No, they were posting reels to Instagram. These days lots of people believe the world fully revolves around themselves and their respective internet clout. They did it for the clicks.

I was on the field and barely use social media. I just happened to be sitting right by the field so our group said, why not? It was not driven by social media just like it wasn't in 2000 when I was on the field for that one too. I'm sorry, but complaining about this is kind of lame. OU has had a season from hell and absolutely no one expected them to win. Storming the field was a fun, authentic moment. It doesn't mean the program is in disarray or has lowered expectations. Enjoy the moment.

Make no mistake, I’m enjoying the moment. I just think the field rush was lame, costly, and a better fit for a directional school who’s never beaten a top ten, unlike OU who generally beats one or two (or sometimes even three or four) top ten teams every season, and has done so routinely since the fifties. It’s bush league. Not a good look.

Make no mistake, I’m enjoying the moment. I just think the field rush was lame, costly, and a better fit for a directional school who’s never beaten a top ten, unlike OU who generally beats one or two (or sometimes even three or four) top ten teams every season, and has done so routinely since the fifties. It’s bush league. Not a good look.

Glad you're enjoying it! And agree to disagree. :) While it wouldn't have made sense for fans to rush the field in past seasons when we were good, I think it did when this struggling team won in a big upset against a team many thought could potentially win a title. Bama has already beat Georgia, just destroyed LSU in Baton Rouge, and had seemed to turn the corner. Hardly anyone gave OU a chance to win. That hasn't happened much before this season and it's why no one was rushing the field. I really don't think one field rush every quarter century will diminish OU's status. No one thought that in 2000 when OU rushed the field while ranked in the top 3. And I doubt other fanbases think about it all. When we're back to form, it likely won't happen again for a long time. That's why I think we should enjoy that kind of enthusiasm for the program.

Yeah, as I outlined above I feel like the 2000 circumstances were vastly different. And at the risk of being called a hypocrite, I myself was briefly on the field for that one. :)

Yeah, as I outlined above I feel like the 2000 circumstances were vastly different. And at the risk of being called a hypocrite, I myself was briefly on the field for that one. :)

One other factor l don't think l saw above was it was a night game and all day to drink. ��

^^^^^^^^^^
Haha yeah, minds poisoned by social media, lots of booze, and, as outlined by Dan above, peer pressure. Conspiratorial factors for sure!

There should be rules for rushing the field. I'm sure someone has put something together but what should the rules be? Rule 1. Team needs to be in the top 3. Rule 2. You need to be a double digit underdog. Rule 3. You are a school that hasn't won anything in the last 7 years. No conference championship. What else? Change it too a top 5 team or just keep it only number 1 teams? Example: Vanderbilt beating at the time number 1 Alabama double digit underdog and has won nothing ever.

Individual rules. You beat your rival in a huge game. Like if Texas A&M beats Texas rushing the field is allowed. It will knock your rival out of the SEC championship game and it puts you in it. Permission granted to rush the field.

It happened. Why complain after the fact?

There should be rules for rushing the field. I'm sure someone has put something together but what should the rules be? Rule 1. Team needs to be in the top 3. Rule 2. You need to be a double digit underdog. Rule 3. You are a school that hasn't won anything in the last 7 years. No conference championship. What else? Change it too a top 5 team or just keep it only number 1 teams? Example: Vanderbilt beating at the time number 1 Alabama double digit underdog and has won nothing ever.

Individual rules. You beat your rival in a huge game. Like if Texas A&M beats Texas rushing the field is allowed. It will knock your rival out of the SEC championship game and it puts you in it. Permission granted to rush the field.

You volunteer to be in charge of creating and enforcing such a ridiculous rule?

You volunteer to be in charge of creating and enforcing such a ridiculous rule?

It's ridiculous that a blue blood like OU is rushing the field for beating a team with 2 losses. It's not even a rivalry That is what is ridiculous.

Make no mistake, I’m enjoying the moment. I just think the field rush was lame, costly, and a better fit for a directional school who’s never beaten a top ten, unlike OU who generally beats one or two (or sometimes even three or four) top ten teams every season, and has done so routinely since the fifties. It’s bush league. Not a good look.

Agree even though we are both going to get attacked. :) Act like you been there before you beat a team with 2 losses that lost to Vanderbilt. Are we at the level of excitement that Vanderbilt is?

No, they were posting reels to Instagram. These days lots of people believe the world fully revolves around themselves and their respective internet clout. They did it for the clicks.

there were people of all ages down there, mostly students, but pretty much everyone I knew who was at the game ended up down on the field and those folks, nor their young kids or families were doing it for social media. I didn’t for the reasons everyone is suggesting but I don’t blame anyone for doing it….its not like we’ve done it often…the Nebraska in 2000 which was huge and the OU/TX game in 2021 after pulling off a miracle coming back from being down by 28 to win. That was the release of a ton of frustration that’s built up over a terrible season and we beat the absolute hell out of another historic powerhouse program (that’s run the SEC since 2009) that appeared to be headed to the playoff. That’s the first time since the 90s we’ve been that big of underdog on our own field, it kept our bowl streak alive when everyone thought that ship had sailed in Missouri, it was senior night for some pretty important players to the program, no one gave them any chance at all to win and it was our first marquee win since joining the sec that came in the form of a huge upset beat down of the team that’s dominated the conference for most of the last decade and a half. That wasn’t the biggest win on Owen Field by any means but it very well may have been the most important win here since the Nebraska game in 2000 based on where this thing was headed beforehand. This likely saved the recruiting class, gave them an extra month of practice, gave them fuel for the portal and completely changed how people view the program heading into 2025.

All of that to say…there are a bunch of people here minimizing this and I don’t think you fully understand how big and important this win was for the future of the program. Hopefully there are better reasons to storm the field in the future but I have nothing at all against anyone who felt it was a win worthy of doing it last weekend.

LOL I fully understand how big this win was for OU. Among other things it’s going to have a massive impact on recruiting, assuming it’s followed by a respectable showing in Baton Rouge. Still willing to die on a hill that certain traditional powers begin to cede that power and traditional standing when they start acting like directional schools who’ve just won their first game ever against a top ten.

LOL I fully understand how big this win was for OU. Among other things it’s going to have a massive impact on recruiting, assuming it’s followed by a respectable showing in Baton Rouge. Still willing to die on a hill that certain traditional powers begin to cede that power and traditional standing when they start acting like directional schools who’ve just won their first game ever against a top ten.

I get it. If we were 8-2 or 7-3 going in to it, I don’t think there’s any way that would’ve happened but given how bleak things looked after the Missouri game and how down everyone has been on the program over the last two weeks/months(combined with everything else I mentioned in my post), I understand it. Just a combination of a bunch of things in a game that felt like a “must win” despite the long odds and there being little to no hope that we could get it done. Also left a lasting impression onthe recruits who rushed the field (pretty sure most of them ended up down there), one being 4 star (who very well may be upgraded to a 5 star this off season) 2026 QB Jaden O’Neal who we really need to keep in the fold with Sperry flipping to FSU.

Just a big time win for the program. You could really feel it coming in the vibe of the crowd at half and the way the team was acting as they ran off the field. Best environment/game experience in that stadium since Texas tech in 2008 by far. Hopefully the first of many with all the big league SEC games that will be played here from here on out. BV got the spark he desperately needed…now it’s time to go do something with it. If this team can somehow finish 8-5, that will be pretty damn impressive given how things looked before kickoff on Saturday night.

I agree than rushing the field for beating an 8-2 team that isn't even top 5 is extremely weak for a blue-blood like Oklahoma, this season has been horrible up until this game. I mean, that win will likely get us to the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl or the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl. Beat LSU and we may even make one of the "pool of six bowls"!

I agree than rushing the field for beating an 8-2 team that isn't even top 5 is extremely weak for a blue-blood like Oklahoma, this season has been horrible up until this game. I mean, that win will likely get us to the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl or the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl. Beat LSU and we may even make one of the "pool of six bowls"!

Sounds stupid but it's a very big deal to get all those extra practices and also keeps us from shamefully ending our bowl streak. Losing the extra month of practice (that we ABSOLUTELY need) was the worst part about not making a bowl game.

But the real benefit of the win was increasing the likelihood of keeping the recruiting class together and having a much better pitch to sell to portal prospects and the OC candidates. Our 5 star OL commit has started taking recruiting visits again and was in Austin for the game last weekend when he was supposed to be here...watching us crush bama and the ensuing pandemonium on TV at the end helped immensely. Winning that game alone will likely be the catalyst for what ever success we have next year. Could we have succeeded next year without it, sure, but everything was going to be a hell of a lot harder. Just need to have a good showing in Baton Rouge and the bowl game and everything else should take care of itself (unless the OC hire ends up being another dud).

A quick search looks like we're fitting right into the SEC. This season Auburn. Arkansas, LSU, Tennessee, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Vanderbilt have also been fined for fans rushing the field.

Sounds stupid but it's a very big deal to get all those extra practices and also keeps us from shamefully ending our bowl streak. Losing the extra month of practice (that we ABSOLUTELY need) was the worst part about not making a bowl game.

But the real benefit of the win was increasing the likelihood of keeping the recruiting class together and having a much better pitch to sell to portal prospects and the OC candidates. Our 5 star OL commit has started taking recruiting visits again and was in Austin for the game last weekend when he was supposed to be here...watching us crush bama and the ensuing pandemonium on TV at the end helped immensely. Winning that game alone will likely be the catalyst for what ever success we have next year. Could we have succeeded next year without it, sure, but everything was going to be a hell of a lot harder. Just need to have a good showing in Baton Rouge and the bowl game and everything else should take care of itself (unless the OC hire ends up being another dud).

I agree 100% that we really needed to make a bowl game, but that wasn't the point. Oklahoma should not be at the point where we become eligible for a no-name bowl and storm the field.

A quick search looks like we're fitting right into the SEC. This season Auburn. Arkansas, LSU, Tennessee, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Vanderbilt have also been fined for fans rushing the field.

Notice that all those teams are not blue bloods? Where are Alabama and Georgia (or even Texas) on that list?

I agree 100% that we really needed to make a bowl game, but that wasn't the point. Oklahoma should not be at the point where we become eligible for a no-name bowl and storm the field.

Agree...but that's where were at right now lol. Fortunately there's either light at the end of the tunnel now or that's the light from the on coming freight train that's going to run us over in 2025.

Notice that all those teams are not blue bloods? Where are Alabama and Georgia (or even Texas) on that list?

Tennessee is absolutely a blueblood and they were also a top 10 team when they won the game. They had far less reason to rush the field than OU.

Tennessee is absolutely a blueblood and they were also a top 10 team when they won the game. They had far less reason to rush the field than OU.

Has Tennessee won anything big in the last 15 years. I think their last SEC title game was 2007? Have they ever made the college football playoff? They had far more reasons to rush the field. That game probably got them into the college football playoffs. Ou win got them a crappy bowl game that really no one will care about. Here is CBS list of blue bloods. https://collegefootballnews.com/news/college-football-blue-bloods-ranking-the-25-best-football-schools

Tennessee is absolutely a blueblood and they were also a top 10 team when they won the game. They had far less reason to rush the field than OU.

Usually agree with your sports takes but Tennessee is not considered a blue blood by any consensus of people who make subjective determinations like that. The consensus blue bloods are (in the order that I came up with them):

Alabama, OU, Ohio St, Michigan, USC, Notre Dame, Nebraska and Texas, with Nebraska, and up until two years ago Texas, teetering on the brink of loosing that status.

My completely subjective next tier: Georgia (Close to moving up and I wouldn't dispute anyone putting them there), Florida, Florida St., LSU, Tennessee, Clemson, Miami, Penn St., Oregon (I guess), Auburn (Maybe),

This guy's criteria is really good and lines up almost exactly with the teams I pulled out of my head lol (Updated in July 2024): https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/kyleumlang/viz/CollegeFootballBlueBloods/BlueBloods

Has Tennessee won anything big in the last 15 years. I think their last SEC title game was 2007? Have they ever made the college football playoff? They had far more reasons to rush the field. That game probably got them into the college football playoffs. Ou win got them a crappy bowl game that really no one will care about. Here is CBS list of blue bloods. https://collegefootballnews.com/news/college-football-blue-bloods-ranking-the-25-best-football-schools

You do realize that you linked to an article that listed Tennessee in the category of "College Football Blue Bloods" that only consists of 12 schools, right? lol.

There is no "consensus" status on blueboods. I'd put Tennessee there.

You do realize that you linked to an article that listed Tennessee in the category of "College Football Blue Bloods" that only consists of 12 schools, right? lol.

There is no "consensus" status on blueboods. I'd put Tennessee there.

There is definitely a consensus and it’s 7-8 teams. Some people may add a Penn st, Tennessee, or Georgia but everyone includes those top 7-8 teams in their lists (with the odd team out being Texas or Nebraska when only 7 are listed). Tennessee only has won two consensus national titles (1951 and 1998) and I’m sorry but that just doesn’t make the cut. It’s a good program, not a great program (and not really even a good program over the last two decades).

Ended the regular season 6-6. LSU, Texas and South Carolina (!) were blowout losses; Tennessee, Ole Miss and Mizzou were close - Mizzou should've been a win, Jackson Arnold fumbled that game away. Huge win vs. Alabama and good wins vs. Tulane and at Auburn, all other wins were against bad teams including one over FCS Maine.

All in all a very disappointing season, especially with the defensive starters OU had returning. The offense was absolutely awful, and hiring a great OC will be a key component if that unit is improved in 2025. Jackson Arnold is not the answer, and may not even be at OU next year but finding his replacement should be the #1 priority for Venables and the new OC.

Hopefully OU gets an intriguing bowl matchup like Nebraska in the Music City Bowl or USC in the Las Vegas Bowl, and is able to get a win (Venables' first, by the way) to carry some momentum into the offseason. Expect a lot of transfers so hopefully OU is able to pick up some key portal players and keep their 2024 #8 recruiting class mostly intact.

Baker has everyone in college football trying to colonize their rival’s turf. Very ugly trend, but it makes for great TV.

I don't think "Baker" was doing anything other than mocking Ohio State's own tradition and it was 7 years ago. Michigan/Ohio State is as big a rivalry as OU/UT and Michigan winning was a huge upset against their hated rival. No, it shouldn't have happened but fault the Michigan coaching staff for not controlling their players.

The flag plant needs to be banned, it is unnecessary

I was on the field and barely use social media. I just happened to be sitting right by the field so our group said, why not? It was not driven by social media just like it wasn't in 2000 when I was on the field for that one too. I'm sorry, but complaining about this is kind of lame. OU has had a season from hell and absolutely no one expected them to win. Storming the field was a fun, authentic moment. It doesn't mean the program is in disarray or has lowered expectations. Enjoy the moment.

It's fun to see a lot of folks (not you) repeat the PR lines from the OU admin.

This whole anti rushing the field bit has nothing to do with acting like you've been there or being a blue blood or showing class.

It has everything to do with liability. And I think that's kind of dumb. I think anyone who rushes a field, ostensibly blowing by paid and overwhelmed security guards, is pretty much accepting the risk of whatever happens as far as from the school. It really makes no sense then when the schools, in turn, equip security folks with large amounts of pepper spray, because I think an overreaction by security is really what is going to invite liability to the school.

And of course there was the Bama player who is now being sued for battering a student who rushed the field. I have to wonder whether all of that anti rushing the field messaging fed that player's belief that he'd be okay to brutally attack a student who was on the field?

So I don't 100% blame the schools for these messaging campaigns. And I do think that for everyone's safety, rushing the field should be a rare event. The $100K fine seems appropriate in that regard. At the very least though, once the field is rushed, the schools have a duty at the very least to not go out and intentionally harm trespassers.

Of course they'd be well within their rights to block all points of egress and arrest and process everyone who is trespassing. Of course, that'd probably take all night, but it would be a far saner response than what we've seen in some places around the college football world.

Baker is the GOAT of the flag plant & he was just paying them back at the time. This weekend was ridiculous.

Big time off season now, tremendous amount of question marks. We still don’t have CB’s that can cover any big time receivers which every SEC team has.

Depending on the QB scenario, incoming class & portal they’ve got a ton of work to do if we are to be competitive next year. The defense still has a ways to go to be league/national title capable & the offense is just in complete shambles. I am
still holding out some hope for Jackson Arnold with the right OC/QB coach but if he’s gone or just isn’t the guy like we think & no real talent waiting behind it could be a rough few years.

I like BV & Bama guaranteed him another year but he messed up so bad on Litrell that it’s totally possible he’s set this offense back multiple seasons now depending what happens from this point. I hope I’m wrong but there’s not a ton of optimism looking at the offense in totality.

Even if we were healthy this year we still aren’t that competitive by OUr standards, maybe we get to 8 wins. Even if all these WR’s come back I question if they’ll even be healthy. Most of them missed the entire year due to pre-season, non contact or the typical devastating injuries. It makes you wonder. Maybe it was just bad luck all the way around but I doubt it given the total state of the offense this year. I bet these guys knew early on things were going to be rough.

If this field rushing continues and people start getting sued on a large scale, etc., we may see barriers put up in place preventing such a thing. Wouldn't that be fun having a large ring of plexiglass or netting around the fields.

Make it well known that rushing the field is a game forfeiture and the W changes to a L is the only way it's going to stop it. The 100K fine is well known and it still happens. Even at 200K you have people saying it's no big deal and let the fans have their fun. There have been people trampled and hurt by crowds waiting to get in a store on Black Friday with a fraction of the number of people a stadium holds. I'm surprised that hasn't happened yet.

Make it well known that rushing the field is a game forfeiture and the W changes to a L

lol that will never happen ..

Like I suggested time to put rules in place or forfeit the win. Everyone is rushing the field for every little win. It's out of control.

lol that will never happen ..
Right. It will not. And should not.

I think CFB is more volatile than in the past. Turnarounds (good and bad) happen in a year or two.

I think CFB is more volatile than in the past. Turnarounds (good and bad) happen in a year or two.Absolutely it is. With the portal you could actually change all 22 starters. Whether that would work out is a gamble but it's possible. The NFL players have to become free agents or demand a trade. College is a free for all. There have been college players with 4 years of eligibility who have played for 4 different teams. And Letter Of Intent signings are obsolete.
What OU must do is convince the solid players currently on campus and the incoming recruits that we're going in the right direction and make them stay. Then go to the portal and get the players needed to fill the gaps. Plus some players that can replace downed players. A huge undertaking. But something I have faith they can do.

Make it well known that rushing the field is a game forfeiture and the W changes to a L is the only way it's going to stop it. The 100K fine is well known and it still happens. Even at 200K you have people saying it's no big deal and let the fans have their fun. There have been people trampled and hurt by crowds waiting to get in a store on Black Friday with a fraction of the number of people a stadium holds. I'm surprised that hasn't happened yet.

It hasn't happened.

You're so anti fun.

Most of these lawsuits are either because of security guards who think folks trespassing on a field gives them carte blanche to brutally assault them or in the case of a lawsuit filed last week, a player who was in no danger brutalized a student. Universities could avoid a lot of these things by just training their people and letting their players know that it's not okay to maim people.

Earlier in the season I remember reading that out of the 67 schools in the power 4 conference, 41 had transfers starting at QB.

In a lot of cases. it's starting to make less sense for these schools to recruit high school players and develop them. In a sense, "building quality depth" simply results in your depth leaving to play elsewhere every year.

And then, since there's no continuity, none of the players have any experience playing together. That makes it even harder to predict, imo, and we may see more Cinderella type scenarios where a team makes run simply by virtue of the fact they have experience playing together. Used to see this in basketball a lot where senior laden teams would make a run because some of the bigger programs were just flipping one and done players and had no tournament experience.

The volatility may make it fun for casual fans, but the long term fans of blue blood teams need to shift their understanding and expectations, especially year-to-year. Championships used to be built over 3-4 years of recuiting classes and development. Now, it can easily hinge on the 30 days the portal is open,

The OC choice is maybe the most important thing in years.
Except for one running back pass that failed miserably the offensive plays against LSU lacked any kind of imagination. And as much as I've blamed the O-line this season they looked pretty good against Alabama so I would have called plays that reflected that. The number of plays OU ran against LSU in between the tackles was horrible. Too many possessions were literally up the middle three times and punt.
And I've been a supporter of the QB not being the problem: But against LSU Arnold had time a few times and threw the ball away with open receivers.

It's been confirmed by multiple sources that Arbuckle from WSU is being hired on a three year deal.

It's been confirmed by multiple sources that Arbuckle from WSU is being hired on a three year deal.
Every sports news outlet is already showing him as OC. 8-4 for a team that has no conference. Air Raid offense philosophy . Could have done much worse.

It's been confirmed by multiple sources that Arbuckle from WSU is being hired on a three year deal.


Sources: Oklahoma hires Ben Arbuckle as offensive coordinator Pete Thamel, ESPN: https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/42743274/sources-oklahoma-hires-ben-arbuckle-offensive-coordinator


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIi0P6_Vwpg

The OC choice is maybe the most important thing in years.
Except for one running back pass that failed miserably the offensive plays against LSU lacked any kind of imagination. And as much as I've blamed the O-line this season they looked pretty good against Alabama so I would have called plays that reflected that. The number of plays OU ran against LSU in between the tackles was horrible. Too many possessions were literally up the middle three times and punt.
And I've been a supporter of the QB not being the problem: But against LSU Arnold had time a few times and threw the ball away with open receivers.

It's tough to do imaginative playcalling when the QB has 2.5 seconds to get rid of the ball. I'm no football expert by any stretch, but that seems to stand to reason.

It's tough to do imaginative playcalling when the QB has 2.5 seconds to get rid of the ball. I'm no football expert by any stretch, but that seems to stand to reason.

I've argued on here all season that the offense's main problem was the defense being in our QBs face immediately after he gets the ball. But. The O-line played much better against Bama and also against LSU. There was enough time for RBs or the QB to get to the edge instead of so many runs inside the guards which wasn't working at all.

I've argued on here all season that the offense's main problem was the defense being in our QBs face immediately after he gets the ball. But. The O-line played much better against Bama and also against LSU. There was enough time for RBs or the QB to get to the edge instead of so many runs inside the guards which wasn't working at all.

They're still feeling the defection of that 5* lineman who went to Missouri to chase NIL $$. It's hard to build a unit like that when the pieces keep moving around. BB is a tremendous coach. If you look at who he has sent to the NFL, I hope he stays forever. He's an outstanding coach.

They're still feeling the defection of that 5* lineman who went to Missouri to chase NIL $$. It's hard to build a unit like that when the pieces keep moving around. BB is a tremendous coach. If you look at who he has sent to the NFL, I hope he stays forever. He's an outstanding coach.

Bedenbaugh has been an outstanding coach... but he is maybe the primary reason for OU's struggles this season. He blew it in recruiting for a couple cycles, had his best young lineman transfer, and put out the worst o-line at OU this century. Even without injuries, this was a bad line. That is on him. One more season like that and he should be gone. Of course, that would likely mean that BV is gone too.

They're still feeling the defection of that 5* lineman who went to Missouri to chase NIL $$. It's hard to build a unit like that when the pieces keep moving around. BB is a tremendous coach. If you look at who he has sent to the NFL, I hope he stays forever. He's an outstanding coach.
I give BB a lot of credit for the fact that the O-line did improve and didn't look horrible the last two games.

I give BB a lot of credit for the fact that the O-line did improve and didn't look horrible the last two games.

Absolutely. He's always developed lines over the year. The problem is he deserves the blame for an abysmal line the rest of the season.

I give BB a lot of credit for the fact that the O-line did improve and didn't look horrible the last two games.

Absolutely. He's always developed lines over the year. The problem is he deserves the blame for an abysmal line the rest of the season.

Bedenbaugh has been an outstanding coach... but he is maybe the primary reason for OU's struggles this season. He blew it in recruiting for a couple cycles, had his best young lineman transfer, and put out the worst o-line at OU this century. Even without injuries, this was a bad line. That is on him. One more season like that and he should be gone. Of course, that would likely mean that BV is gone too.

yeah he whiffed on a couple classes and then unfortunately it finally came back to bite him when he wasn’t able to keep Caden Green and then whiffed on a portal class.

Signed a great 24 class though and will sign an excellent 25 class if he can hold it together.

Bedenbaugh has been an outstanding coach... but he is maybe the primary reason for OU's struggles this season. He blew it in recruiting for a couple cycles, had his best young lineman transfer, and put out the worst o-line at OU this century. Even without injuries, this was a bad line. That is on him. One more season like that and he should be gone. Of course, that would likely mean that BV is gone too.

Honestly the whole coaching staff got caught with their pants down with this whole NIL/transfer portal thing. I think BV's brand is heavy on loyalty to the program, etc., but now you have these more talented kids being surrounded by hangers on who will tell them, and they're more right than wrong, that they have no guarantee at money in the NFL and that they need to focus on getting as many dollars now as they can--and if they do well enough, that'll be enough to set them up for life even if they don't do the NFL.

And funny enough, with the whole history of the OU Touchdown Club, etc., you'd think that Oklahoma would be waaaaay out in front in shepherding donor money to recruit talent. Paying off players is what made Oklahoma one of the greatest programs in history. I guess yay for the fun haters in the compliance department ensuring players weren't being paid. The whole Romar thing probably should have been covered up and denied and moved on from rather than having the entire athletic department self-flagellate over what today looks like peanuts. Even Reggie Bush got his Heisman back. Turns out you got zero points for running a clean program. Hopefully, the athletic department learns from that.

yeah he whiffed on a couple classes and then unfortunately it finally came back to bite him when he wasn’t able to keep Caden Green and then whiffed on a portal class.

Signed a great 24 class though and will sign an excellent 25 class if he can hold it together.

it bit him much more that he had to start the season with the 4th string Center and then was missing his top 3 OT's the entire second half of the year ..

We have so many problems on offense that it’s not any one thing. Sure it starts with the line but we don’t have any receivers (at least that can stay healthy or take a hit) , have mediocre running backs, and quite possibly don’t have a good QB on campus or in the pipeline. This has to be a great off season/signing class. If things implode next few weeks it will be a total gut job & rebuild. The defense still can’t cover any decent receivers- we need a couple lockdown corners that are taller than me for starters.

We have so many problems on offense that it’s not any one thing. Sure it starts with the line but we don’t have any receivers (at least that can stay healthy or take a hit) , have mediocre running backs, and quite possibly don’t have a good QB on campus or in the pipeline. This has to be a great off season/signing class. If things implode next few weeks it will be a total gut job & rebuild. The defense still can’t cover any decent receivers- we need a couple lockdown corners that are taller than me for starters.

I'll disagree with your RB assessment as Xavier Robinson does appear to be a good back. He has good feel, strength, and has good hands out of the backfield.

Not sure I agree on our corners. Eli Bowen was a true freshman who played really well even if he gave up some tough ones against LSU. OU also shut down some other really good WRs like Bama's Ryan Williams. Next year's starting corners are already on campus.

Robinson may turn out to be pretty good but we haven't seen enough yet. Tatum has talent but can he figure out how to hold onto the ball? Of course nobody looks good behind an atrocious line so I'm not too worried about RB's if we can fix the rest. We've always been fine there. But we could use a feature back or two like we've had many times in the past. I don't know if any of these guys are going to NFL as of now.

OU had one signature win this year and that was Bama, Tulane is quality/decent but it's not like they're that great. How about the end of the Mizzou game? We gave up plenty of big time plays to receivers this year. CB has been a weakness for awhile now. Eli Bowen is pretty good but he's not out jumping guys that are 6' 2" + or physical.

I'm just staying there's a lot of issues between where we are now & truly being competitive. Even if we were fully healthy this year I don't think we get more than 8-9 wins max which wouldn't have been bad given the intro season to SEC but still a long ways off from where the top few teams are.

Next year will be make or break, this year is going to hopefully go down as a mulligan. Hopefully they can kill the portal and keep the class intact overall.

We need a few things to work perfectly next year:
The incoming players that we expect to come here need to not change their minds.
The current players worth keeping need to stay put.
We need to get a few major wins in the portal.
All those guys need to pan out as expected.
The new OC has, HAS, to get the offense to gel and play as a unit.
The replacement LBs and DL have to be solid.

All that in total is a tall order. And the total will be necessary to make a big difference. I expect improvement next year over this year but I don't know how much. We should have a much better idea after the portal period and spring training.

I really hope we’re able to at least retain some of the good players that we do have. We’re about to find out just how serious we are about being competitive in an NIL world.

it bit him much more that he had to start the season with the 4th string Center and then was missing his top 3 OT's the entire second half of the year ..

You’re not wrong