Tag: Sooners Wire

Oklahoma Sooners the No. 5 unbeaten team according to ESPN

Bill Connelly has the Sooners as the No. 5 undefeated team in the country after Week 3.

The start of the Brent Venables era has gone off without a hitch for the Oklahoma Sooners. OU has flown out of the gate to a 3-0 start, but there is one slight problem: Other teams in the nation, particularly the ones ahead of Oklahoma in various polls, are looking just as good.

Bill Connelly of ESPN ranked all 33 remaining undefeated teams (ESPN+), and the Sooners checked in at No. 5, behind names you would expect. Michigan, Ohio State, Alabama and Georgia are the four teams ahead of OU.

The Oklahoma Sooners are in good company coming in behind three teams from last year’s College Football Playoff field and the Ohio State Buckeyes. Connelly’s message is the Sooners need to beat real teams to rank higher.

Why they’re ranked here: Now do it against real teams. Beat Kansas State’s defense next week, then hold TCU’s, Texas’ and Kansas’ offenses in check after that. Brent Venables’ Sooners have looked the part; now they have to keep doing it. – Connelly, ESPN

That’s not an unreasonable thing to ask. While Memorial Stadium in Lincoln isn’t an easy place to play, the Nebraska Cornhuskers aren’t what they used to be. The Sooners did what they were supposed to do in Week 3. Now, they need to keep doing it against their Big 12 foes.

This is one of the few rankings I’ve seen that has Oklahoma ahead of Clemson. Connelly cited the inconsistent play of DJ Uiagalelei as a reason for Clemson’s rank.

Sub-par or inconsistent QB play hasn’t been an issue for the Sooners; Dillon Gabriel has been very efficient in his first three games as a Sooner.

Conference play is coming fast for every team in the top five. The Sooners finally face some stiffer competition in the Kansas State Wildcats in week four.

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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. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow Ben on Twitter @bendackiw.

Oklahoma Sooners the No. 5 unbeaten team according to ESPN

Bill Connelly has the Sooners as the No. 5 undefeated team in the country after Week 3.

The start of the Brent Venables era has gone off without a hitch for the Oklahoma Sooners. OU has flown out of the gate to a 3-0 start, but there is one slight problem: Other teams in the nation, particularly the ones ahead of Oklahoma in various polls, are looking just as good.

Bill Connelly of ESPN ranked all 33 remaining undefeated teams (ESPN+), and the Sooners checked in at No. 5, behind names you would expect. Michigan, Ohio State, Alabama and Georgia are the four teams ahead of OU.

The Oklahoma Sooners are in good company coming in behind three teams from last year’s College Football Playoff field and the Ohio State Buckeyes. Connelly’s message is the Sooners need to beat real teams to rank higher.

Why they’re ranked here: Now do it against real teams. Beat Kansas State’s defense next week, then hold TCU’s, Texas’ and Kansas’ offenses in check after that. Brent Venables’ Sooners have looked the part; now they have to keep doing it. – Connelly, ESPN

That’s not an unreasonable thing to ask. While Memorial Stadium in Lincoln isn’t an easy place to play, the Nebraska Cornhuskers aren’t what they used to be. The Sooners did what they were supposed to do in Week 3. Now, they need to keep doing it against their Big 12 foes.

This is one of the few rankings I’ve seen that has Oklahoma ahead of Clemson. Connelly cited the inconsistent play of DJ Uiagalelei as a reason for Clemson’s rank.

Sub-par or inconsistent QB play hasn’t been an issue for the Sooners; Dillon Gabriel has been very efficient in his first three games as a Sooner.

Conference play is coming fast for every team in the top five. The Sooners finally face some stiffer competition in the Kansas State Wildcats in week four.

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No. 6 Sooners make a statement in 49-14 drubbing of Nebraska

The No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners left no doubt in the 88th matchup with Nebraska, winning 49-14.

The No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners left very little to chance in a massive 49-14 win against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. In the 88th meeting between the stories rivals, the Crimson and Cream emerged victorious.

Things looked a little hairy for OU after an early punt and Nebraska score, but Dillon Gabriel quieted the crowd with a 61-yard touchdown run.

The Sooners didn’t look back after that. Oklahoma scored 49 unanswered points with a fast-paced offense and a punishing, physical defense.

It’s hard to ask more of OU’s offense than what they gave against Nebraska. Both Eric Gray and Marcus Major looked phenomenal running the football. Gray finally found the end zone, finishing the day with 113 yards and two touchdowns. Major had a rushing touchdown and receiving score for another solid day at the office.

While the Huskers seemed to be getting pressure to Dillon Gabriel early, the Sooners’ offensive line locked in after going down 7-0. Wanya Morris came in at right tackle after not starting the game and the unit dominated Nebraska’s front seven from then on.

Gabriel started the scoring with his long touchdown run and helped Oklahoma take the lead on the following drive with an efficient drive that ended with a beautiful throw to Jalil Farooq for the first touchdown of his young career.

After the first two weeks of the season that saw little production, Farooq looked great, getting open, making plays after the catch and displaying the ability that got everyone excited during Oklahoma’s win in the Alamo Bowl.

In the second quarter it was more of the same. The Sooners defense kept Casey Thompson and the Cornhuskers’ offense from getting into any kind of rhythm.

In the second quarter it Major’s one-yard touchdown run and touchdown reception from Brayden Willis that began to put the game out of reach before Eric Gray’s incredible touchdown runs on either side of halftime that broke the heart of Cornhuskers fans and the ankles of Nebraska players.

The defense looked physical, punishing and relentless. While Huskers QB Casey Thompson looked solid early, the Sooners pass rush got to the QB four times and Thompson seemed to have multiple white jerseys in his face every time he dropped back.

True freshman Jaren Kanak looked like a veteran in his first road game as a college player. However, he did miss out on a couple of sacks. Both Casey Thompson and Chubba Purdy got away from him when he got into the backfield. However, the young man did force a fumble to get OU the ball back.

The tackling in general wasn’t as good as it was against UTEP and Kent State, so there are a few things to work on this week.

Focus on the positives. The Sooners were looking at a very bad situation with a defecit on the scoreboard and a raucous crowd in the stand. They weathered the storm and made this game an absolute blowout.

The Sooners saw a lot of milestones today. Brent Venables has both his first Power Five win and his first road win. Eric Gray had his first multi-touchdown game as a Sooner and Brayden Willis threw his first touchdown pass.

OU proved a point in Lincoln.

A lot of people were expecting an upset after the Huskers fired Scott Frost. A lot of people thought the Sooners were going to stumble heading into conference play.

They didn’t. Oklahoma has passed every test so far in this young season and look like an absolute wagon heading into week four.

The Kansas State Wildcats are coming for a primetime matchup at Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium. The journey back to the Big 12 Championship starts now for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow Ben on Twitter @bendackiw.

Oklahoma Football: 5 Offensive players to watch against Nebraska

Brent Venables first road game features a favorable matchup for the Oklahoma Sooners offense vs. the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

The first road game of the Brent Venables era will be the newest iteration in one of the most iconic rivalries in the history of college football. The Big Res face the Crimson and Cream once again on Saturday.

The Oklahoma offense struggled in the first half against the MAC’s Kent State Golden Flashes and now face a Huskers defense that ranks near the bottom in the country in total defense.

The Huskers are in turmoil after the firing of local son Scott Frost and former Langston University head coach Mickey Joseph will be serving as the interim head coach on Saturday.

After a good but not great showing in week two, keep an eye on these five guys to make an impact in Lincoln on Saturday.

Sooners remain in College Football Playoff in latest bowl projections from USA TODAY Sports

The Sooners remain in the College Football Playoff in USA TODAY Sports’ bowl projections following week two.

Last week, we took look at bowl projections after week one from USA TODAY Sports’ Erick Smith. The Oklahoma Sooners were projected to earn a date with the No.1 Georgia Bulldogs in the College Football Playoff semifinal. This week, we found the same things with a few changes among OU’s Big 12 peers in Smith’s projections.

So yes, Smith still has the Sooners losing to the Bulldogs in the Peach Bowl. That’s obviously not the ideal outcome, but not exactly unlikely should those teams meet in January.

The interesting stuff in the new projections lie among the rest of the Big 12.

After Baylor’s loss to BYU in Provo, the Bears have lost their projection to the Sugar Bowl to Oklahoma State. Meanwhile, after having the Texas Longhorns projected to face the Kentucky Wildcats in the Liberty Bowl after week one, Smith now has the Texas Longhorns facing the USC Trojans in the Alamo Bowl.

After defeating the formely top ten Baylor, Smith has future Big 12 team BYU making the Cotton Bowl to face Cincinnati, another future Big 12 program.

The Cougars have not made it to a New Year’s Six bowl game since they went independent, while the Bearcats are the only Group of Five program to make the College Football Playoff.

Baylor isn’t the only team to fall out of a New Year’s Six projection. After week two, both Wisconsin and Texas A&M are absent from the marquee matchups of bowl season. Should Jimbo Fisher underachieve again, seats might get a bit warm in College Station.

As long as the Sooners keep winning games, their projection is going to stay the same. Keep an eye on the other teams in the Big 12 with conference play inching closer and closer on OU’s schedule.

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SEC instructs Georgia, Tennessee to cancel upcoming series with OU

News on the OU-Texas move to the SEC could be coming soon with the SEC instructing Georgia, Tennessee to cancel upcoming matchups with OU.

We’ve got something big here, Sooners fans. The SEC has instructed Georgia and Tennessee to not play their upcoming games against Oklahoma. The Bulldogs were scheduled to play the Sooners in Norman next season and the Volunteers were originally scheduled to come to Norman in 2020.

This points to one thing: The SEC plans to have the Sooners in the SEC next year. With a few dates being thrown around, there wasn’t really a concrete answer on when OU and Texas planned to leave the Big 12, although 2025 was when the Big 12 media rights deal expired.

Pete Thamel of ESPN broke the news.

ESPN Chairman James Pitaro has said that the Sooners and Longhorns will remain where they are until 2025 as well.

Houston, BYU, UCF and Cincinnati are scheduled to join the Big 12 in July of next year, and while it was an interesting idea, it was always hard to see the Sooners and Longhorns sticking around to play in a 14-team Big 12.

Here is the official statement from the SEC.

The Southeastern Conference has directed the University of Georgia and the University of Tennessee to postpone scheduled football games versus Oklahoma because the transition of Oklahoma into the SEC will not allow for the involved institutions to fulfill their respective contractual non-conference home-and-home appearance obligations.

Because the second non-conference game in each of the Georgia-Oklahoma and Tennessee-Oklahoma series is scheduled to take place after Oklahoma joins the SEC in 2025, the Conference is directing the postponement of the Georgia at Oklahoma game in 2023 and the Oklahoma at Tennessee game in 2024 until such time that those matchups become part of the Conference rotation of games in future years.

Brent Venables would go into the SEC with a valuable year of head coaching experience and hopefully back-to-back top 10 recruiting classes.

This story is only the first domino to fall. There will be many more things to come out before a move date is made official. Until then, the Sooners and Longhorns are in the Big 12.

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Texas made a statement in last-second loss to Alabama

Although Texas isn’t “back” yet, would it be the worst thing ever if they were for Oklahoma?

My fellow fans of the Oklahoma Sooners, hear me out. I know how this headline looks, and believe me, I don’t like it any more than you do.

However, I believe the Sooners would benefit from the Texas Longhorns being “back” before the two programs move to the SEC.

Like it or not, the Longhorns made a statement last Saturday in Austin. If Quinn Ewers doesn’t get hurt, Texas wins that game. For whatever reason, Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide wasn’t prepared and looked completely disorganized.

Not only that, but the Longhorns’ defensive line looked like an SEC unit. There was nothing “Big 12” about the team wearing burnt orange. I was expecting a blowout. I was wrong.

To be clear, no, I am not saying Texas is back. You aren’t “back” after losing a game at home. However, I think the Longhorns are finally on the right track. Steve Sarkisian had his players ready to go. Will he be the guy to captain the ship when the Longhorns are in the SEC? I don’t know, but he definitely works for now.

Like it or not, OU and Texas are joined at the hip, and they always will be. The Red River game is one of the most iconic games in college football for a reason. It’s just better when both teams are good.

I have all the confidence in the world in Brent Venables and his staff. The Sooners will be SEC-ready when that time does come. Will the Longhorns be SEC-ready? I feel better about their chances now than I did back in August.

Like it or not, football programs in the SEC have this certain image of themselves. They believe that they are a step above the rest. A frequent jab at the Sooners during their recent run of Big 12 Championships has been that their competition has been lacking. If the Sooners and Longhorns both go into the SEC and win football games, that argument loses credibility.

There’s very little downside to the Longhorns being competitive again for the Sooners. They already get better recruiting classes than OU. That’s always been an issue, although the 2023 class may be different.

A more competitive Red River game in October would be a good thing. If the Sooners can’t beat the Longhorns when Texas is, in fact, “back,” then they don’t deserve to be winning national championships. That is still the goal: to win national championships.

Brent Venables was brought to Norman to get the Sooners on the level of Alabamas and Georgias of college football. If Texas manages to get to that level as well, so be it.

There’s just no downside to the Longhorns being a good program again. Should OU and Texas both compete in the new SEC, good things will come to the Sooners.

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Sooners snag No. 4 seed in CFP in USA TODAY Sports latest bowl projections

Erick Smith of USA TODAY projects the Oklahoma Sooners to make the College Football Playoff and face the Georgia Bulldogs in the Peach Bowl.

The Oklahoma Sooners don’t exactly have a successful history in the college football playoff as the No. 4 seed against the No. 1 seed. Most recently as the No. 4, they were dominated by Joe Burrow’s LSU 63-28.

So it was a little harrowing for Sooners fans when Erick Smith of USA TODAY Sports projected the Sooners getting into the playoff as the No. 4 team facing off against the Georgia Bulldogs in the first round. In the Peach Bowl, no less. Smith has Alabama facing Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl in the other CFP semifinal.

Smith also has Baylor facing Texas A&M in the Sugar Bowl this season, so it would seem he’s predicting an OU-Baylor Big 12 Championship game with the Sooners coming out on top at this stage in the season.

As for who the Sooners would match up better against in the first round of the CFP, Alabama or Georgia, it’s impossible to know for sure. But Alabama’s pass rush scares me more than anything Georgia has at the moment.

It’s not like that matters. If the Sooners want to win a national championship, facing one or both of Alabama or Georgia is inevitable.

Smith has Georgia winning that game against OU and facing Alabama in the national championship, a repeat of last year’s affair.

Making the playoff would be great for Brent Venables in his first season as a head coach, and if OU could make it a game against the Bulldogs, it would be great for the program as the move to the SEC lurks closer and closer. Playing the Bulldogs in an environment like that would also be a great experience for all the younger players on the roster.

It’s far too early to know who Oklahoma would be facing in a playoff scenario, but assuming the SEC sends two teams, it would be a tough contest either way.

The Sooners ending their losing streak in the playoff and getting the Big 12’s lone playoff win, or wins, before leaving for the SEC would be quite the way to end the season.

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Texas Welcomes Bama, Baylor to Provo: Top 5 Big 12 matchups to watch in week 2

With several high-profile matchups, the Big 12 is ramping up in week two. Here are the top five matchups on the Big 12 schedule.

The teams in the Big 12 not named West Virginia didn’t schedule quality opponents in week one, so the football action for the Big 12 other than the momentous renewal of the Backyard Brawl wasn’t very competitive.

That is not the case for week two.

Lots of good football games will be played this week and we will get out first all-Big 12 action of the year with the Kansas Jayhawks going to Morgantown to play West Virginia.

Below are the top five Big 12 matchups of the week. Sadly, the Sooners epic matchup against national powerhouse Kent State did not make the cut.

OU really needs to stop scheduling multiple Group of Five opponents. All of these games are fun, and the Sooners are playing Kent State. Keep an eye on the Big 12. There are a lot of matchups here that could affect the Sooners in the future if they end up making a run to the playoff.

Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire.

Oklahoma Sooners rated No. 7 in Josh Pate’s week two JP Poll

The Sooners stayed at No. 7 in 247Sports’ Josh Pate’s weekly JP Poll Ratings.

The JP Poll is a bit different than other “rankings” you will see in college football. It’s different simply because it isn’t a “ranking” but a “rating.”

Each week, 247Sports’ Josh Pate will go through his ratings that are compiled with his own model on his show “Late Kick,” which is streamed live on YouTube and Facebook.

The Sooners opened the season as the JP Poll’s No. 7 team in the country. After beating UTEP in week one, the Sooners stayed put. There wasn’t much change ahead of the Sooners this week either; the only change was Georgia jumping Ohio State to move from third to second.

Here are the full Week Two JP Poll Ratings:

There is a noticeable lack of Oklahoma State in the top 20. They are sitting just outside at No. 21. Out of the four rankings and ratings that we have reviewed this week, this is the only one that has Texas ahead of the Pokes.

Interestingly enough, The Sooners are the only Big 12 team that has the same AP Poll ranking and JP Poll rating. Baylor and Oklahoma State are both lower, and Texas is higher. Notre Dame opened the season as the No. 5 team in the AP Poll. In the JP Poll, they weren’t even top ten.

Pate has said that his rankings are very tight in certain spots.

Don’t expect much movement from the Sooners in next week’s JP Poll. The teams that are ahead of them are very good teams, and the Sooners don’t exactly have a strong opponent lined up.

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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. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow Ben on Twitter @bendackiw.