At halftime of the OU/Texas Tech game I had one of those moments where I just had to sit back and think "wow". Here's Oklahoma leading the #2 team in the country, a team with an unstoppable offense up to week 13, a team that upset Texas a few weeks ago... leading them 42 - 7 at the half!! It was one of those floodgate games where the losing team fell apart on many levels and seemingly forgot how to play their own game.
The OU defense was well coached through the week, no doubt. Strange to say that after all the games I've cursed the coaching D when the Sooners give up 30 or 40 + in a big game. But I have to think about the athlete rating system as well. So often I laugh off Rivals.com when a team gets a great recruiting class (ala Notre Dame) and fails to produce. I think here we might have an arguement to the contrary. The OU lines were just dominant. Did the heavily recruited athleticism pay off? Texas Tech has great athletes as well but OU has a top ten recruiting class year in and year out. Losing focus in a hostile environment is always a recipe for disaster, but maybe this was just a case of marginal better athletic ability taking control.
The Sooners may not be the best team in the country but this Saturday night they were. USC was the national champion the night they destroyed Ohio State, Florida was on the night they dismantled Georgia. Texas was in defeating the Sooners. Saturday it was OU. If only that were the evening of the true national championship... sigh. In a three way tie for the Big 12 South championship a good arguement can be made for both Oklahoma and Texas. Texas won head to head. Oklahoma beat better non-conference foes (including the Big East champion it seems) and severely(!) defeated the team that defeated the Longhorns. Without a playoff system the cards will fall where they will. There are games to be played and a conference championship coming up. If either OU or Texas were undefeated they wouldn't have to worry about polls at this point. Oklahoma State, Texas A&M or later down the line Missouri might make the arguement a moot point. (Florida State or Auburn could confuse the national issue even further on the other hand.)
If Red Raider fans didn't hate Oklahoma already I'm sure they're tempted to now. Tech is a better team than they showed on Saturday and I'll bet the team and fans are disappointed and embarassed after being blown out in a high profile situation like that. The Raiders are one of the few Big 12 OU foes I like and I offer my sympathy. Tech's recruiting power is on the rise no doubt and they'll be back. With any luck they can refocus and win their bowl game. And, of course, if OU loses to Ok. State the Raiders can still look forward to the Big 12 title game.
Three games where superior athletes were obviously in charge: Penn State,Ohio State and Florida State dominated Michigan State, Michigan and Maryland badly. Michigan State seems to have been overrated. Penn State certainly made them look that way. Michigan hung around for a half but it became obvious they were outclassed and they were expected to fail anyway. Maryland, however, didn't even get their feet planted on the turf against the Seminoles and they looked like they might be the favorite entering the game. Maryland had taken a few top 25 teams by surprise. Maybe we should have known Bobby Bowden and co. wouldn't be fooled.
As for what happened to the Tar Heels against NC State...??? Who knows. 'Fear the Rivalry.' The Wolfpack had already lost 6 games and were the visiting team against a North Carolina team trying to bump its way into the ACC conference championship game. No dice for the Heels. And... State might find its way into a bowl game with a win over the Miami Hurricanes in the last game of the season, go figure.
My top ten ( which no doubt I will be hated for, which is OK... I thrive on hate :)
1: Alabama
2: Florida (Week 14 will sort this out)
3: Oklahoma ( I believe right now they are the best in the Big 12, do they truly deserve the Big 12 South title if they beat OSU after losing to Texas... I don't know. So sue me - I'm a Sooners fan.)
4: Texas
5: USC
6: Texas Tech
7: Penn State
8: Utah
9: Oklahoma State
10: Ohio State
Anyways, enough rambling. I'll be back with week 14 preview in a couple of days, Bones
Anne V
Ariel Meredith
Did You See That?
College Football Top 25 Review
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Great blog..
">>If only that were the evening of the true national championship... sigh."
I am so there with that sentiment...sigh with head tilting to the right and lips slightly frowned.
But, though I speak too soon, may the Sooners conjure up this same ability when they face OK State, Mizzou and their foe in the BCS title game!
Sorry Longhorns. Great season. Hell you even won the RRR. And for that, you will be awarded a trip to the Fiesta Bowl.
In the meanwhile, OU should get a chance to garner praise, instead of those too oft shouted curses, come this BCS Bowl Season.
Look forward to preview! Bones I'll be in OK for Thanksgiving, maybe I'll be able to get some scalped tickets! (Hardly...too "frugal" am I)
DoIt4Johnny
Total Comments (250)
Even though I'm a diehard Tech alum (BA 74, MBA 83) and rabid fan, I think your analysis is very correct and somewhat overlooked by sportswriters, ESPN, the media, and the general public. I thought it was VERY revealing that in a recent interview with Jerry Moore of Appalachian State, who coached at Tech in the 70s, he stated that even Tech's Athletic Director at that time, said that Tech just didn't have the athletes to compete. I hope you are right about Tech's recruiting being on the rise. But now I fear every blue-chipper in America will want to go to OU, not anywhere else.
jwksa
Dallas , TX
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Thanks for the posts. Happy Thanksgiving to you Americans, we have ours in October in Canada. jwksa ... glad to hear from a Raiders fan, I was worried that my comments might be taken as a little offensive. If Texas Tech stays serious about football I can't see why they can't be this decade's Virginia Tech or even going back further Florida State. I guess it depends on the community revenue and interest created by this crop of players. I'm not familiar with T Tech politics and the red tape the football program is dealing with. Of course OU has heavily recruited for so long they even weathered the bad 90s decade. I even feel confident in thinking that during the Stoops era we don't have to worry about them being well payed(!) as well, ha ha. Competing against the Sooners and Longhorns for Texas (and neighboring) recruits must be a nightmare but remember Florida, Florida State, Miami, South Florida, and Central Florida all scoop from some of the same talent pools and all are enjoying success from year to year with the last two teams on the rise. Good luck.
98Bones Football…
Total Comments (39)
With OU being the reigning champs and nobody clearly being able to knock them out of the title with a 3 way tie they should go to the title game ....and the Gene Menez guy is an idiot....McCoy threw a pick 6 and texas just happened to be defeated by guess what.....6 points. Bradford's team isnt undefeated throught any fault of his! If it ends in a three way tie ,OU should get a shot to defend their title against the north!
Objective1
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I agree 98. Although, while I agree that as a TTU Alum i am disappointed I am far from embarrassed. We have had bad days before, and will have them again. Embarrassed would be a game that was slated in our favor on our home field and losing in this margin, this.. oh no this was Cowboys 08 - GREAT season just could not make the final cut. And thanks for putting the screws to the idea that we are out for the count for years to come. Tech and Lubbock have been building CONSTANTLY for the last decade, facilities, housing and some of the most Kick A stuff in Texas. And since no one else has said it yet; Tech is the youngest of the normal top 5, 87 years old. We are just now getting to the point where we have enough alum to really make a difference on the massive cash cow that Texas and A&M get from the oil and gas returns in the state. Tech Alum will tell you, we don???t ask for hand outs and we scrape by with the "hand me downs" of our older siblings, but make no mistake - Make room at the big boy table cause Texas Tech is taking a seat. As the University states and a rally call to us all - From Here It's Possible.
bhTechxan
Wylie , TX
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Hey Bones, You've been keeping tabs on an exciting season. I'm not going to get ridiculous and say 12-0 Ball St. is better than any number of two loss teams, but a slip up by either UGA, Mizzou or Ok. St. could have them sniffing the top ten. I've watched Ball St. play three times this year and they have a big league QB in Nate Davis. The MAC has produced several good NFL QB's in recent years, Byron Leftwich, Chad Pennington and Ben Rothlisburgher and I wont be surprised If Nate Davis joins that elite group. Anyway, Ball St. still has the conf. championship game to play against Buffalo.
norka
Bubba Spot, GA
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