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Crucial Year for State's Three
Published: 7/26/2010 4:54 PM
Last Modified: 7/26/2010 4:59 PM

Has there ever been a more important season for the three to be named?

TU: No longer a coaching mill in any sport. Remember when all those coaches broke so many hearts as they left of their own volition for alleged bigger jobs? Anymore, TU coaches must feel blessed to have their jobs. All the assistants bailing is a Hurricane flag flying at half mast, it's a frightening prospect, get the sandbags, leaks are everywhere. Six wins is no cinch. Leave some of it to Beaver.

OSU: Here is the ultimate coaching test. If you want to know if you have the right coach, ask yourself this question: Would a school as good as yours hire the one you fired? Would somebody as good or better than OSU hire Gundy? Obviously, this is a key year for the Cowboy coach. We're not sold on the conversion to the rinky-dink Houston offense but will try to keep a semi-open mind until the Cowboy run game folds.

OU: Medium Game Bob has become the master of the mid-range bowl victory. Surely he and the others are tired of being considered a junior partner to Texas. A lack of a solid run game has handicapped the Sooners through their slide to the lower upper class. After losing four of five to Mack, and after all the BCS bowl losses, it's time to step up. Florida State in Norman is the key to the season.







Reader Comments 19 Total
Kenmore (3 years ago)
A three paragraph article deserves a three part answer;

1) TU's fate will ride on the breaks it gets. There's not enough talent to challenge the top dogs in C-USA.

2) 8 wins and/or beat either OU or TEX, otherwise Gundy is a goner.

3) The offensive line is key for OU, perform well and they have a real shot 'gainst TEX and perhaps...
justanotherokie (3 years ago)
TU sounds like Saturday Night Live.

SNL's Loren Michaels got so tired of loosing people in 1 or 2 seasons they started using a mandatory 5 year contract with movie options.

What comedian worth his salt would work for a salary 5 years? Not very funny ones that's what.

Loren got what he wanted, Corporate Sameo-Sameo every week.
mgsooner (3 years ago)
Yawn.
MexiMike (3 years ago)
Pick, while you're keeping your mind "semi-open" in regards to the OSU offense please watch as Kendall Hunter leads the league in all-purpose yards. Also note that although they won't show up as rushing stats, flip passes, swingouts, and shuffle draw plays are virtually the same thing.
BobSmith007 (3 years ago)
Duck. The sky is falling ..... Again!
Tulsan in Exile (3 years ago)
TU: If EVERYTHING breaks just right, they could finish 8-4. More likely: one or two key injuries leaves them with a 3-9 season. (Note to TG: Try not to recruit every 5'7" 145 lb. kid in the country.)

OSU: Same as ever. They will beat everybody they should beat, and nobody they have to beat, to be taken seriously.

OU: Tough call, but I think likely they will just be watching as TX (after getting stomped in Lincoln) takes revenge in the title game.
MexiMike (3 years ago)
Tulsan in Exile, with OSU fielding a young team this year and a new offense, who do you put in the category of teams "they have to beat to be taken seriously?"
Ignatz (3 years ago)
Probably pretty much a repeat of last year by all 3.
The Picker (3 years ago)
MexiMike: Oklahoma State has a new offensive coordinator, a new offense, a new play-caller, a new quarterback going on 40, and NO RETURNING OFFENSIVE LINEMEN? They had better throw a whole lot of two-second passes to Hunter.

Here would be a great question to be asked at the Big 12 PR Conventon currently running in Dallas: Whose decision was it that Gundy would no longer call plays?

Why doesn't TU leave more of it to Beaver?

Here's some news about the picking contest that starts the first weekend in September, the greatest opening spread in the history of college football, with, for example, Boise State going for a spot in the BCS title game versus Virginia Tech.

Here's some good contest news for some of you alleged pickers. Besides the tremendous prizes for the season winner and a number of high regular season finishers, a new angle this season will be weekly winners. The person who beats the Picker by the most games each week, and wins the tie-breaker, gets something extremely decent. One week last year, among THOUSANDS of entries, nobody beat the Picker.
MexiMike (3 years ago)
Pick, OSU's new offensive coordinator commanded last year's number one offense in the nation. He is also the play caller.

The QB "going on 40" (actually going on 27) has the best arm strength and accuracy Holgorsen has ever seen in a QB he has coached (both at Houston and T-Tech).

OSU returns one starting offensive lineman and three that were in heavy rotation last season.

Yes, Hunter will get a huge amount of touches. And why shouldn't he? He's one of the top, if not THE top, offensive skill players in the league. He deserved to be on the 1st team pre-season Big 12 squad and now he is going to prove it.
bigshow1024 (3 years ago)
Pick...simple over/under here...

OSU's regular season wins is set at 6. Where you got your money?

Concerning the offensive line, many of you simply need to realize Wickline is one of the best in the game. You know what he recruits? Wrestlers with quick feet. Jonathan Rush and Nick Martinez - former wrestlers. Yes...it's going to be tough to replace a talent like Russell Okung; he was one of the top available prospects and could've gone #1 if the Rams had signed a free agent instead of Bradford (interested to see this last hoorah for rookie contracts).

People are talking about this defense taking a step back...I count ONE underclassmen in the current starting 11 (Brodrick Brown).

Get ready for it cuz it's comin'. OSU will be in the Top 25 by season's end.
The Picker (3 years ago)
Big Show, at first sound, that 6 over/under sounds low. But, man, after looking at the schedule, 6 looks like it's right on the button.

True, Wash State is an intramural team, and Troy is best at home...but that sandwich game with LaLa is a nightmare, literally, at night in the swamp between important Big 12 games, what rotten scheduling.

The key swing games -- Tech, K-State, KU -- are all on the road! I'd probably go under six before over. Six looks like it. You?
bigshow1024 (3 years ago)
Nebraska is overrated by a long ways, as is A&M (Von Miller, Trent Hunter...nobody else).

OSU has outrecruited both of these programs on defense by a long shot.

We have 3 seniors and a 4th year junior on the defensive line, 2 seniors at linebacker with another in the two-deep, AND Markelle Martin, Johnny Thomas and Andrew McGee out back.

If Weeden starts to rocket fire, 8 wins is certainly attainable IMO.

Do you realize how overrated those two teams are? I mean, SERIOUSLY?
MexiMike (3 years ago)
Pick, if you're going under on the 6, I'll gladly take that bet. Easy money.

Bigshow is on the mark about Nebraska and A&M. Nebraska will not be the same defense without Suh being triple teamed. Their offense is still average at best.

A&M's QB Johnson is great at times but still inconsistent. A&M has a losing record when he throws an INT in a game. Add to that the fact that they are starting three new offensive linemen as well.

K-State? KU? Please, Pick. K-State had FOUR wins last year against Div 1 schools. That's it. KU lost their last 7 games of the season, then lost the entire coaching staff and now has to replace their QB and best WR.

I'd say 7 wins is closer to the button on the over/under. 8-4 is my season prediction with a chance of going 9-3.
The Picker (3 years ago)
You guys sound pretty confident for having no offensive line.

You want OSU over Nebraska and A&M?

OK.
MexiMike (3 years ago)
Pick, the O-line will be fine. One starter back, three that were in heavy rotation last year. Give Coach Wickline the nonconference schedule to get them gelled.

I don't want OSU over both Nebraska and A&M. That's pretty optimistic. I will take you on your over/under at 6, though.
Huskerfan (3 years ago)
BigShow,
You are about to be surprised BIG-TIME if you think your Cowpokes have any shot at beating my "over-rated" Huskers this year, even in Stillwater. If you think OSU's defense is better than Nebraska, put down the crack pipe and just look at how many points you gave up last year to OU (27) and Texas (41). We gave up 3 and 13. We return almost the entire defense except for Suh, Dillard, and O'Hanlon.
If we could throw Colt McCoy around like a rag doll & force Landry Jones into throwing 5 interceptions, what are we gonna do to your baseball player?
MexiMike (3 years ago)
Huskerfan, do you seriously think your defense is going to be as good this year without Suh being triple teamed?

How's that subpar offense coming along?

And I like how you mentioned the teams that beat us and how your defense did against them--but failed to mention the teams WE beat that your team didn't do so well against. Do Iowa State and Texas Tech ring a bell? Where did you lose to these teams by the way? On your own turf? Ouch.

Tell me, how much success did you have in getting to the Tech QB? Guess what style of offense OSU is leaning toward this year? I hope your Huskers have the same overconfidence as you have when they step into Stillwater.
Glenn616 (3 years ago)
Tulsa: It looks another 5-7 season.

OSU: It's not unrealistic to pick
the Cowboys to finish 8-4. They play 4
winnable non-conference games. They
could finish 4-4 in the Big 12.

OU: I think they'll beat a team like Arkansas
in the Cotton bowl.
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The Picker began entertaining – and infuriating – sports fans in 1993. Each week during football season, he writes about his picks of college and NFL games in his Thursday Sports column. He's never afraid of sharing his opinions about the game and the personalities who play it. Readers have a chance to go against him each season in the Outpick the Picker contest. He welcomes the competition.

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