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A Couple of Tuesday Bits
Published: 11/28/2006 1:37 PM
Last Modified: 11/28/2006 1:37 PM


In one hand, NCAA violations. In the other, Coach of the Year trophy.
AP


1. Big Stinker.

The possibility exists that this season the Big 12 is the worst major conference in the history of football.

What was the Big 12's signature non-conference win, Missouri over Mississippi (4-8)?

Or maybe it was OU over Washington (5-7).

The point is, the entire conference didn't have a single win over a ranked opponent.

It did defeat a lot of rank opponents, we'll give you that.

The campaign to elect Mr. Bob Stoops Coach of the Year, Decade and Centry, before the conference champion has even been decided, continues to leave us in a stupified state.

Our question is: What's the rush?

Isn't winning the conference important?

Can't voters wait one more game to pick a winner?

Obviously, NCAA rules violations pose no problems when it comes to being named top conference coach in unanimous fashion.

The disdain aimed at Nebraska coach Callahan is also somewhat mystifiying. True, he's something of a blockhead. But two years ago, Nebraska was a laughing stock. This year, it could be conference champ.

Even though Bob Stoops fever is sweeping the heartland before a league champ has been decided, the winner Saturday is our the Coach of the Year, in a lousy conference.

2. Sports talk radio.

The prospect of being a star, even over Hooterville, has made many a solid person blather.

Today on the local edition of the Sports Magpie radio talk-talk-talks-talk-talk show, we heard a couple of guys trolling for listeners, saying stuff like Solich shouldn't have been fired at Nebraska, and that OU was brilliant making one total yard in the fourth quarter against Oklahoma State while going ultra-conservative.

People, people, people: The reason why OU lost to Texas was because it went conservative in the second half -- Oklahoma State simply wasn't smart enough to take advantage of the sleepy-bye strategy.

And another thing: You keep that conservative stuff up and you'll have tons of fun recruiting a great high school quarterback.

The point is this: If you can defeat Oklahoma State by falling on the ball, you could have won more easily throwing a normal amount.

It would be somewhat appreciated if the radio men would take themselves 90 percent less seriously.





Reader Comments 14 Total
Jeremy (6 years ago)
This is amazing.

On point #1: I agree 90%. Let the game decide who's Big 12 Coach of the Year. Fine. But after watching Callahan guard against a USC rout, instead of trying to win it, I stick to my previous comments about him. He's gutless. The 10% disagree comes from the Big 12 bashing. It is no doubt as good as it has been. I'm not so sure it's as bad as you say it is, though. It has no true NC contender, so it's not as top heavy. It has several good teams though. I'll reserve judgement until after the bowl season. It works for coach of the year...

As for point #2, I agree 95%. This is what Stoops is about, though. Mike Leach is no longer at the helm. Remeber what the lack of a running game got them several years back? Several lost leads. Sure, the defense wasn't as strong. There is a time to go completely conservative...that being when the end of the game is in site, and running out the clock is a sure thing if you don't gain another yard. Before then, I want to see first downs. I'm not for airing it out in the 4th qtr, but some creativity can be shown in the running game (or even very short passing game). I'm sure PT's lack of accuracy at times plays a small role in not putting it into the air. All in all though, I agree with you. These last minute defensive stands are getting too nervy for me.

Jeremy (6 years ago)
OOPS!! I meant to say, "it's no doubt NOT as good as it has been". The Big 12 that is...
W.G. Smith (6 years ago)
Gosh, I feel a little silly writing this after just reading Jeremy's comment but I, too, will relent that the Big 12 Coach of the Year award probably should go to the winner in KC this coming weekend. Has Callahan done a great job? Jeez, no, what a joke. The guy has played a pud schedule, both in conference and out, and managed to get whiffed by OSU (which led, to a great degree, to our Picker's touting OSU's offense as the best in the country. Doubtful that it is that, but it is probably the best college football offense within a 20 square mile radius of Stillwater). But be that as it may, Callahan hasn't stunk the place up this season and has managed to rise to the top of a dismal big 12 north - which brings me to my second point. The Big 12 is truly one of the worst conferences in the country. No question about it. But remember Picker, when we talk about Big 12 coach of the year, we're talking small fish in a small pond; that's simply the scope of the award this season.
world picker (6 years ago)
Jeremy: Welcome home.
world picker (6 years ago)
Love my Peeps.
world picker (6 years ago)
It's a legit question.

Should NCAA trouble be a factor in the heaping of awards?
Chris (6 years ago)
Give it to Franchione for his stellar home wins over Citadel and Louisiana-Lafeyette. Oh, and that away win at Texas.
W.G. Smith (6 years ago)
Don't get me started about the NCAA sanctions ... Coaches should never, ever, be allowed to leave an institution either under investigation or suffering from sanctions brought about by their administration. Obviously, legality has nothing to do with it but the NCAA should have long ago adopted a by-law which would prevent the Rick Neuheisels and Kelvin Sampsons of the world from messing in their own front yards and then selling the house and moving on. Also, it would be terrific if the NCAA and NFL could reach an agreement on NOT allowing "student athletes" whose behaviors have been responsible for an institution facing or suffering penalties to move on up to the big money league. Oh, and about your question...yes, I think NCAA sanctions - not investigations under way - should disqualify a coach from consideration.
Jeremy (6 years ago)
Don't get me started about NCAA violations. Here's a banner idea: HOLD THOSE PEOPLE THAT BREAK THE RULES RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR OWN ACTIONS. In other words, investigate fully where the wrong doing came from. Kelvin Sampson screwed up. He should be punished. Rhett Bomar and JD Quinn screwed up. They should be punished. If the Sooner coaching staff did everything in their power to inform those kids of the rules, and the kids can't walk the line, then get the kids.

I've heard Barry Switzer speak about this many times. He will tell you that it is impossible to watch the players 24-7. Of course, he has an agenda here. He made a living recruiting the "at risk" athlete, and paid the price in the end.

Now, if a pattern emerges, then coaches need to be held somewhat responsible. This is what happened to Barry. In the case of Boamr and Quinn, as soon as OU (as far as we know) found out about the violations and confirmed them, they dismissed the players. What else can they do? I THINK STOOPS SHOULD BE COMMENDED FOR HIS ACTIONS HERE...not repremanded. I hope the NCAA finds nothing else wrong and agrees that OU acted properly. It is ultimately up to any college coach to recruit great athletes who are also great people. They take a chance when they invite anything less on campus.

In summary, I do not hold the Bomar/Quinn incident agaisnt Stoops and Co., unless evidence surfaces that shows they failed those kids in some way.

Randall (6 years ago)
Enough of the Big 12 bashing--it's getting tiresome.

It is true that the conference has not quite become the football powerhouse that some envisioned it would be when it was formed, but it's not been a laughingstock either. It's had five shots at the national championship in its first 10 years, winning two of them. That's not horrible. And the Big 12 was this close (that's real close!) to having a nice year in non-conference games against major-conference opponents this season. A last-minute field goal enabled Washington State to beat Baylor. A last-26-seconds touchdown enabled Georgia to escape Colorado, in Athens. Texas played a good game against the best team in the country, Ohio State, and lost, but the game was a lot closer than the 27-7 score indicated. And Oklahoma, minus official misconduct, beat Oregon in Autzen Stadium, the place with a rep as one of the hardest venues in the country for a visiting team to win.

All thigs considered, it's been a down year for the conference. But the Big 12 is hardly the worst major conference in the history of college football. It's not even the worst one this year--that honor belongs to the ACC, where the championship game will feature Wake Forest and Georgia Tech.
Randall (6 years ago)
Change to my earlier point about the Big 12 being 2-3 in shots at the national championship. Because it was before the BCS system was implemented, I forgot about Nebraska's '97 split-championship.

So, in its first 10 years, the Big 12 produced 3 national champions. Or 2 and 1/2 if you want to quibble. That may not be enough to beat our chests about, but it's not stinkin' up the joint either.
W.G. Smith (6 years ago)
Bottom line is this...the Big 12 is a disappointment in 2006; I hate to say it because I'm a fan, but if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck... And Jeremy, you're quite right and I'm a fellow traveler. Stoops SHOULD be commended for his handling of the Bomar situation if, and only if, the administration knew nothing of the violations prior to the time when both Quinn and Bomar were expelled. At this point...I support and applaud the action. But if during the course of any NCAA investigation it is revealed that the coaching staff knew and tried to weedle their way out of the problem before discovering they had no alternative but to jetison the players to save face, then there should be hell to pay.
J Keeling (6 years ago)
I think someone needs to take off their orange glasses and stop being so biased. And last time I checked the NCAA was sniffing around beacuse Rhett Bomar and JD Quinn didn't want to work for their money, not because Stoops allowed it to happen. I can't believe they give people like you the ability to publish this junk. As for your excuse that is osu jumped on OU they'd have won is just plain lunacy. Comparing them to texas? Riiiight. Tell you what, if the officials don't miss the fumble on the 1 yard line where Birdine recovers osu loses by 13 and your ignorant comment is even more far fetched. You aggies are pathetic.
W.G. Smith (6 years ago)
Mr. Keeling, speaking for myself as well as some others on this blog, I am embarrassed for you. Next time, please take the time to compose a cogent, intelligent statement detailing as best you can in plain, unadulterated English what your complaints are. Oh, and it might be a good idea to avoid name calling and sentence structure that might lead the reader to conclude that you didn't finish trade school. Proper use of capitalization would be a nice touch, but isn't required.
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