Top 10 reasons for top 10 ranking
Published: 10/23/2008 3:19 PM
Last Modified: 10/23/2008 3:19 PM
The assignment was fun food for thought. In the midst of this 7-0 start, colleague and tag-team partner Bill Haisten wanted me to come up with a top-10 list of reasons why OSU is ranked in the top 10 today for a radio segment we did Thursday morning.
In the spirit of David Letterman, here's the list we agreed on from No. 10 to No. 1. Feel free to agree or disagree. Drum roll please……..
10, Commitment: The facility and financial upgrades this decade has narrowed the wide gap between OSU and the Big 12 big boys OU and Texas.
9, Building on success: With the program's history of some peaks and many valleys, the Les Miles era of three bowl games in four years and two Bedlam victories got the ball rolling. Now in his fourth season, Mike Gundy has kept it progressing.
8, No shortcuts: Gundy cleared out many bad characters in his first season as head coach in 2005. But the persistence of hard work on and off the field and doing things the right way is paying dividends today.
7, Sustained recruiting success: The Cowboys have put together top 25 recruiting classes the past three years, primarily with kids from Texas. While the Lone Star state is OSU's primary recruiting base, the Cowboys have a chance for big breakthrough recruiting year with a bountiful in-state crop of recruits.
6, Tim Beckman: His pedigree suggested defensive fortunes would turn around sooner rather than later. The defensive coordinator delivered a masterful plan that his players executed well in the win at Missouri.
5, Forgetting Fedora: Larry Fedora deserves a lot of credit for installing an exciting and productive offensive attack. Now that Fedora is Southern Mississippi's head coach, the seamless transition to Gundy as offensive play caller has not changed the productivity.
4, Zac Robinson: There was some cause for concern when Robinson replaced Bobby Reid as starting quarterback early last season. But it has been very evident that Robinson is the better quarterback. The junior has a major opportunity to shape his OSU legacy in the next month.
3, Offensive line/run game: The Cowboys have the Big 12's best running back in Kendall Hunter and one could justify the Cowboys have the best offensive line in the Big 12. The line has protected Robinson well and opened running lanes for Hunter and other backs. The run game is a dimension other league teams do not have.
2, Dez Bryant: The sophomore wide receiver/kick returner may be the most electrifying and best player to wear an OSU uniform since Barry Sanders.
1, Maturity/leadership: There are a lot of veterans playing key roles who have endured the hard knocks and growing pains of past few years. Those players – Robinson, Jacob Lacey, Andre Sexton, Ricky Price, Brandon Pettigrew, Russell Okung, David Washington, etc. – have stayed the course and paved the foundation for the program today and into the future.
---Matt Doyle
Written by
Bill Haisten
Sports Writer
