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What to watch: A TU, OU and OSU primer for Week 2
Published: 9/8/2012 2:58 AM
Last Modified: 9/8/2012 2:58 AM

It's time for Week 2 of the college football season for our Oklahoma entries.

And with the exception of Tulsa, we didn't really find out that much about this year's group in Week 1.

We won't find out too much more about Oklahoma and Oklahoma State this week either, at least not by watching.

To see the Sooners you either need a game ticket or about $40 for the pay-per-view broadcast.

To catch OSU, well, you'll need to find a friend with Dish Network. The Pac-12 and Dish came to an agreement early Saturday morning, giving hope to local Cowboys fans of finding the game on TV in the Tulsa area. At least it's better than driving to Kansas.

It's pretty funny, that the day after the Big 12 signed a landmark television contract, it will be easier to watch Tulsa of Conference USA on local television.

Anyway, here are a few things to think about when the three teams kick off Saturday:

1. Can Tulsa avoid a Big 12 hangover?: To have a special season, Tulsa needed to beat Iowa State. The Golden Hurricane didn't, and at times, didn't look good trying.

But Bill Blankenship has said all the right things about the Conference USA title being Tulsa's focus. Now we'll see if his team believes him.

Tulane isn't anything special. And the Golden Hurricane should be backed by a strong home-opening crowd on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon.

If Tulsa can avoid a hangover from last weekend, it should regain some much-needed momentum.

2. Can Oklahoma make progress while reducing the carnage?: Sooner fans crave vast improvement after a sluggish season opener in El Paso.

So what was wrong with OU against UTEP? Pretty much everything but the Sooners secondary. OU needs to take a step in the right direction. But will you even be able to tell against Florida A&M? Only if the Sooners are moving in the wrong direction.

Add in the necessity of being gracious hosts after the blowout in Stillwater last weekend, and Saturday figures to be a no win -- and no visible progress -- situation for OU.

3. Is Oklahoma State rebuilding or reloading?: After winning the Big 12 championship last year, Cowboy fans have a higher expectation for their team.

The new goal is to become an elite program, the kind of school that replaces multiple first-round NFL draft picks with blue chip recruits and keeps winning.

Is OSU that type of program? Saturday's game at Arizona will help answer that question. The Wildcats feature a new coach (Rich Rodriguez), an explosive offense and have the confidence of last week's overtime win over a decent non-BCS school (Toledo).

OSU brings in a true freshman quarterback making his first road start.

Oddsmakers, however, view the Cowboys as a significant favorite. If OSU is up to Saturday's challenge, it takes another step in solidifying its new place in the college football pecking order.

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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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