The Picker: Super Bowl merely a distraction from OU woes
BY The Picker
Thursday, January 31, 2013
1/31/13 at 8:02 AM
USUALLY, THE Super Bowl signifies the end of the gridiron season.
This time around, the end of the pro campaign will provide but a brief break from a bigger football story: Is OSU poised to take over this state from OU?
In the past, OSU has won a game against OU every six or seven years because of a break in tradition - two great freaky players on the Cowboy side, or many injuries to the Sooners.
But now, OSU appears poised to out-recruit OU, to out-coach OU, and to out-perform the Sooners, straight up and without angles or excuses.
In Medium Game Bob's long and varnished career at OU, nothing like this has come close to happening: In a great and stunning story written for this publication by John E. Hoover, some articulate and heroic Sooners called out Stoops for the program's undeniable slide.
TV football analyst Spencer Tillman even mentioned the "C" word, possible "change" if things didn't improve in Norman. Others concerned about the recent backside-whippings on national TV, and slide from the elite status, were former stars Randy Hughes and Tony Casillas.
So it has been made semi-official that sharing a lame conference title and losing bowl games is not enough at OU. Medium Game Bob has been put on notice by the former stars that it is time to get back to recruiting monsters out of Texas, not dummy coastal community college material. It is time for bro Mike to prove that he can stop more than a dumb question.
It is time for fans to dump the OKC media homers and turn to this publication for leadership.
In the season between seasons, OU needs to get better in a hurry.
Super Bowl
San Francisco (-3) versus Baltimore in New Orleans: This is one ordinary matchup.
But a wholesale lack of glamour usually brings about a competitive game.
The most interesting Super Bowl story doesn't even concern this one: Next year, the Super Bowl will be played outside in New Jersey!
The most hopeful New Jersey weather prediction for Sunday is a high in the 30s, a low in the 20s.
Talk about nutty; this makes banning substances that the NFL doesn't even test for seem halfway sane.
The scandal of this afternoon has Baltimore's Ray Lewis being accused of using buffalo feet, moose tails, deer antler, something like that, to help speed recovery from some injury.
The events surrounding the game are predictable: Jim Nantz might kiss Tiger's picture. Phil Simms will shriek about nothing. Lewis will do his war dance as medics stand nearby in case something pops loose. The commercials involving animals will rule the day.
The scandal involving Beyonce's alleged lip-syncing is a little hard to figure. People actually listen to her?
Alicia Keys will do the anthem and is 3-2 on the proposition bets to flub or leave out a word. She's 2-1 to nail the song, as written.
The frightening level of violence in the game has become an issue: expect receivers running patterns over the middle to have wills tucked into their pants.
The SF quarterback runs a lot. Anybody can stop that, you just put more people on the line and crush him.
Can he pass well enough to beat Baltimore?
Sure, SF by 6.
Original Print Headline: Super Bowl merely a distraction
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