over the Mercer Bears in Week 12, Alabama football is heading to Norman for the first time in over 20 years to face the Oklahoma Sooners this Saturday. Kickoff for Alabama-Oklahoma is set for 6:30 p.m. CT. The game can be seen on ABC.

On Monday, ESPN/ABC announced its weekly commentator assignments for Week 13 games. The network’s No. 1 broadcast crew of Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit will have the call of Crimson Tide vs. Sooners. Holly Rowe will report from the sidelines.

It’s the third time this season that Fowler and Herbstreit will call an Alabama game. The two called the Crimson Tide’s 41-34 victory over the Georgia Bulldogs back on Sept. 28 in Tuscaloosa, as well as Jalen Milroe and teammates’ 42-13 mauling of the LSU Tigers in Alabama’s latest victory lap inside Tiger Stadium on Nov. 9.

Needless to say, those games were much more anticipated on a national level than Alabama’s Week 13 contest against a struggling 5-5 Oklahoma team. So, why is Alabama getting Fowler, Herbstreit and ESPN’s “A-list” treatment this week against the Sooners?

For starters, there’s the fact that Alabama (8-2) is playing for a spot in the College Football Playoff and, should the Crimson Tide win out, a berth in the SEC Championship Game.

For another, the pickings are rather slim on Week 13 games that fall within ESPN/ABC’s broadcast umbrella. Only three games this week involve teams that are both ranked in the Top 25. The biggest of those is the No. 5 Indiana Hoosiers’ (10-0) matchup against the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (9-1) in Columbus. That game will be televised on Fox in the network’s ‘Big Noon Saturday’ window at 11 a.m. CT.

ESPN pulled out of Big Ten media rights negotiations back in 2022, Sports Business Journal‘s John Ourand reported at the time. Two years prior to that, ESPN and the SEC agreed to a 10-year contract worth a reported $300 million+ annually to make the network (including ABC) the exclusive rights holder of SEC football and men’s basketball games beginning in 2024.

One of the only other matchups featuring two Top 25 teams this week is at Yankee Stadium, where No. 17 Army (9-0) plays No. 6 Notre Dame (9-1) in prime time. Since that game is considered a home game for Notre Dame, it will be televised on NBC, per the school’s longstanding football contract with the network to broadcast (or stream) all Fighting Irish home games.

No. 15 BYU is in Tempe to face No. 22 Arizona State. While one of those teams could reach the College Football Playoff as the Big 12 champion, they simply don’t drive the ratings needle the way Alabama does. So, from the standpoint of which games are most appetizing to ESPN/ABC that are within the network’s broadcast rights for Week 13, none rank as highly as Alabama vs. Oklahoma.

There’s also the rarity of the matchup and the brands of both schools — two of the all-time winningest college football programs in NCAA history. Saturday’s game will mark just the second time that Alabama has ever visited Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The Crimson Tide lost 27-17 to the Sooners in the only other game that Alabama has played in Norman (Sept. 7, 2002).

Oklahoma leads the all-time series vs. Alabama, 3-2-1.

RELATED: Alabama-Auburn kickoff time, TV info announced for 89th Iron Bowl on Nov. 30

Alabama rose two spots to No. 7 in this week’s US LBM Coaches Poll following its win over Mercer. Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide were ranked No. 10 in last week’s CFP rankings. The updated CFP rankings will be unveiled Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN.

Oklahoma is coming off a bye week. Brent Venables’ Sooners lost 30-23 to the Missouri Tigers in their last game, Nov. 9 at Faurot Field in Columbia. Oklahoma has lost its last four games against SEC opponents and is 1-5 in conference play.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Alabama news and notes, plus opinions. 

Wisconsin football offers Oklahoma commit, top class of 2026 running back

Wisconsin football offers Oklahoma commit, top class of 2026 running back

The Wisconsin Badgers extended an offer to top class of 2026 running back Jonathan Hatton Jr. on Monday.

The 6-foot, 205-pound prospect joins quarterback Ryan Hopkins, defensive lineman Josiah Hope and defensive back James Dunnigan Jr as notable recruits from the class of 2026 to receive offers from UW since the beginning of October.

However, the kicker with Hatton Jr. revolves around his collegiate commitment to Oklahoma. The Cibolo, Texas product pledged his commitment to the Sooners on Oct. 3, 2023.

Nonetheless, the decision seems to be far from concrete. Hatton Jr. is a junior at Steele High School and could easily change his mind before the collegiate deadline arrives.

On3’s recruiting prediction machine also deems Hatton Jr.’s choice as far from finalized. The outlet currently projects the Baylor Bears to land the playmaker with over a 35% likelihood. Oklahoma, meanwhile, boasts a 26.3% chance.

Wisconsin now joins an offer sheet that includes programs such as USC, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Tennessee, SMU, Oregon, Ohio State, Alabama and Michigan.

247Sports’ composite ranking currently considers the junior as the No. 57 overall prospect, No. 4 running back and No. 7 recruit from his home state of Texas for the class of 2026. On3, ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports all consider Hatton Jr. a four-star prospect.

Outside the turf, Hatton Jr. is a talented sprinter. The running back posted several sub-11.00 sophomore 100-meter times as a sophomore and was a member of Steele’s Texas 6A Region IV third place-finishing 4×100 relay team.

On the gridiron, Hatton Jr. ran for an impressive 21 touchdowns and over five yards per touch in 2023, per 247Sports’ National Scouting Analyst Gabe Brooks.

The Athletic asks the big question about Lincoln Riley and Brent Venables

The Athletic is asking which program is in better — and worse — shape: Lincoln Riley’s USC or Brent Venables’ Oklahoma?

It is a question everyone in college football is asking right now, given the enormous struggles of both USC football and Oklahoma football right now: Which program is better with Lincoln Riley at USC and Brent Venables at Oklahoma? The Athletic waded right into the middle of the debate (subscription required).

We have discussed the key flaw dragging down both USC and Oklahoma, and it’s not that hard to identify: offensive line recruiting. Oklahoma fans and analysts noted slippage in Riley’s offensive line recruiting at OU in 2021, which bled into 2022 and left Brent Venables shorthanded at that crucial position. Venables, an excellent defensive coach, has not been able to build an offense which is capable of capitalizing on OU’s strong defense. Riley did not give Venables a good situation to inherit, but we also have to admit that Venables has had three whole years to address those problems. He is behind schedule. The fact that Venables fired his offensive coordinator, Seth Littrell, this past weekend is an indication of how bad things have become in Norman. USC is an absolute mess, but Oklahoma isn’t really better.

The offensive line is what each program has to solve — with big talent upgrades on the trail and in the portal — if a resurrection is going to occur.

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Oklahoma parts ways with offensive coordinator Seth Littrell

The Oklahoma Sooners are making a change at offensive coordinator.

After just seven games as the offensive coordinator for the Oklahoma Sooners, Seth Littrell and the football program have parted ways, according to recent reports. This news comes just a day after Oklahoma lost to South Carolina 35-9.

Littrell, a former Sooners running back, played for the program from 1997 through 2000. After nearly two decades of coaching, he returned to Norman, Oklahoma as an offensive assistant in 2023 and was promoted to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach before the start of the 2024 season.

The team has a quality quarterback in Jackson Arnold and talented players around him, but the team’s offense has fallen flat. Heading into the second half of the 2024 season, the Sooners are 4-3. Looking ahead, Oklahoma’s five remaining games feature four opponents who are currently ranked in the top 25.

Perhaps a change was needed, as the team had expectations of competing in the SEC and potentially making a push for the College Football Playoffs. Hopes of having a successful season may seem fruitless, but the opportunity to impress the CFP committee and create a strong resumé remains possible.

There’s no telling who will permanently fill the position moving forward. However, co-offensive coordinator Joe Jon Finley will be calling the plays in the meantime, according to ESPN insider Pete Thamel.

College Sports Wire will continue to follow the Oklahoma Sooners and other college football news throughout the 2024 college football season.

What is Oklahoma Sooners HC Brent Venables’ contract buyout?

How much would Oklahoma have to pay Head Coach Brent Venables to buy him out of his contract?

The Oklahoma Sooners are not off to the hot start they would have hoped for in the first half of the 2024 college football season. In the Sooners’ first season in the SEC, the program is 4-2 entering Week 8 and had an unimaginably ugly first half against South Carolina, going into halftime down 32-3.

Head Coach Brent Venables joined the program in December of 2021 and earned a contract extension and raise in pay in the 2024 offseason. The newest deal has him tied to the program through the 2029 season and has a total value of $51.6 million.

If things continue to sour for the Sooners throughout the 2024 season, the call from fans to make a change at the head coaching position will grow, and the Oklahoma Athletics Department may feel pressured to appease the fans.

How much is Oklahoma football head coach Brent Venables’ contract buyout in 2024?

It’s a whopping $44,808,333 to part ways with the head coach.

Massive contract buyouts are not uncommon in college football. Numerous programs have committed to paying former coaches copious amounts of money to have them leave their positions. the Auburn Tigers, Texas A&M Aggies and LSU Tigers know a thing or two about that.

Nothing is certain with Venables and Oklahoma, perhaps they manage to turn things around. However, that massive number will loom over their heads in the meantime.

Oklahoma DB believes Texas ‘didn’t earn’ the Red River Rivalry win

See why one Oklahoma player believes Texas didn’t earn the Red River Rivalry win.

The Texas Longhorns remain the top-ranked team in the nation after taking down the Oklahoma Sooners in dominant fashion in the Red River Rivalry. Despite the final score being 34-3, one Sooner believes the Longhorns did not earn the win.

After the game concluded, Sooners defensive back Billy Bowman had the following to say,

“Just opportunities. We just gave it to them. As a defense we’re better than that like coach said. We take full accountability, especially me and Danny (Stutsman). But end of story, we gave it to them. In my mind, they didn’t earn what they got shortly after that interception.”

How is it that Texas didn’t earn the win? Oklahoma gave them too many opportunities, states Bowman. However, the argument should not hold much weight, as teams that find ways to win often take full advantage of the opportunities gifted to them by the opposing team.

It’s one thing to say the winning team didn’t earn the victory because of poor officiating or some wild, lucky plays. When one team just simply played better than the other, it’s safe to say the win was rightfully earned.

Oklahoma still has some maturing to do before becoming a legit contender in the SEC. While it can be difficult to adjust to a new conference with much stronger opponents than in the previous conference, Texas hasn’t seemed to face much adversity on the same front.

The Sooners will have some challenging opponents in the coming weeks. If they lose, the belief shouldn’t be that the other team didn’t earn it. This is not the narrative of a team looking to be competitive in the SEC or at the national level.

Texas players planted a Longhorns flag through a Baker Mayfield jersey after beating Oklahoma

Texas brought Baker Mayfield back into the Red River Rivalry.

No. 1 Texas ran away with a victory over No. 18 Oklahoma on Saturday in the latest edition of the Red River Rivalry, topping the Sooners, 34-3.

It was a dominant victory for the Longhorns, who will surely retain their top spot in the AP Poll and extended their lead in the Red River series, 64-51-5. Texas has now won two of the last three games against Oklahoma, and the Longhorns celebrated with a callback to Baker Mayfield’s days with the Sooners.

It’s common in this rivalry for the winning team to plant a flag, and one of Mayfield’s most infamous moments from his college career was when he planted a flag on Ohio State’s field after a win.

Well, after Texas beat Oklahoma on Saturday, Longhorns linebackers Anthony Hill Jr. and Barryn Sorrell took the extra step of planting a Texas flag at midfield at the Cotton Bowl — and they did it through a Mayfield Sooners jersey, as On Texas Football’s CJ Vogel reported:

https://twitter.com/CJVogel_OTF/status/1845243346954158263

https://twitter.com/thegoatanthony1/status/1845247334260556071

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Where did Oklahoma football rank in The Athletic’s survey of top coaching jobs?

Where did the Sooners land in The Athletic’s survey of the top jobs in college football?

The Athletic compiled a survey (subscription required) of 50 people working in college football. From assistants to administrators to recruiting staffers, those polled were asked to rank their top five jobs in college football.

Programs that earned a first-place vote received five points, second place received four votes, and so on. Coming in at No. 1 was Georgia, followed by Texas, Ohio State, Alabama and LSU.

Shockingly, the Oklahoma Sooners came in at No. 19, earning one fifth-place vote. It’s a bit surprising to see them fall so far. In September 2021, coming off their sixth straight Big 12 title, the Sooners were viewed by those polled as the eighth-best job in the country. Here’s what was written in 2021.

Oklahoma’s administration deserves a ton of the credit, too. This is one of those places where alignment isn’t just some buzzword. They’ll give you whatever you need to succeed. It’s slightly surprising to see the Sooners didn’t finish higher in voting. Perhaps it’s due to location or being in the College Football Playoff race every season but not playing for a national title since 2008. Or perhaps their decision to cede their throne in the Big 12 and take on the SEC is already starting to affect perception. – The Athletic

The alignment hasn’t changed. Oklahoma has consistent leadership and commitment to football. The fan base is still one of the best in the sport.

One might argue that the job received even more support when Brent Venables took the reins. There’s been a bigger investment into facilities, organizational structure, the development of the S.O.U.L. Mission, and the move to the SEC, which have all raised Oklahoma’s profile on a national stage. The Sooners still have a really strong brand and recruiting footprint.

Certainly, a 6-7 season in Venables’ first at the helm certainly took some of the shine off of the Sooners. But they bounced back to go 10-3 in 2023. In Year 1 of the SEC, OU is showing promising signs of being a program that can compete but has to improve offensively if it wants to be able to hang week-to-week.

But the University of Oklahoma is still one of the top jobs in college football because of the support from the administration and fan base.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.

Relive Oklahoma’s incredible comeback over Auburn in fantastic photos

Relive Oklahoma’s incredible comeback win over Auburn with the best photos from the game.

The Oklahoma Sooners found a way to win on Saturday, showing toughness and resilience even though Auburn controlled the game for the majority of the afternoon.

Down 11 in the fourth quarter, Michael Hawkins Jr. showed off his arm strength and accuracy, hitting J.J. Hester for a 60-yard gain to set up Jovantae Barnes’ touchdown run. Linebacker Kip Lewis provided the go-ahead score on his interception return for a touchdown on the next possession.

It was a magical fourth quarter for the Sooners. When it needed to come up with big plays on both sides of the ball, Oklahoma showed it has players who can come through in big-time moments.

Hawkins passed his first big test with flying colors. Even when things weren’t going well for the Sooners, Hawkins and the offense continued to battle, while the defense attempted to keep the game within reach.

And all it took was one big play from Hawkins to Hester to turn the entire landscape of the game. Sooner Magic was in full effect on Saturday afternoon, and Oklahoma enters the bye week on a high note.

Here are the best photos from Oklahoma’s win over Auburn

Auburn cheerleader takes out unassuming Oklahoma player with a wild pregame backflip collision

How did this even happen??

When you’re on a football field, you must always be aware of your surroundings.

That’s true after the ball snaps, but it’s also the case before it’s even kicked off. An Auburn cheerleader and Oklahoma football player learned that the hard way on Saturday during Week 5.

As the Sooners were running out of the pregame away team tunnel onto the field at Jordan-Hare Stadium, one member of the Auburn cheer squad — who was locked into his backflip routine and clearly unaware of where he was on the field — collided with an equally oblivious Oklahoma player.

Luckily, everyone involved looks to have been OK, but it’s honestly hard to understand how this even happened.

 

As you can see in the zoomed-in clip, one Oklahoma player had the wherewithal to move out of the way before suffering the same fate, but his teammate wasn’t quite so observant.

It’s hard to say based on the clip who exactly holds the lion’s share of the blame here, but regardless, the result was a predictably viral moment ahead of a football game that may not be quite as exciting.

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