University of Oklahoma Sports

[jedicurt]

I think Sooners will be unranked for the first time since when?

since October 2020. we lost the ranking after the loss to Iowa State on October 3rd. were unranked against texas and won, bye week, still unranked against TCU and won, and that got us back up to 24 on the polls that came out before the Tech game on halloween. so not quite two years ago.

[dankrutka]

Starting to feel like Venables is OU's Charlie Strong. A good guy with a great record who struggled as a coach. I think that TCU loss is OU's worst loss this century considering quality of opponent and everything. The closest comparison I could come up with was the blowout loss to Tech in 2009, but I think this was worse. I hope OU can turn it around, but there's not an easy win left on the schedule. No guarantee OU even makes a bowl this year unless there's a big turnaround.

[kukblue1]

Talent. OU don't have it right now. Pretty simple.

[Bill Robertson]

Talent. OU don't have it right now. Pretty simple.

Absolutely true. And I hate to say it as a die hard Sooner but even with the recruiting this year being so good it will be a couple years before we have experienced talent.

[Jake]

OU has enough talent to not lose to TCU by 31 points. They aren’t Akron or Tulsa. I’m not saying the program is doomed, but people are being strangely cavalier after one of the worst loses in decades.

[Dob Hooligan]

Absolutely true. And I hate to say it as a die hard Sooner but even with the recruiting this year being so good it will be a couple years before we have experienced talent.

I think the modern transfer rules can help us just as quickly as they have hurt.

[dankrutka]

Talent. OU don't have it right now. Pretty simple.

OU has much more talent than TCU and TCU has a new coach too. OU fans have just been recycling through a list of excuses.

[Bill Robertson]

I think the modern transfer rules can help us just as quickly as they have hurt.

Hopefully. If BV uses it.

[Bill Robertson]

OU has much more talent than TCU and TCU has a new coach too. OU fans have just been recycling through a list of excuses.

OU doesn't have great talent in a number of key positions. And this is in a year where the Big 12 will be very competitive and be up for grabs. The results of other conference games demonstrate the equality within the conference.

[kukblue1]

OU doesn't have great talent in a number of key positions. And this is in a year where the Big 12 will be very competitive and be up for grabs. The results of other conference games demonstrate the equality within the conference.

You also need more than talent to win. You need a good system and cultural. Both of which are currently lacking at OU. OSU doesn't get the best of the best yet last year they were inches away from the final 4 and easily can make it again this year.

[Bill Robertson]

You also need more than talent to win. You need a good system and cultural. Both of which are currently lacking at OU. OSU doesn't get the best of the best yet last year they were inches away from the final 4 and easily can make it again this year.

Also true. And OU will get there in a couple of years. Anyone thinking the damage that Riley bailing overnight will be repaired quickly is living in a fantasy world. Actually, I was there until a couple weeks ago.

[PhiAlpha]

Starting to feel like Venables is OU's Charlie Strong. A good guy with a great record who struggled as a coach. I think that TCU loss is OU's worst loss this century considering quality of opponent and everything. The closest comparison I could come up with was the blowout loss to Tech in 2009, but I think this was worse. I hope OU can turn it around, but there's not an easy win left on the schedule. No guarantee OU even makes a bowl this year unless there's a big turnaround.

LOL. That could end up being the case but its way to early to compare Venables to Charlie Strong.

[dankrutka]

LOL. That could end up being the case but its way to early to compare Venables to Charlie Strong.

I don't mean to imply that I'm making any kind of judgment on Venables 5 games into his tenure, but I couldn't help but think of the similarities. Time will tell.

Most OU fans remember how Stoops was able to walk in the door and immediately get the team playing with far more discipline within coherent schemes. Those 1999 and 2000 OU teams were very similar to OU's current situation. But, for whatever reason, Venables' team looks as lost as those Stoops' teams looked focused. Doesn't mean that Venables can't turn things around. But I don't buy the excuse that this team is just untalented. By almost any metric, OU has more talent than K-State and TCU (who also has a new coach). OU is playing undisciplined and sloppy regardless of talent. Tons of unforced errors, penalties, missed assignments, etc.

[shartel_ave]

Gabriel is, or probably at this point was, highly ranked. But it was based on his stats at UCF. A small Group Of Five school.

One if us indeed doesn't know college football. It's not me.

No, his ranking is based on every QB in the power five not just the AAC

[okcoolcoolcool]

I don't mean to imply that I'm making any kind of judgment on Venables 5 games into his tenure, but I couldn't help but think of the similarities. Time will tell.

Most OU fans remember how Stoops was able to walk in the door and immediately get the team playing with far more discipline within coherent schemes. Those 1999 and 2000 OU teams were very similar to OU's current situation. But, for whatever reason, Venables' team looks as lost as those Stoops' teams looked focused. Doesn't mean that Venables can't turn things around. But I don't buy the excuse that this team is just untalented. By almost any metric, OU has more talent than K-State and TCU (who also has a new coach). OU is playing undisciplined and sloppy regardless of talent. Tons of unforced errors, penalties, missed assignments, etc.

There are maybe 2 actual NFL talents on this team, Mims and Farooq. The offensive backfield is exceptionally average, and this backup QB situation is terrible. Sorry for the guy, but Davis Beville looks like he's never thrown an actual football in his life... or run. Our QB's alone have probably left 42 points on the table this season, simply misfiring wide open receivers. Can't imagine Mims or Farooq are too happy they stayed.

I always expected the offense to take a step back. I didn't expect our defense to be an automatic top 10 because OU just doesn't get great secondary talent. I did not, however, expect an BV defense to be so unbelievably bad at tackling. I'm at a loss to explain how many times we had a 2-on-1 situation 3 yards behind the line of scrimmage that the ball-carrier was able to turn into a 5 yard gain. I have to believe that the fact that our offense only stays on the field for 30 seconds at a time is gassing our defense to death.

[Zuplar]

After this past weekend I don't know what's worse, the OU fans or the OSU fans. The OU fans are being ridiculously pessimistic and the OSU fans have been overly tacky. I'm about one more comment "how does the SEC look like now," from banning OSU fans from talking sports to me. lol. I say in jest...to some degree.

What it comes down too is I think things will be fine. I'm not panicking, and I'm tired of hearing from all those that think the world is over.

[FighttheGoodFight]

At the end of the day the SEC move is about money. All that new money means more NIL, recruiting and amenities for OU athletics. It does nothing but help.

It'll be a few years until we see how coach does. I think OU is committed to him and he seems like a solid choice.

[Bill Robertson]

No, his ranking is based on every QB in the power five not just the AAC

I didn't say just the AAC. I said the Group Of Five. Nobody could realistically rank Gabriel against other Power Five QBs until his first game at OU because he wasn't in the Power Five until then.

And today ESPN has him ranked 27th.

[Bill Robertson]

After this past weekend I don't know what's worse, the OU fans or the OSU fans. The OU fans are being ridiculously pessimistic and the OSU fans have been overly tacky. I'm about one more comment "how does the SEC look like now," from banning OSU fans from talking sports to me. lol. I say in jest...to some degree.

What it comes down too is I think things will be fine. I'm not panicking, and I'm tired of hearing from all those that think the world is over.

No it's not the end of the world. But there's a lot to be pessimistic about. For now. It will get better. But Saturday TCU RBs and receivers were blowing past our safeties and corners. We also had a number of plays that the defense line and LBs should have stopped for losses but they seem to have forgotten how to tackle again. Our O line got pushed around horribly. And there are way too many badly overthrown balls to open receivers. Added all together this team at this point isn't very good.

[GoGators]

At the end of the day the SEC move is about money. All that new money means more NIL, recruiting and amenities for OU athletics. It does nothing but help.

It'll be a few years until we see how coach does. I think OU is committed to him and he seems like a solid choice.

NIL doesn't have anything to do with the school itself so the move wont change that aspect. It will obviously put OU out in front with its ability to build top tier facilities, provide player amenities, pay coaches, etc which will be huge.

NIL basically just comes down to how much money your school's donors have and how much they are willing spend.

[shartel_ave]

I didn't say just the AAC. I said the Group Of Five. Nobody could realistically rank Gabriel against other Power Five QBs until his first game at OU because he wasn't in the Power Five until then.

And today ESPN has him ranked 27th.

guess it depends on what site you look at, CBS has him ranked at 8 just after Kansas's Jalen Daniels and AP has him ranked 18 but I'm sure after the TCU sh!t show he will drop plus he got injured.

OU has no 5 star players this season. Mims is a four star but he will go to the NFL

2023 so far two 5 stars (one is a QB), twelve 4 stars, and eight 3 stars so I would imagine a lot more by the start of next season. Any new 5 or 4 star recruit knows they will get a ton of playing time as true freshman.

[shartel_ave]

NIL doesn't have anything to do with the school itself so the move wont change that aspect. It will obviously put OU out in front with its ability to build top tier facilities, provide player amenities, pay coaches, etc which will be huge.

NIL basically just comes down to how much money your school's donors have and how much they are willing spend.

OU has some of the best facilities in college football

surprised at number 1 though

https://247sports.com/LongFormArticl.../#182436036_13

[GoGators]

OU has some of the best facilities in college football

surprised at number 1 though

https://247sports.com/LongFormArticl.../#182436036_13

I wasn't implying that OU didn't have great facilities now, Just that the conference move will give them more resources to continue to be at the top. It is a constant arms race that never ends.

I'm actually a little surprised OSU is that high up on the list at number 12.

[Bill Robertson]

Oh man! I just stopped for a couple on the way home and ESPNU is replaying Saturday's game. It's on numerous TVs here. It doesn't feel any better now than it did then.

[okatty]

I’ll take no seconds on that game! It was a LONG game and not just because of the outcome. The 230 games were ending the first quarter and OU/TCu still going. UUGH.