Tag: Oklahoma Sooners Football

Red River Rivalry: Who are the experts predicting to win?

To say this is an important Red River Shootout would be an understatement. Here are who the experts are picking for Saturday’s TX-OU game:

The power of the Big 12 is at stake this week with Texas and Oklahoma squaring off against each other in Dallas.

The Longhorns are coming off an embarrassing loss to TCU at home and a nervy 2-1 record. The Sooners are in worse shape, dropping their opening two conference matchups to Kansas State and Iowa State.

Both teams had Big 12 championship hopes that can be swiped away with a loss on Saturday. Baylor, Kansas State, Iowa State, and Oklahoma State will all be looking to take advantage of the two powerhouses having down years.

To say this is an important Red River Shootout would be an understatement. Tom Herman will need a win to cool off his seat while Lincoln Riley will be trying to avoid a three-loss season for the first time in his career.

Here are who the experts are picking for Saturday’s Texas-Oklahoma game:

Horns247 Predictions

Bobby Burton – Texas 34, Oklahoma 38

Chip Brown – Texas 43, Oklahoma 40

Jeff Howe – Texas 31, Oklahoma 27

Taylor Estes – Texas 38, Oklahoma 41

Mike Roach – Texas 34, Oklahoma 37

CBS Sports Predictions

Dennis Dodd: Oklahoma wins, Oklahoma covers

Chip Patterson: Texas wins, Texas covers

Tom Fornelli: Oklahoma wins, Oklahoma covers

Barrett Sallee: Oklahoma wins, Oklahoma covers

Ben Kercheval: Oklahoma wins, Oklahoma covers

Jerry Palm: Texas wins, Texas covers

David Cobb: Texas wins, Texas covers

Dallas Morning News Predictions

Scott Bell: Texas wins, Texas covers

Sam Blum: Oklahoma wins, Oklahoma covers

Chuck Carlton: Oklahoma wins, Oklahoma covers

Corby Davidson: Texas wins, Texas covers

Ric Renner: Oklahoma wins, Oklahoma covers

Jose Rodriguez: Oklahoma wins, Oklahoma covers

Newy Scruggs: Oklahoma wins, Texas covers

Kevin Sherrington: Oklahoma wins, Oklahoma covers

Brett Vito: Oklahoma wins, Oklahoma covers

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Behind Enemy Lines: Five Texas-Oklahoma questions with SoonersWire

For this week’s behind the enemy lines, we asked our friends at SoonersWire to answer five questions before Saturday’s matchup.

For both Texas and Oklahoma, Red River week is the most important of the year. Leaving the State Fair of Texas will fried food and the Golden Hat after a battle in the Cotton Bowl is expected from both schools.

This year’s matchup has even more spice to it, with both schools in dire need of a win to get their seasons turned around. The Longhorns is coming off a loss to TCU at home, while the Sooners are 0-2 in the Big 12 for the first time in the Lincoln Riley era.

For this week’s behind the enemy lines, we asked our friends at SoonersWire to answer five questions before Saturday’s matchup. Thank you to site editor Kegan Reneau for answering questions and for giving us an Oklahoma perspective.

Gallery: Images from the last Texas victory over Oklahoma

Can we expect any improvements in the run game this week?

That’s the question of all questions. The reality is probably not. Which puts a lot of pressure on Spencer Rattler. The interior of the offensive line has just not lived up to expectations.

How big of a difference will the quarterback age make?

In a normal OU-Texas year? A lot. In a COVID-19 OU-Texas year? Very little. I thought Spencer Rattler displayed his mental toughness and ability to handle adversity in Ames, Iowa, last week. He checked off that box heading into this game.

Is this more of a must-win for Texas or Oklahoma?

Texas. Not even a question. If Tom Herman can’t beat Oklahoma this year and win the Big 12, when will he? The Sooners are in a great position for the future. Texas’ future is hanging in the balance.

Which defense do you trust more when called upon?

NEITHER. GOD NO.

Three reasons Oklahoma wins?

Tom Herman screws this up. there is a clear path to Texas winning this football game and it’s scrapping Herman-ball and embracing the Air Raid. Oklahoma can’t sustain against it defensively.

Spencer Rattler plays like the best quarterback in the conference. It can happen. The kid is special.

Oklahoma gets after Sam Ehlinger again. It is wild to think that this defense had nine sacks a year ago in this game. The Sooners’ pass rush has actually been really good the last two games despite the low sack count.

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Three things we learned from Oklahoma’s loss to Iowa State

OU is now 0-2 in the Big 12, something that has only happened twice since 1996. Here are three things we learned from the loss to Iowa State.

Texas was not the only Big 12 powerhouse to fall on Saturday as Oklahoma fell on the road to Iowa State for the first time since 1960. The Sooners are now 0-2 in the Big 12, something that has only happened twice since the conference’s founding in 1996.

With Lincoln Riley in his fourth season, Oklahoma have lost two games in all of them. The difference? The Sooners won the Big 12 championship and made the College Football Playoff in the previous three seasons. This is unchartered territory for the young head coach.

A young team with a bright future, Oklahoma will be searching for answers before traveling south to Dallas. A win that could save their season, the former Big 12 killers will be looking to make adjustments before the Red River Shootout.

Here are three things we learned from Oklahoma’s loss to Iowa State.

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2020 Oklahoma Sooners Football Schedule: Downloadable Wallpaper

Never miss a game with our College Wire downloadable 2020 Oklahoma Sooners football schedule. wallpaper for your lock screen on smartphone.

As we all know, the new football schedule was released today.

Never miss a game this season with our College Wire downloadable 2020 Oklahoma Sooners football schedule. Use as wallpaper for your lock screen on your smartphone.

Download 2020 Oklahoma Sooners football schedule here

Report: SEC courting teams to play, Texas and Oklahoma among them

According to Dan Patrick of the Dan Patrick Show, Texas and Oklahoma could join the SEC for the 2020 college football season.

If there was ever a time to get wild and think outside the box, it is during the COVID-19 pandemic. Especially with college football on its last limb, trying to find a way to be played.

Reportedly, the Big 10 has already pulled the plug, with the Pac 12 shortly behind them. Three other Power 5 conferences remain. The ACC, Big 12, and SEC.

While there are multiple different things being reported, one scenario could bode as a last-ditch ever from Big 12 powerhouses Texas and Oklahoma. The two rivals could link up together and join the SEC for the 2020 regular season.

According to Dan Patrick of the Dan Patrick Show, that could be an option. The SEC wants the ACC and Big 12 “to go along with them” in having a college football season. If they decide to cancel, the conference could pouch some teams to join them.

“The SEC is trying to see if they can pick off some of these schools and see if they want to join them,” Patrick said. “If you can get Texas and Oklahoma from the Big 12 and they’re going to join you in the SEC, you’ve got a super conference.”

This, of course, would pair Texas back with their oldest rivals, Texas A&M. It has been since 2011 since the two schools matched up because of the Aggies’ departure to the SEC.

During a normal SEC schedule, the conference holds 14 teams across 11 different states. Adding in Oklahoma would make 12 total states teams from around the SEC could possibly travel to.

Here is what the hypothetical divisions could look like in the SEC:

East West
Arkansas Alabama
Florida Auburn
Georgia LSU
Kentucky Mississippi State
Missouri Ole Miss
South Carolina Oklahoma
Tennessee Texas
Vanderbilt Texas A&M

The only flip that would be needed would Arkansas joining the SEC East after being in the SEC West throughout their time in the conference. None of this is official, so there is no definite answer as to how the SEC would handle the addition of two teams.

College football is in for an interesting roller coaster before the season starts up in either August or September. The Big 12 has said they are still planning on playing football at the moment.

Commissioners and athletic directors across the conference seem as if they will do anything in order for the 2020 college football season to be saved. Even if it takes the Longhorns joining a tougher conference for one season.

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Sunday Big 12 morning rush: Headlines from around the conference

Each morning, we will share the top stories from around the conference. SoonersWire, the KC Star, and the USA TODAY provide the headlines.

Each morning Longhorns Wire will share the top stories from around the Big 12 Conference. For this edition of the Big 12 Morning the Kansas City Star and USA TODAY Sports provide the headlines.

Oklahoma football pauses workouts due to change in 2020 schedule

Lincoln Riley and the Oklahoma Sooners have paused football activities thanks to a change in their schedule. Missouri State was scheduled to visit Norman on Aug. 29 but is now delayed by a week or two.

After the NCAA approved of the waiver, Oklahoma’s first game was moved up one week to Aug. 29. That allowed the Sooners to begin practice, but practices have come to a stop.

“We decided it’s best to give our players some time off,” said Lincoln Riley in a press release on Saturday night. “We were able to start camp before the vast majority of teams because our Aug. 29 season-opening game date was the earliest in the country. With that first game pushed back a week or two, it only makes sense to spread out our practices and give our guys some time away. They’ve done a great job so far.”

In the release, Oklahoma announces the first game is not taking place on Aug. 29 against Missouri State. Riley mentioned the fact that a lot of conversations are happening about punting on the fall season entirely.

Big 12 teams may need to scramble for replacement games with FCS football in jeopardy

The Missouri Valley Conference, host conference of five potential Big 12 nonconference opponents, is expected to announce the cancelation of their season. Now, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State are all in danger of having to find new opponents.

The Missouri Valley Conference, which is home to North Dakota (K-State opponent), Missouri State (Oklahoma opponent), South Dakota (Iowa State opponent), Western Illinois (Oklahoma State opponent) and Southern Illinois (Kansas opponent), will reportedly announce plans to cancel fall sports.

But those aren’t the only Big 12 teams that might be looking for replacement opponents to fill new gaps on their schedules over the weekend. A new NCAA rule states that in order to hold a championship for a sport this season, at least half the teams in a college division must participate. As cancellations mounts, it’s starting to look like no FCS teams will take the field in the fall.

Some have suggested it might be possible for FCS teams to play select non-conference matchups while punting conference games and the playoff to the spring. Still, all of those games are now in jeopardy.

How Oklahoma State WR Tylan Wallace used cat litter to help rehab torn ACL during pandemic

Oklahoma State’s Tylan Wallace was one of the best receivers in the country before tearing his ACL. A delayed start to the season will help him recover, as will this unusual rehabilitation method.

“At one point I was doing squats with cat litter, 40-pound boxes of cat litter,” Wallace said. “I was trying to make it work with whatever I had.

“I was working out in my living room. I was jogging around trails. I was doing whatever I could to try and stay in shape. It was definitely tough, but it was worth it now.”

The cat litter and jogging trails got Wallace through April and May. Then on June 1, he was among the first group of Cowboys to report back to campus, where he got to get back in the weight room.

“Coming in and actually going into the training room, actually doing rehab stuff where they have the right equipment and everything I need was a big boost from the cat litter boxes,” Wallace said.

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Friday Big 12 morning rush: Headlines from around the conference

Longhorns Wire will share the top stories from around the conference. Today, the USA TODAY, the FWST, and 247Sports provide headlines.

Each morning Longhorns Wire will share the top stories from around the Big 12 Conference. For this edition of the Big 12 Morning, the USA TODAY, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and 247Sports provide the headlines.

Texas Tech fires coach Marlene Stollings amid abuse claims within women’s basketball team

After troubling reports from Jori Epstein and Daniel Libit of the USA TODAY, Texas Tech has fired women’s basketball coach Marlene Stollings.

Texas Tech fired women’s basketball coach Marlene Stollings Thursday night amid allegations of abuse within the program, athletic director Kirby Hocutt announced in a statement.

Hocutt said he will hold a video conference call on Friday at 4 p.m. ET.

In a text message to members of the team, which was obtained by USA TODAY Sports, Hocutt said: “Good evening, I have really appreciated your trust in our conversation these past two days. I wanted to let y’all know we have decided to terminate Marlene as our head coach. We will be putting out a statement about it tonight. I will set up a Zoom call for us tomorrow to touch base. Kirby”

The move came a day after a USA TODAY Sports investigation detailed players’ allegations of abuse by Stollings, strength and conditioning coach Ralph Petrella and assistant coach Nikita Lowry Dawkins. Petrella, who denies any misconduct, resigned in March after the conclusion of the season. Lowry Dawkins remained on staff at the time of Stollings’ termination, a school spokesperson said.

TCU football won’t play SMU for just the second time this century

Thanks to the Big 12’s 9+1 schedule, the annual rivalry game between TCU and SMU has been canceled. The Horned Frogs and Mustangs were scheduled to play in Dallas on Sept. 26. However, the Big 12 is requiring conference teams to play nonconference games at home.

A source said that will cancel the TCU-SMU game. TCU had been scheduled to play at SMU on Sept. 26 in Dallas. It was scheduled to be the 100th meeting between the teams.

The rivalry dates to 1915 with TCU leading the all-time series 51-41-7. The two schools have met every season this century except for 2006. The programs also didn’t play in 1987-88, 1925 and 1919-20.

SMU upset TCU last season 41-38 in Fort Worth. It was just the third time TCU coach Gary Patterson fell to the Mustangs in his career.

Report: Sooners to open season either Sept. 5 or Sept. 12

Texas’ opening game will reportedly take place on Sept. 12 against UTEP. Heading north to Norman, Oklahoma’s opening date is still under discussion. Lincoln Riley and the Sooners want to play their opening game two weeks before Big 12 play begins.

“I would like to salute the work of our university presidents and chancellors, athletics directors, coaches, medical advisors and administrators who have worked tirelessly and collaboratively during these extraordinary times,” said Commissioner Bob Bowlsby. “We believe this change provides the best opportunity going forward. However, we will undoubtedly need to be flexible as we progress through the season in order to combat the challenges that lie ahead.”

There are still many unknowns, however. Those obviously include the specific season start date, who the opponent will be for the opener, when exactly will league play begin and will there be any changes to that schedule.

Voice of the Sooners Toby Rowland provided perhaps some clarity to a few of those topics. The Big 12 is expected to announce either a Sept. 19 or Sept. 26 league start date, per Rowland. With OU wanting to play its non-conference tilt two weeks before the first league contest, that means either a Sept. 5 or Sept. 12 opener.

Most feel Missouri State, with its loyalty and willingness to submit to specific protocols OU has in place, will be the opponent. A replacement, though, is still on the table, but what is almost certainly not is an Aug. 29 meeting, Rowland said.

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Texas-Oklahoma in Dallas is still on — why are we this stupid?

This is ridiculous.

You might have heard this from time to time, but America has really screwed up its response to COVID-19. You don’t have to be a member of a specific political party, or an adherent of a specific ideology or worldview, to realize this. Incompetence is a global, universal language. Everyone can see it, even if people might disagree on the details of what represents incompetence.

This next college football story should be easy for everyone to see as a demonstration of incompetence and a failure of leadership:

This should not be so damn difficult: In a season when there will be few to no fans at college football games — and that’s under the BEST-CASE SCENARIO of actually having a season to play! — the idea of playing NEUTRAL-SITE GAMES is ridiculous!

Come on!

This cannot be so hard to figure out: Why have two teams travel to a third — off-campus — game location? Why have twice the number of bus or plane trips (four instead of only two)? Why have two schools leave campus to play a game instead of having only one of the two leave campus? Why not have one of the two teams stay on campus, providing a far better logistical setup? Why require a third municipality — in this case, Dallas — handle logistics for a game, which adds complexity to a situation instead of reducing it?

This is just BONKERS.

This is simply not a year to play neutral-site football, folks. Is it that important to have 15,000 people in the stands (a 20-percent capacity crowd), which is a good crowd for a high-school game, measured against the potential risks? NO! It’s not a close call. Play the game on campus where a highly-resourced university (Texas or OU) can set up the game safely.

We love Texas-Oklahoma in the venerable Cotton Bowl stadium. It is one of college football’s grand and special traditions… but the whole point of having the game on the Texas State Fairgrounds is to create that wonderful clash of colors in which UT and OU fans are right next to each other on the 50-yard line.

For the Florida-Georgia game — the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party — the same basic principle applies. In that neutral-site game, the two fan bases meet not at the 50, but behind the end zones. Without the typically large crowd which makes these games special, what’s the point of having two teams travel?

Stop. Look at the big picture, in which merely PLAYING games at all would be a remarkable achievement in a pandemic.

This isn’t worth it.

There should be no neutral-site games in college football if we somehow manage to have a season.

Conference title games and bowl games should go to campus sites. Texas-Oklahoma needs to be part of this, and the same goes for Florida-Georgia and Army-Navy.

College football can’t be this stupid, can it? (Spoiler alert: This is 2020. No new low is unattainable in America.)

Oklahoma, Kansas schedule Aug. 29 games — don’t be shocked

This is not surprising

Our friends at Sooners Wire were on top of this breaking news Saturday afternoon: Oklahoma has moved up its season opener against Missouri State to August 29. The game was originally scheduled for Sept. 5.

Meanwhile, the Kansas Jayhawks also scheduled an FCS opponent for Aug. 29. KU grabbed a so-called “Week Zero” slot against Southern Illinois:

Wait a minute, you might reasonably wonder.

The Pac-12 is likely to start its season on Sept. 19. The Big Ten will probably do something similar, if not exactly the same. The ACC has not voted on any schedule just yet, but the three likely start dates range from Sept. 12 to Sept. 26.

Remember that while other Power Five leagues are likely to start in mid- or late September, the Big 12 had already shown signs of moving in a very different direction, weeks before Oklahoma and Kansas officially filled Aug. 29 on their calendars.

There have been discussions between TCU and UNLV to play on Aug. 29, something we noted earlier in the week at Trojans Wire. TCU is filling a gap on UNLV’s schedule, since the California Golden Bears were originally supposed to face the Rebels on Aug. 29 in the first game played at the brand-new Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

You might wonder why the Big 12 feels it has to move in this direction, swimming against the tide of a majority of power conferences. That is a reasonable inclination, and we will address it in a separate article. For now, though, simply realize this:

While the need to buy time and ride out COVID-19 is a reasonable inclination among many schools and conferences, it’s not the only reasonable thought process for schools to use in this pandemic.

Think about this point: If you were to have a better chance of playing 12 games, would you wait, or would you actually try to start earlier? Remember that in late November, cases of illness might increase. Any postponements of games during the regular season would force makeup games later in the year, and would push back the conference championship games plus the bowls. Starting a season earlier — collecting games played, and collecting TV and ticket-sale-based revenue earlier — is not ridiculous.

It’s debatable, sure, but hardly ridiculous.

The Big 12, by starting earlier, gives itself more chances to make up games and play as close to a full schedule as possible. The added benefit here is that Big 12 schools are giving FCS schools and smaller FBS programs the game checks they need in order to maintain their budgets. This is an act of economic generosity, even though it is primarily an act of economic self-interest. The Big 12 is scoring points with smaller schools for trying to go all the way and play 12 games — or at least as many games as possible.

We can debate the merits of this plan, but it’s not insane. Some will ask why the Pac-12 and Big Ten were so cautious, not why the Big 12 is being so aggressive. That doesn’t mean the Big 12 is right or the Pac-12 wrong; it merely means there’s a reasonable thought process at work here.

College Football News Preview 2020: Oklahoma Sooners

College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Oklahoma Sooners season with what you need to know.

College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Oklahoma Sooners season with what you need to know.

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– Oklahoma Previews 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015

2019 Record: 12-2 overall, 8-1 in Big 12
Head Coach: Lincoln Riley, 4th year, 36-6
2019 CFN Final Opinion Ranking: 15
2019 CFN Final Season Formula Ranking: 8
2019 CFN Preview Ranking: 5

No one knows what’s going to happen to the 2020 college football season. We’ll take a general look at where each team stands – doing it without spring ball to go by – while crossing our fingers that we’ll all have some well-deserved fun this fall. Hoping you and yours are safe and healthy.

5. College Football News Preview 2020: Oklahoma Sooners Offense 3 Things To Know

– Can this really keep going at this ridiculous level? Last year’s offense wasn’t quite as productive as the 2018 version, which wasn’t quite as productive as the 2017 version, but it still finished third in the nation in total offense and sixth in scoring O, averaging 548 yards and 42 points per game.

Head coach Lincoln Riley and co-offensive coordinators Bill Bedenbaugh and Cale Gundy have the formula down – smart, quick-decision making quarterbacks who can hit the dangerous receivers in open spaces in stride so they can run very, very far.

But unlike the last three seasons, Oklahoma will likely start the season with a home-recruited talent for the first time since Trevor Knight got the call in 2014.

Be stunned if Spencer Rattler isn’t the next really, really big college football quarterback.

The superstar recruit last year got in a little bit of work – completing 7-of-11 passes with a touchdown – but he preserved a year of eligibility while Jalen Hurts got a break from being fantastic. 6-0 and 198 pounds, Rattler isn’t all that big, but he’s a high-powered passer who can run. If all goes according to plan, this is his offense to run for the next three years, maybe four.

Sophomore Tanner Mordecai was a great recruit in 2018, and while he’ll get plenty of chances to take the job, this is almost certainly going to be Rattler’s gig. If Mordecai transfers, things get really, really sketchy with true freshman Chandler Morris or JUCO transfer Colt Atkinson the likely No. 3.

CFN in 60 Video: Oklahoma Sooners Preview
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– The Sooner offense is so much fun when the passing game is winging it around the yard that it’s easy to push aside how great the ground attack is. Jalen Hurts ran for close to 1,300 yards and 20 scores, and Kennedy Brooks took off for 1,011 yards and six touchdowns. Brooks should be a lock for 1,000 yards for the third year in a row, and it’ll be a revolving door behind him.

With Trey Sermon transferring to Ohio State, 6-0, 229-pound senior Rhamondre Stevenson will eventually get the No. 2 job after finishing third on the team with 515 yards and six touchdowns – he’s currently suspended for the first five games of the season after being suspended by the NCAA for a positive drug test – but freshman Seth McGowan is a talented option who’ll get an early look.

No matter who’s running the ball, it’ll all work behind a phenomenal line that should be among the nation’s best. It’s loaded with all-star talent with all five starters expected back, starting with junior Creed Humphrey at center and junior Adrian Ealy at one of the tackle spots.

– CeeDee Lamb is gone to the Dallas Cowboys, but great recruiting classes are about to payoff at receiver. Charleston Rambo was second on the team with 43 catches and five scores – averaging over 17 yards per catch – and 2019 star recruit Jadon Haselwood will play a huge role if and when he’s all back full after suffering an offseason leg injury.

Trejan Bridges is a special talent, but he’s expected to miss the first five games of the season after being suspended by the NCAA. UCLA transfer Theo Howard will eventually be a factor after suffering a torn Achilles tendon. There are more than enough talents – Theo Wease was every bit the recruit last year that Haselwood was – to keep the passing game explosive.

NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Oklahoma Sooners Defense 3 Things To Know

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