I guess the silver lining in all of this is at least we won't be finding this out a month into the season. That would have been a little bigger blow to the offense. Now the young WR's can get every rep so hopefully by midseason they'll be playing like sophomores instead of freshmen. It won't come close to replacing the talent of DGB. If he had played, he would have been able to stretch the field, giving Treavor and company room to run, because you almost HAVE to double team him. It's going to be something to see next year with both Mixon and DGB in the game. And a QB with another year under his belt. That's a 3 headed monster. That is if things don't fall apart between now and then...
I gotta tell ya, was one severely pissed off hombre when I had made the decision to move closer to those I cherish most and I shit you not, the next day, they announce the expansion to Memorial. I've gone to no less than two games a season since Yul Brynner's famous quote above, well, got to check that, he was born in '20 and The Ten Commandments might have come out before I was born, lol, but it absolutely chapped my ass. That being said, my seats were on the 40 so no damage done, but that place will be freakin rockin after the expansion. I've been to about every great college venue in my lifetime, no bucket list required, but Memorial has never really met up to the task of a say Neyland (you haven't really watched NCAAF until you've sat in section QQ of Neyland, lol) in Knoxville or the Big House (froze my ass off there one game) or....you get my drift. NOW, OU is gonna be da MAN! BUT, like you stated above, might be next season before they show it on the field. I like Bob, met him once, he's stand up as they come, and it's way overdue for a title in Norman. Not gonna happen this season though, waaaaaaay too many bad omens and the season hasn't started. GL my friend.
~T~
~T~
I think your right about this season. There's too much youth on this OU team in some key positions on offense and the secondary to make a run at a national championship. They'll be lucky to win the conference. I think the media has put too much emphasis on what OU did in their bowl game against Bama. I don't see how anybody can possibly expect to see that kind of performance this season.
I was listening to an interview with Barry Switzer the other day, and he got to talking about the Bama game. He said OU's mindset going into that game was they knew they couldn't play a conventional defense and just line up against Bama and expect to win. They simply have better players than everybody else. So instead of playing a basic cover 4 defense that most of the SEC defenses play and Bama sees every week, he wanted to give them another look.
So instead of a cover 4, he decided to gamble and bring down a safety to give OU an 8 man front. That way all of the run gaps were filled. His thinking was that they weren't going to beat OU running the ball. But it did leave OU vulernable in the secondary. And Bama took advantage of it on the very first play where they completed that long pass.
But Stoops stuck with the gameplan, and eventually they got to McCarron on several occasions. They esseentially made Bama put the game on his shoulders. And he's not the kind of QB that is used to passing the ball 40 times a game. It eventually led to a few critical mistakes. Just enough to get OU over the hump.
The problem is when they go back to Big 12 play they can't play that kind of defense against the more versatile offenses in the conference or they will get eaten alive. In the Big 12 you have to disguise your defenses more than any other conference. West Virginia found that out the hard way when they joined this conference. They thought they could play a 2 deep defense against these Big 12 offenses to protect the long ball. But they found out quickly that there is WAY too much breakaway speed in this conference, and they can kill you by throwing passes under the secondary. It didn't take them long to make the switch after Baylor burned them for 42 points right out of the gate. They started switching their defensive schemes around after that. And should look a little better this season in the secondary now that they're healthy and have a better scheme under a new DC.
It's also a lot easier disguising your defense against a more traditional offense like Alabama (not to say it's easy to defend them with all them Jimmy's and Joe's). When Baylor spreads you out, you are pretty much telling them what you are doing by how you line up. You have to have great athletes at that point and/or a really unique-scheme and hope to confuse the QB enough. I'm far from an expert, but as an example I think scheme-wise from there you are looking at trying something that very few college programs try, because it ain't easy. Match-up Zone defense. Nebraska ran two-high safety in the Big 12 playing 2008-2010 with some pretty good success (barring 2008 Pelini's first year). Now, you could make the argument it was the athletes, because there a quite a few nflers from that team, but the scheme was pretty confusing to even some of the best QB's.
I'm thinking it's pretty much 50/50 between OU and Baylor. Something tells me OU will beat Baylor in Norman, but end up losing one more game than Baylor. It's a tough call this year because of the unknowns with OU's skill positions/secondary and Baylor's secondary. Just like it is with the Bama's or Ohio State's, OU will have the better players when they line up against every opponent they play, other than maybe Texas. But it doesn't always translate to winning a conference when your playing teams who are so familiar with your style of play. Especially in a Round Robin league like the Big 12 where your playing everybody each season. Plus with the young secondary, Mike Stoops is probably going to have to gamble a little more since teams like Baylor, KSU, OSU and Texas have some athletes that are very hard to cover one on one by these inexperienced rookies. That's always been the style of Stoops though. His defenses get burned every now and then. But they can also make some big plays. It makes almost every game an adventure in this conference..
I'll go ahead and chime in, I hate picking anything preseason, but let me ask you (GS) something. We've both obviously lived and breathed Big 12, hell, I can probably give you any score from any SW Conf game from way back when, lol, but when's the last time a defensive school won the conference. Tick, tick, tick........I have one college in mind, and it ain't OU. If OU has to get in a shooting match with the Bears, not happenin', they'll get their clock cleaned. I'm still trying to size up this season's D, can't remember it ever being this difficult.
~T~
~T~
With OU probably losing LB Shannon (leading tackler LY) it makes it that much more difficult to assess OU's defense. I have a lot of confidence in Mike Stoops. But he's not playing with a full deck, sort of speak...LOL. You're right, it's been awhile since a team who's true strength is defense has won this conference. But there haven't been weaklings either. When OSU won the conference, they gave up a lot of yards that season. But their turnover ratio and red zone defense was off the charts. Baylor's defense last year was underrated. They had one of the best linebacking corps in the country. And their secondary was also strong. It remains to be seen what kind of defense they will field this year. I think their front 7 will be pretty good despite losing 2 linebackers. It all depends on their secondary. Texas and TCU will have the two best defenses in the conference. Which makes them pretty strong wildcards if they can figure it out on offense. But whether they can win or not, I think both of these teams will have a big say in who will win the conference. I don't see either OU or Baylor sweeping both of these teams. My feeling is KSU is a notch below the top two preseason favorites. Plus they have a brutal schedule having to play both Baylor and OU on the road. The Big 12 is going to be a tough call every year until OU and Texas are back to being top 10 Rivals recruiting programs. Until then it's going to bring all of these other mid majors schools back into the picture. It makes it confusing for even the most informative sources out there. For instance Phil Steele picked Baylor to finish 5th in the conference last year. And he picked KSU to finish 6th the year before! So his opinion and mine are like assholes. We all have one and they all stink. At least most of them. The only one who didn't stink last year was Bruce Feldman, who picked Baylor to win. Your probably just as well off doing like Richard Dreyfuss did in the movie Let It Ride. Just go around the track and ask each person what horse they think is going to win the race. And the one horse nobody picks is the one you bet on...LOL
From what I understand it's supposed to be on FS1. But it's a complicated issue. Dish and FS1 are fighting because apparently FS1 is wanting Dish to pay a certain premium for certain events. And so Dish is blacking out their college football games. Hopefully the problem gets resolved. Like I said, it's supposed to be on FS1 at 12:30 CST Sunday. But right now I still couldn't tell you for sure if it's going to happen..
Time-Warner here in NC is in a pissin contest with Dish as well, maybe it's a national thing goin on, but when I bought the "thousand channels of sports" lol last week, I was assured I wouldn't miss any game I wanted to see. I've looked at this week's lineup and there's nothing missing, I get to watch A&Sham get their clock cleaned by the cocks, I challenge anyone here on the forum to say that quickly 5 times. I do get every Fox Sports channel as of 12:35 EST, Tuesday morning. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
~T~
Be careful with that Texas A$M game. South Carolina is getting way too much love by the public and hype by the media imo. I've always been a big Connor Shaw fan. Great scrambling QB who knew how to win games. I believe he will be missed this season almost as much as A$M misses Johnny Moneybags. I also think QB Hill knows his way around that Aggies offense a little better than people think. SC definitely wins the experience side. But the Aggies have better overall raw talent than SC. Just food for thought. If your dead set on SC, I would definitely buy that hook if you know what I mean...
The USA Today 5 darkhorses of college football 2014. I'm not really buying into Clemson or Stanford because of their offensive losses and brutal schedules. And last time I looked Clemson still had Yaba Daba Swinney as HC. But I believe the rest of these teams are fair game to get there. KSU always scares me in the Big 12. Especially in October when all of their JC's start developing some chemistry together. Their biggest question as always is their defense. But Snyder says this is probably the quickest and most athletic defense that he's had since his second stint at KSU. From what I'm hearing, there are huge expectations for the Cats this year. I'm talking about DD wins expectations and nothing less. Guys, with football season starting and all of the traffic coming in here, this will be my last article I post in my offseason thread. I'll be devoting my full time to my college football website. Just wanted to wish all of you offseason guys like Russ, Cloverleaf, Rolltide, ground hog, tmader, Run Lee, Conan and all of the other boys of summer the best of luck this season.
[h=1]The top five College Football Playoff darkhorses[/h]
Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY Sports 10:07 p.m. EDT August 23, 2014
Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan (8) celebrates after the Cardinal defeated Notre Dame 27-20 at Stanford Stadium.(Photo: Matt Cashore, USA TODAY Sports)
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1.STANFORD
The Cardinal are flying under the radar not only nationally but in the Pac-12, with Oregon favored to win the North Division and overall conference championship. Stanford, meanwhile, has won two in a row against the Ducks. With perhaps 11 senior starters on defense, the Cardinal will remain one of the nation's most impressive teams.
2. LSU
LSU coach Les Miles and his team celebrate a win against Texas Christian at AT&T Stadium. The Tigers beat the Horned Frogs 37-27.(Photo: Matthew Emmons, USA TODAY Sports)
After another round of offseason losses to the NFL, the Tigers will look to reload behind a changed cast of characters. All LSU does is reload, however, and rarely misses a beat in the chase for the national championship. Though Alabama, South Carolina and Auburn are the early favorites in the Southeastern Conference, LSU is very much in the conversation.
3. MARSHALL
Marshall quarterback Rakeem Cato (12) passes for a touchdown during the first quarter against Virginia Tech at Lane Stadium.(Photo: Peter Casey, USA TODAY Sports)
It's not just about the schedule: Marshall is a strong team on its own merits, with the best collection of personnel in Conference USA and, in quarterback Rakeem Cato, one of the nation's most overlooked talents. Yet an easy, contender-free schedule could allow the Thundering Herd to go undefeated yet remain out of the playoff picture.
4. KANSAS STATE
Kansas State celebrates a touchdown against Michigan.(Photo: David Kadlubowski, The Arizona Republic)
Oklahoma and Baylor earn preseason headlines, but Kansas State's combination of speed, experience and coaching make it a very sneaky contender for the Big 12 Conference championship. That both the Sooners and Bears come on the road hurts matters, but the Wildcats could make noise in September by beating Auburn.
5. CLEMSON
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney gets doused with Gatorade after the 2014 Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium. Clemson defeated Ohio State 40-35.(Photo: Brad Barr, USA TODAY Sports)
A difficult schedule is Clemson's greatest negative and biggest asset in the quest for the playoff. Though the Tigers draw Georgia and Florida State on the road and rival South Carolina in the regular-season finale, an 11-1 record could justify a top-four spot in January.
[h=1]The top five College Football Playoff darkhorses[/h]
Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY Sports 10:07 p.m. EDT August 23, 2014
Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan (8) celebrates after the Cardinal defeated Notre Dame 27-20 at Stanford Stadium.(Photo: Matt Cashore, USA TODAY Sports)
2027 CONNECT 89 TWEET 1 LINKEDIN 6 COMMENTEMAILMORE
1.STANFORD
The Cardinal are flying under the radar not only nationally but in the Pac-12, with Oregon favored to win the North Division and overall conference championship. Stanford, meanwhile, has won two in a row against the Ducks. With perhaps 11 senior starters on defense, the Cardinal will remain one of the nation's most impressive teams.
2. LSU
After another round of offseason losses to the NFL, the Tigers will look to reload behind a changed cast of characters. All LSU does is reload, however, and rarely misses a beat in the chase for the national championship. Though Alabama, South Carolina and Auburn are the early favorites in the Southeastern Conference, LSU is very much in the conversation.
3. MARSHALL
It's not just about the schedule: Marshall is a strong team on its own merits, with the best collection of personnel in Conference USA and, in quarterback Rakeem Cato, one of the nation's most overlooked talents. Yet an easy, contender-free schedule could allow the Thundering Herd to go undefeated yet remain out of the playoff picture.
4. KANSAS STATE
Oklahoma and Baylor earn preseason headlines, but Kansas State's combination of speed, experience and coaching make it a very sneaky contender for the Big 12 Conference championship. That both the Sooners and Bears come on the road hurts matters, but the Wildcats could make noise in September by beating Auburn.
5. CLEMSON
A difficult schedule is Clemson's greatest negative and biggest asset in the quest for the playoff. Though the Tigers draw Georgia and Florida State on the road and rival South Carolina in the regular-season finale, an 11-1 record could justify a top-four spot in January.
