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Gameday Instant Analysis: OU looks good, TU survives and Red River looms
Published: 10/7/2012 12:00 AM
Last Modified: 10/7/2012 12:00 AM

It was a good afternoon for Oklahoma's two Division I college football entries.

OU won in convincing fashion to break its Lubbock curse.

Tulsa wasn't as convincing, but at least the Golden Hurricane found a way to hang on against Marshall -- even with quarterback Cody Green nursing a bum shoulder.

Here's a look at what we learned about OU, TU and the rest of college football this weekend.

1. Apparently the sky in Norman isn't falling
We hope no Sooners fans injured themselves jumping back on the bandwagon after OU's impressive victory Saturday in Lubbock.

Here's why staying steady is handy: after two conference games, OU is pretty much the team we thought -- just a small cut below the Big 12's (and nation's) best, but ahead of most everyone else.

It's better than the Texas Techs of the world. And it may even be able to get back in the conference championship race if Landry Jones can be this steady, his offense this multiple and his teammates this helpful.

The Red Raiders, with games against West Virginia, TCU, Kansas State and Texas the next four weeks, might go 0-for-October and lose five straight.

It was a must-win for OU and a confidence builder, but there's still a long way to go.

2. Keep an eye on OU's offense the next several weeks
The Sooners' offense looked like it definitely benefited from the bye week.

Landry Jones seemed to have more confidence in his receivers -- seven different ones caught passes. There was more tempo and there was a more concerted effort to get Damien Williams the ball (14 carries and six receptions).

If this offense shows up the rest of the season -- coupled with this defense -- OU will win some games (maybe even one or two it shouldn't).

But if the sluggish offense returns, there are a handful of potential losses left.

3. Welcome to Dallas for the Red River Rivalry... or the battle for third in the Big 12
First Kansas State, then West Virginia certainly took the luster off this Saturday's battle in the Cotton Bowl.

Rather than a marquee game, this edition of Red River will be an elimination game.

The loser has almost no chance to win the conference or make a BCS game.

I'm thinking Oklahoma has a slight edge -- although I may change my mind by the end of the week. Regardless, I'll be a little surprised if it's a blowout like it was last season.

And I'm going to be a little surprised if the winner is able to surpass West Virginia or Kansas State as conference champ.

CBSSports.com has West Virginia facing Alabama for the national title and Kansas State playing in a BCS game. (See the site's latest BCS projections here).

That's a bit much, but at this point I'll be surprised if one of those teams doesn't win the Big 12.

West Virginia was certainly impressive Saturday night in Austin. Knocking off Texas with its running game on the road says a lot for the Moutaineers.

But that defense still gives West Virginia a chance to lose on any given Saturday.

4. One of these weeks, Tulsa is going to run out of luck
Tulsa isn't getting any style points these days, but the Golden Hurricane is still winning games.

If you listen to coach Bill Blankenship, that's all that counts. And he's right, at least until you don't win one.

Tulsa stumbled and fumbled its way to a seven-point win at Marshall, blowing three different double-digit leads.

The Hurricane gets a slight pass because quarterback Cody Green couldn't -- at least not without pain after injuring his shoulder in the game.

It will be interesting to see what his status is for a short turnaround this week -- a Thursday night game at home against Texas-El Paso.

UTEP is another team like Marshall -- a beatable, but capable opponent.

There will be a lot of games like that left for Tulsa. If the Hurricane is to have a special season, it must do a better job protecting the football and get its mojo back on defense.

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Danomite Dandy Dan (4 months ago)

Tell me Michael. Can the Sooners contain West Virginia's offense? Can Landry put enough on the board to compete with WV?

I'm wondering if perhaps I should jump off the Sooner bandwagon now and become a Mountaineer!

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The Editor's Desk

Tulsa World Sports Editor Michael Peters has nearly 20 years of daily newspaper experience. A 1993 graduate of Texas A&M, he worked at papers in Bryan-College Station, Texas, Beaumont, Texas, and Galveston, Texas, before joining the Houston Chronicle as High School Sports Editor in 2008. While in Houston, he coordinated coverage of the 2008 Texas Class 5A state football championships and the 2011 NCAA Men's Final Four.

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