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State's colleges have wild ride in '09

 
By JOHN KLEIN Senior Sports Columnist
Published: 11/30/2009  2:20 AM
Last Modified: 11/30/2009  11:03 AM
Go to John Klein's Blog


IT'S NEVER AS BAD or as good as it seems on any given Saturday in college football.

If Oklahoma was really this good, good enough to pound Oklahoma State 27-0, then the Sooners wouldn't have lost five games this season.

If Oklahoma State was really this bad, bad enough to be completely overwhelmed by OU, then the Cowboys wouldn't have won nine games this season.

And Tulsa was good enough to play then-No. 5 Boise State within a touchdown and came within a few seconds of beating then-No. 13 Houston, but lost seven times.

The truth lies somewhere in the middle for Oklahoma's three major college football teams.

The season ended on Saturday with OU's huge Bedlam Series victory, a fitting end to a season that frustrated and amazed local fans from week to week this fall.

All three teams suffered wild swings in results, from close calls with highly ranked teams to embarrassing blowouts in important games.

No one was immune.

This was the season that could have been. There were probably more "what ifs" for OU, OSU and TU football than at any other time in recent history.

Still, there were memorable moments from a season that started to turn last summer. In some cases, it was heading the wrong direction before we even knew it. Who would have guessed that Deion Sanders was playing a major role in robbing OSU of its best player way back in the middle of the summer?

Or that OU's two best players, including Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford, would be pretty much done for the year before the season was even 30 minutes old?

Tulsa appeared on the verge of a monster upset in early October and then didn't win another game for eight weeks.

It was enough to bring coaches to tears. TU's Todd Graham could barely contain his emotions.

After a terrific run of three straight Conference USA West Division titles, TU suffered its second losing season in six years.

"These seniors have been a part of something very special at the University of Tulsa," Graham said after Friday's 33-30 overtime victory over Memphis stopped a six-game losing streak. "I'm emotional right now because it is special."

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops also was in a mood to remember better times after the Sooners probably played their best game of the season, a dominating defensive gem over OSU.

"I reminded them this week that they have been a part of winning three straight Big 12 titles," Stoops said. "No one else has done that."

OSU's Mike Gundy wanted the Cowboys to know that nothing, not even the blowout loss at OU, should diminish what they accomplished, a second straight nine-win season with a chance to get a 10th in a bowl.

"I don't want this to take away from what they've done this season," Gundy said. "This is just one loss."

What all three had in common is that they lost their most important games of the year.

Even with all of the injuries and the suspension of Dez Bryant, OSU still had a chance to accomplish most of its goals late into the season. But, when it faced the most important games on the schedule and a chance at a BCS bowl, the Cowboys collapsed.

State was the most consistent local team this season but was completely swamped by Texas and Oklahoma, the two teams it must beat to make progress in the rugged Big 12 Conference South Division.

OU lost one-point games away from Norman to BYU and Miami. Then, when it had chances, it couldn't make plays to upset Texas. Down the stretch, OU lost ugly games at Nebraska and Texas Tech, two conference games that could have pushed the Sooners back into the rankings and a more attractive bowl game.

Instead, Oklahoma needed the Bedlam victory to ensure a winning season.

Tulsa's season is not so easily explained. It was not a matter of playing poor in big games, like the Cowboys and Sooners.

The Golden Hurricane started going the wrong direction in the fourth quarter of a loss at UTEP and simply could not stop the bleeding for nearly two months.

The good news is hope springs eternal every spring practice.

By the summer, OU, OSU and TU fans will have figured out dozens of scenarios of how the best season ever will be possible next fall.

By JOHN KLEIN Senior Sports Columnist

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COMMENTS 
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4 comments have been made for this team so far. Tell us what you think below!
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soonerman37, Broken Arrow (11/30/2009 4:46:09 AM)
How to have a better season next year...

1. OSU hires an offensive coordinator that is not afraid to go for it on 4th and inches when you are losing 13-0.

2. OU gets an O-line to protect their QB and finds a place kicker.

3. Tulsa finds a way to be more aggressive in the 4th quarter when it counts.
Report Comment
StudManMike, Tulsa. (11/30/2009 7:13:22 AM)
I think Stoopsie would look FABULOUS in Irish GREEN!!!
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The Masked Assassin, Parts Unknown (11/30/2009 7:46:23 AM)
Stud is either an OSWho fan or a fair-weather Sooner fan. Hard to tell. I guess he COULD be a ND fan who knows a great coach when he sees one.
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Chiefs, Gore (11/30/2009 8:14:44 AM)
You guys that want Stoops gone either are OU haters or ignorant. Who are you gonna replace him with? You can't get Carroll or Meyer. You MIGHT get the TCU coach but would he be any better? Have TCU play OU's schedule and they wouldn't be unbeaten either. Have them play with their 2nd string QB and they would have 3 or 4 losses. This was simply a bad year BECAUSE of the injuries and a couple of muffs by the secondary. 7-5 could have been 10-2 real easily. So if you want Stoops in Irish green, then look to be missing from the polls for a LONG time. At least the top 10.
 

 
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