Early 2013 Prediction

[7NationalChampionships]

After yesterday's Stoops' interview at Big 12 media days, I'm not so sure...

See post #18 in this thread.

 

[KansasSooner]

But Stoops wasn't talking about just Bell in the Belldozer package, he was talking about if Bell started they might go to one of the other QB's for a change up inside the red zone and use their ability to hit a crease...

 

[td2play]

I guess I am the ultimate optimist when it comes to my Sooners. I see the lack of defensive starters returning as a good thing. If you think about it there had to be a transition period between Vunerables ideals and Mike's. Notice in the press how Wort said he was going pro because of this change in philosophy. Granted the defense finished horribly down the stretch and I think that had a lot to do with losing to ND on their home field. It seemed like after that game the defense was never the same. Up until that game I saw constant improvement from that unit from game to game. I'm willing to give Mike a second year to see if he can get it done. We will know all we need to know about this team by the 3rd game of the year. Remember how nobody was expecting anything out of the Sooners after losing to Ole Miss in the Indy Bowl back in 1999? Then 2000 comes and nobody can score on them and they run the table and start one of the best decades in the history of the program. I know they lost a lot of title games but they played in a lot of them. Which if you ask me isn't too bad. Before we call for Stoops to step down and make a jump off the deep end lets see if the team of coaches he has put together can actually do anything with what is there. An .875 win percentage is not something to toss aside without some serious thought. It could be a lot worse. Let's remember Blake, Gibbs, and Smellsofburbon. With that being said if we go to ND and get run out of the house I may be the first person in line screaming for Stoops to step down. But I just don't think it is going to go down like that.

 

[td2play]

And yes Bell will get the nod but look for the quick hook if he doesn't light it up against ULM.

Speaking of ULM is anybody but me worried about them as an opening opponent? Arkansas was a top 5 team last season and opened with them. We know how that worked out for the Razorbacks! I just don't like our schedule the first 5 games. ULM, Tulsa, TCU, ND, Texas and of these teams is capable of beating the Sooners. Whatever happened to directional U the first couple of games until you got your act together?

 

[KansasSooner]

If the running backs do their job as expected I don't think Bell will have to light it up against ULM. The running backs and Oline should give Bell time to grow as a QB.

 

[outofyourmind]

Rocky Calmus
Teddy Lehman
Tommie Harris
Mark Clayton
Jammal Brown
Adrian Peterson
Dan Cody
Curtis Lofton
Gerald McCoy
Jermaine Gresham
Sam Bradford
Ryan Broyles
Etc., etc., etc.

What do all these outstanding (All-American) players have in common? NONE of them ever won a National Championship at OU. It's been nearly 4,500 days since OU won its last NC. And speaking of "last", the last National Championship that Bob Stoops will ever win was back in 2000. Face it: Bob Stoops is a 1-trick pony. He's had his ass handed to him by Saban, Carroll, Miles, Meyer, etc. over the years and now Kelly, Snyder, etc. are schooling him. We're even down to the point where we can't win at home!!

I've been privileged to have known many coaches and players starting back in the Chuck Fairbanks era through Barry Switzer and even through the Wilderness Seasons under Gary (No Personality) Gibbs, John (10-piece Bucket) Blake and Howard (The Drunk) Schnellenberger. But Stoops? Worst by far. Far worst. A complete asshole who reminds me of an old whore who has lost it......who is now putting her makeup on with a trowel and squeezing into her 10 years old dress and dropping her prices hoping her old regulars will hang in there with her.

Blame Castligione. Don't blame Stoops for hanging on to a good gig where he makes a lot of money while giving the slack jawed yokels regular championships in a watered down Big XII. Or at least used to give conference championships. I don't count co-champs. That's for high schools and UT supporters.

Our recruiting is in the toilet. We have coaches who couldn't hold a candle to Switzer's staff. We are constantly being embarrassed on national TV. Who the fuck would want to play for OU right now if they had an offer from a school that was at least competitive in big games? Even USC with Lane Kiffin is out recruiting Stoops right now!!

I won't be used any longer. Wake me up when Stoops is gone and I'll start writing checks again. I've told Castiglione to his face that the day is coming when Stoops is going to pull something that will force his and Boren's hand. He'll pull a Bo Pellini on someone at the worst possible moment and the Oklahoma City press will even turn on him.

Go away, Bob. Retire. Have a heart attack. Find Jesus. Do something! Anything but waste our lives hoping the future holds anything we haven't already seen over the past several years: an OU coaching staff that gobbles up huge amounts of talent and then shits horrific losses. Your brother isn't the answer, Bob. The answer is your getting the hell out of that job and letting OU start the process of rebuilding its program before the current situation renders it as flaccid as the basketball program has become.

I have thought this same thing for years now.
Bob wont be pulling anything together. He's on cruise control until he's forced out.
How people cant/wont see it is insane.
It's time for a new coach, and has been for a few years now.

 

[sooner78wakeboard]

I guess I am the opposite. I am a big Bob Stoops fan. We have made it to some great bowl games, had an outstanding record, and pride/funding with the university has skyrocketed since Stoops got here. I still think we should have won or at least had a serious shot to win the NC, in 03' and 08'. I think they just had a couple of terrible evaluating recruiting classes. Brought it high rated players that sucked. And are paying for it now. It happens to a lot of programs. I am glad he shook things up and fired/hired new staff members. Because Stoops knows the trend wasn't going to change. College football is changing and he now seems to at least acknowledge that he needs to change with it.

 

[outofyourmind]

My Prediction?
We will lose to any team that is as good as we are.
We will lose to some teams that are not as good as we are.
We will lose to at least 1 team that is nowhere as good as we are.
We will have close games with teams we shouldn't.
We will have 1-2 blowouts.

We will finish the regular season 8-4, and god knows what the Bowl Game will end up being.
That's about it for me

 

[occupant]

Oklahoma football notebook: Gabe Ikard says offensive line 'all a little heavier' | News OK

Ikard is now tipping at 304 lbs.

"He said the added weight was thanks to new offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh and Tiffany Byrd, director of sports nutrition.

“We're all a little heavier than we were last year but we might move better than we did last year with the way we've been working,” Ikard said. “We've added some weight because the conference lines are pretty stout.”

In workouts, the line has added a renewed emphasis on weight-room work instead of running.

“I wouldn't say less running but we didn't run the same stuff as the skill guys,” Ikard said. “When we came up against some of the bigger lines last year, we weren't really pleased with the way we played so we made it a point of emphasis this offseason to get in the weight room a little fresher and be able to lift a little more.”

Byrd, who joined the athletic department in the spring, has changed the way the team eats.

“She's spent a whole lot of money giving us bars that we can eat throughout the day, sandwiches, protein shakes and all kinds of stuff that we have available to us,” Ikard said. “We've got options.” "

 

[KansasSooner]

It ain't the offensive line I'm worried about...

 

[outofyourmind]

The offense is good enough. They shouldn't have to score 40pts to win a football game.
It's the defense that is crap, and I just don't see Mike Stoops being able to fix it in just 2 seasons.

Plus Ikard is terrible. He got beat all the time last year. I honestly don't even know why he's even on the team. So anything that helps him is a plus, but the way he eats, and a little more weight isn't going to overcome the fact that he sucks. Not much is going to change that outside of coaching him up better, and we don't have any of that going on down there.

 

[occupant]

Oh I agree that the defense is the pressing matter, that's all too obvious.

The offense isn't good enough though.

K-State loss: 298 passing, 88 rushing, 3 turnovers 19 pts
Notre D loss: 364 passing, 15 rushing, 1 turnover 13 pts
Bowl loss: 278 passing, 123 rushing, 1 turnover 13 pts

Landry was only sacked 13 times all season...that's actually fairly impressive for a pocket passing offense. The pass blocking is respectable...but look at how many stalled red zone series we had.

Look at the rushing yards in those losses...75 yds avg. Sorry, but when you're that one-dimensional, I don't care if you had Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Randy Moss and an octopus...you're not going to win.

I guess I didn't pay that close of attention to Ikard. How many guys on that line have played the position they were in for more than a year? How many TE's are we going to "convert" into tackles and such?

You will win and lose the game in the trenches. More meat=good.

 

[td2play]

"Not much is going to change that outside of coaching him up better, and we don't have any of that going on down there."

Did you miss that they did hire a new O-line coach? The book on this guy is that he makes O-lines into nasty O-lines. Like it or not the Sooners have been a finese team since 2008. Lining up and playing big boy football just hasn't been their thing. Outside of a the Belldozer package they have had very little success in these situations unless the RB did it all on his own. I'm willing to give the O-line coaches and Mike one more year to see what they come up with. I still believe there is a chance to get this thing on the right track. The difference in the losses mentioned is that we were not able to run the ball against the better defenses we played. These teams didn't have to respect the run because they knew it wasn't a threat.

 

[KansasSooner]

The lack of a running game recently is embarrassing. Who would have ever thought that OU would not be able to just pound the ball on the ground? A school that boasts of Steve Owens, Greg Pruitt, Joe Washington, Billy Sims and others now can't run the ball worth squat.

 

[RACER-MIKE]

12-0
11-1
fresh young guys and coaches.

 

[occupant]

The closer the season gets, the more optimistic I get too.

Remember last year, we were fucking doomed because Landry didn't have anyone to throw to (with Broyles gone)? Well, I'd have to say that our WR corps was one of our strengths last year.

The OL might have their way with most BIG XII teams this year. I wouldn't expect as much up-tempo with a beefier line and a fresh QB.

We'll be over .500

That's as far as I'll go right now.

 

[outofyourmind]

My Prediction?
We will lose to any team that is as good as we are.
We will lose to some teams that are not as good as we are.
We will lose to at least 1 team that is nowhere as good as we are.
We will have close games with teams we shouldn't.
We will have 1-2 blowouts.

We will finish the regular season 8-4, and god knows what the Bowl Game will end up being.
That's about it for me

Is Notre Dame #1 or #2 on this list??

 

[RACER-MIKE]

I think if they get by ND with a win it will give them a big boost .

 

[outlaw okie]

If OU could have any win this season outside of post season i'd take a win here. Id rather lose to Baylor or OSU than ND.

 

[RACER-MIKE]

ulm - w
wvu - w
tulsa - w
ND - W
TCU - W
TEXAS -W
KANSAS - W
TEXAS-TEC - W
BAYLOR - W
IOWA ST - W
KSU - W
OSU - TOSS UP