Baby Steps: Cowboys Come Back to Beat Chippewas

  The weather was not favorable for the Oklahoma State Cowboys when they rolled into Central Michigan to face the Chippewas, the offense sputtered and coughed before hacking up the lead in the third quarter. and no OSU fan felt like Mason Rudolph was going to win the Heisman, or that the Cowboys even looked like a team that got snubbed from the AP Top 25 rankings. The Cowboys looked average at best. Thats was the only thing that most spectators back in Oklahoma could agree on. But luckily for the Cowboys, they have Central Arkansas this week, and there should be some massive improvement coming from the Pokes. At least, that's what fans should expect from Mike Gundy and his squad.

Cowboy quarterback, Mason Rudolph (2) passed for
266 yards and also scored on a 21-yard rushing play to
lift the Pokes to a 24-13 win last week.

  In his postgame press conference, Gundy told the media that his kids just didn't feel the urgency when they arrived at Kelly-Shorts Stadium, and that was apparent! Not until Central Michigan took a 13-10 lead in the third quarter, did OSU seem to "wake up"! That attitude is not going to fly when Big 12 teams come knocking on the door for the Pokes, but I don't think they will have any lackadaisical mindset when it does come time to play the big boys. The only issue I see is that maybe the coaching staff was too relaxed when it came to Central Michigan. You'd never guess that if you talked to Gundy, but when you're a 17-21 year old guy, it's easy to look ahead to more formidable opponents. When in high school, my team never worried about many opponents, we were the top dog. But when our rivals came into town or we were in a playoff game, we were locked in and ready. If OSU can get their players to realize that every game is important, just like my former coaches did, then you'll see Central Arkansas leave Boone-Pickens Stadium with their tails tucked and the bus warming up after halftime.
 Just something to think about, as Oklahoma State takes on the Central Arkansas Bears on Fox Sports Oklahoma at 7:30 ET on Saturday night, and hopes for their continued quest to breach the Top 25 to be fulfilled by the end of this month.

Baker's Men: OU's Mayfield Heated Up in Second Half vs. Akron

  When Akron was knocking on OU's door and only down 3-0 in the first quarter, murmurs arose from the Gaylord-Memorial Stadium, and they were right to do so. Oklahoma looked very unimpressive, and quarterback, Baker Mayfield, looked very shaky. But before anyone was hitting the "Upset Alert" button in Norman, the doors blew off the hinges and Akron was left wondering what the heck just happened! Sure, Akron got their field goal (right before halftime), but by then, the game was in control with the Sooners leading 17-3. OU then proceeded to run off 24 unanswered points to make the final score, 41-3.

OU quarterback, Baker Mayfield (6), escapes 2 Akron defenders.
Mayfield threw for a record-setting 388 yards last Saturday as OU
dominated the Zips, 41-3.

  Joe Mixon was the most impressive running back on the day, and he only had 27 rushing yards on 5 carries! Samaje Perine didn't fair much better, with only 33 yards on 11 carries, but the impressive part about Mixon was his 76-yard touchdown run and catch that electrified the crowd and sparked the OU offensive. It was a relatively simple play, and the Zips were way out of position with 4 players surrounding 1 OU wide receiver. About 95% of all able-bodied attendees at the game could have scored the touchdown Mixon scored, and thats the beauty of the Lincoln Riley offense. KISS. Keep It Simple, Stupid.
  After the game, Mixon didn't talk to the media, and that was not surprising. Other players definitely pointed out what a momentum booster the play was, and how it opened the flood gates for the Sooners. With so little running production against such a dilapidated Akron defense, how will the Sooners fair when they travel to Knoxville to play Tennessee?
  Tennessee is no joke on the defensive side of the ball, and don't let the 30 points Bowling Green scored on them in their season opener, fool you. Yes, the Volunteers allowed the Falcons throw for over 400 yards, but only allowed them to rush for 124. On the other side of the ball for Tennessee, they ran the ball for 400 yards and only threw for 205. I don't think Tennessee will run the ball 50 times against the Sooners like they did against Bowling Green last week, but if they decide to, they better have a more prolific passing attack, because OU's defense is no slouch, either!
  With all the SEC hype surrounding the college football world once again, many people think that OU is in for a rude awakening when they roll into Rocky Top land on Saturday. I think not. Tennessee may have one of the best defensive lines in the SEC, but if they can't stop the passing game against Bowling Green, I don't expect them to stop Baker Mayfield on the OU offensive very much, if at all. The only way OU loses, is if they continue to start off games with unnecessary penalties and turnovers. You can get away with sloppy play against sub-par teams, but not when you're facing an SEC team, and definitely not away from your home field. Just something to think about, as OU takes on Tennessee on ESPN at 6ET.

Oklahoma Football Gets A Makeover

  For too long, we have waited to see how Bob Stoops would handle the disappointing 2014-15 season that Oklahoma football went through. He fired wide receiver coach, Jay Norvell, and replaced offensive coordinator, Josh Heupel, with Eastern Carolina offensive mind, Lincoln Riley. Norvell and Huepel have both gone their respective ways; Jay going to arch-rival, Texas, and Huepel now assisting at Utah State. With all these new faces on the sideline for Stoops and the Sooners, there were already tons of questions that we, as fans, started looking forward to getting answered this season before we even got more big news a little over a week ago, from OU. Trevor Knight is not starting quarterback anymore and had been officially beaten out by walk-on Texas Tech transfer, Baker Mayfield.

OU has had a rude awakening last year, can
the Sooners turn it around in 2015-2016?

  New offensive system, new quarterback, and new position coaches. There's a trend here. Stoops has finally realized that if he doesn't want any 8-5 seasons again, he needs to start with a new approach. Starting with Lincoln Riley, he runs a very fast-paced air raid offensive and likes to put up big numbers in the passing game. This should be no surprise to anyone because he is a disciple of former Texas Tech (and now Washington State) head coach, Mike Leach, who is famous for incorporating the air-raid offense down in Lubbock. Nobody argued with the hire when it first came out, but the big question, was that if he was going to bring the air-raid system to Norman, how would he handle the vast stable of talented, young, running backs that would be at his disposal? In a press conference a few days ago, Bob Stoops stated that the running backs, especially Samaje Perine, would definitely not be ignored in there offensive game plan. If you recall, Perine rushed for over 425 yards in a single game last season against Kansas, and emerged as a key catalyst for the OU offense. He is an early candidate for the Heisman Trophy this upcoming season, and is a pre-season All-Big 12 running back. With all that being said, there is still the unproven "superstar" running back on the roster, Joe Mixon, that has yet to even be seen by the pubic eyes in an actual Oklahoma football game. 

  Yes, Mixon did get in trouble in the offseason, but there has yet to be any public apology or anything from the young man. Bob Stoops addressed that situation on WWLS The Sports Animal, a local sports radio station, and said that he has thought about letting the young man speak to the media about it. The idea is nothing new to Stoops, because defensive stud, Frank Shannon, who was suspended all of last season, already gave his press conference to clear the air and let the public know he had learned from his mistakes. Most people would agree that Mixon should do the same, but that's besides the point. The point, is that Mixon has been portrayed as this "better than Adrian Peterson" running back. If even a lick of that statement is true, then how will Riley split the carries between him and Perine? Lincoln has spoken about the matter, and hinted that running these backs from the shotgun could prove to be effective, especially if you already have the defense on their heels by completing some passes beforehand. He then went on to say that honestly, it doesn't matter what formation is out on the field because these backs are so talented. It's nice to see the run game not vanish in the new system, and no one really expected Riley to be stubborn enough in his philosophy to ignore the skills of these running backs, but will it translate effectively enough to win the Sooners more than 8 games?

  As you can tell by now, we don't know a lot about his Sooner football team at all. This has been an eerily similar situation that fans faced before the 1999-2000 championship season that OU had, and that maybe a good thing! Kirk Herbstreit, an ESPN college football "expert" came out and gave his 4 teams he thought would make it to this year's College Football Playoff (CFP), and had OU on his list. Most OU fans are screaming, "NOOOOOO!" at their computer screen right now, because every time Oklahoma has been expected to have a chance to win it all (including last year), they fall on their face, or get embarrassed when they get there. It has gotten so bad, that "Big Game Bob" is not even a thing anymore. Bob Stoops has lost that title in a lot of people's minds, but this year is different then all those other years, and I'll tell you why. No one else has picked OU to make it into the playoff except for Kirk. That maybe enough for the real superstitious fans to jump ship, but the vast majority are not that type of fan. Sure, Baker Mayfield may have the tendency to force the ball to covered receivers and get picked off more than a few times, but if the running backs are as good as we think they will be, that maybe enough to counter his mistakes. As for Mike Stoops and his defense, that is what hasn't been talked about enough. The defensive line looks good, having Shannon back helps the linebackers tremendously, and Zach Sanchez will have to emerge as a leader for the young defensive backfield that was shredded last year by opponents. The most important aspect that needs to improve, is the defensive backfield. If they can step it up and prevent teams from throwing all over the field, that will improve the team with such an impact, that in the end, Kirk maybe right. Personally, I have OU going 9-3. Baylor will be tough, TCU is no joke, and Oklahoma State maybe a trap game up in Stillwater. As for thier season opener, I don't see any surprises coming to Norman.

  Oklahoma takes on a very weak Akron team that might be lead by a Pittsburgh transfer at the quarterback position, on Saturday at 6PM CT. The game will not be televised, so make sure have tickets or the money to pay for the pay-per-view showing of the game. I expect the Sooners to not show a lot on the offensive side of the ball, due to the fact that their second game at Tennessee, will set the tone for their season. Just something to think about, as the mystery of Oklahoma football begins to unravel.  

Unranked Oklahoma State Still Contender in FBS

  As the days grow shorter and the nights grow longer, fall will soon be upon us. With fall, comes all the pumpkin spice lattes and thoughts of Halloween candy for the young kids, but most importantly, college football is back, baby! Tonight, in Michigan, the Oklahoma State Cowboys will kick off their 2015-2016 season, and look to showcase some sweet all-white helmets with a chrome Pistol Pete on them while thumping the Chippewas of Central Michigan. Many questions during the off season were directed towards the other state school, Oklahoma, but that doesn't mean OSU didn't have some questions they needed to address, as well.
  First off, their starting quarterback this season, Mason Rudolph, has only played 3 games under center for the Pokes, so how do we know he is ready for a full 12-game load? In his 3 starts, Rudolph hung in there down in Waco against Baylor, then the Christmas miracle in Norman definitely put his face on the map, and finally, he showed some good things in the Cowboys' win against Washington in their bowl game to end the season. I know that Central Michigan isn't even close to the caliber of opponent that Rudolph faced his previous 3 games, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. The Chippewas are not scrubs by any means, and being away from Stillwater for this game is sure to bring out the maroon and gold bleeding citizens of Michigan to fill up all 32,000 seats in Kelly/Shorts Stadium. This crowd will be fired up, very loud, and very rowdy. Rowdier than Boone Pickens? Nah. Besides the crowd, though, what do the Chippewas bring to the table?
  Central Michigan's starting quarterback, Cooper Rush, has had 2 nice seasons under his belt, and passed for over 2,500 yards and 20 TDs in his last 12 games. The good news for the Cowboys, though, is that he also threw 12 interception, so I'm sure OSU defensive coordinator, Glenn Spencer, has emphasized forcing Rush to make some mistakes like he has shown to be prone to do in the past. Other than that, we know Rush is not the type of QB to take off running. He has negative 77 yards on the ground, and that is mainly due to being sacked. With the big and highly touted defensive line at Spencer's disposal, players like defensive end, Emmanuel Ogbah, are sure to take down Mr. Rush a couple times tonight. So the Chippewas QB situation only beats OSU's on experience, and I'm sure most OSU fans could care less because of what they have seen out of Mason Rudolph so far. So what about the running game of Central Michigan? Do they have a back that can take some pressure off Cooper Rush? They answer is, maybe.

Oklahoma State exits the tunnel before kickoff in 2014. The Pokes will not be in
Stillwater for their opener for the second year in a row.

  Chippewas running back, Thomas Rawls, averaged 122 yards per game last year, and has been a decent running back for Central Michigan. He transferred from the University of Michigan and played his first season, and the most games in his career, wearing maroon and gold, last year. He played a total of 9 games and rushed for over 1,100 yards. When he was a Wolverine the last 3 seasons before that, he only played a total of 12 games and managed only to rush for about 400 yards. I'm guessing he was a little low on the Michigan depth chart and wanted more playing time, so he decided to go play for the Chippewas. The massive drop-off in overall talent from playing against Big 10 opponents to playing MAC opponents helped his stats, I'm sure, but that also means that OSU may have their way when it comes to containing Rawls. So if Central Michigan can't get their offense going against Oklahoma State, then it will have to rely on their defense to try and keep them in this football game tonight. Unfortunately for Chippewa fans, that doesn't look like a recipe for a win.
  Central Michigan defensive coordinator, Greg Colby, coached on the Illinois sideline last year, and is hoping to turn this Chippewa defense into a more formidable force. CMU ranked close to last in the FBS against the pass last year, and their run defense was even worse. So when Vegas tells everyone that OSU is a 24-point favorite, I can't dismiss that. The numbers seem to lean that way on paper, but tell that to Michigan in 2007 and tell that to Kansas State in 2013. Appalachian State beat Michigan on their own turf, and North Dakota State showed us how weak the Big 12 was when they beat KSU in Manhattan. Oh, and let's not forget OU and their loss against Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl in 2007, as well. The bottom line is that college football is a crazy game where anything is possible, and Oklahoma State fans are hoping the only thing that will be crazy tonight, is their huge lead that will be showing on the scoreboard. So with all these things being said, where should you, as an OSU fan, expect to see your Pokes when the dust settles on this 2015-16 season?
  With the new College Football  Playoff system in effect for the second year, 4 lucky teams will get the chance to duke it out for all the marbles and that creates controversy. More controversy, the better, for college football, but when is enough, enough? Brad Edwards, an ESPN college football analyst from Mississippi, gave out his 4 playoff teams on national television a couple days ago and had these 4 teams making it to the college football "Final Four": Ohio State (defending champion), Auburn (from SEC), USC (only second year off probation), and...Oklahoma State. No TCU, no Baylor, and not even the mention of the University of Oklahoma. But should OSU fans really be thinking this is the year they win the Big 12, go to the CFP (college football playoff), and compete for a national title?! I think not. OSU has the talent to go 11-1 this year, but that's looking at it in a very "glass half full" way. More realistically, Jim Traber, of WWLS The Sports Animal, a local sports radio station in Oklahoma, sees the Pokes going 9-3 and heading to a higher-end bowl game. So let's throw both those predictions out and say that I can't choose either of them as my prediction. I can see the Pokes going 8-4, but going 10-2 would give Mike Gundy his fourth double-digit win total in the last 6 years. Personally, I think that we will see Mason Rudolph blossom, the defense improve against the passing game, and that Oklahoma State will go 10-2. TCU and Baylor look to be the "bad guys" for the Pokes, but Texas may sneak in there if the Cowboys don't play well when they face them, and I know OSU fans never forget Bedlam. With a new QB under center for the Sooners, that last conference game in Stillwater could be one that OSU fans will want to forget. Just something to think about, as college football parades into our lives, once again, for the 2015-2016 season. OSU will kick off theirs at 6:00 PM CT tonight.

427 Reasons to Celebrate: Perine Breaks Record as OU Routs Kansas

Records are meant to be broken. The long-time saying has rang true throughout history because...well...history is constantly changing, and records do nothing but support the theory. For OU's running back, Samaje Perine, he didn't need any philosopher telling him anything other than a single three letter word on Saturday against Kansas. That word? RUN.
  The talented freshman running back that bulldozed his way through the Texas Tech defense two weeks ago, and proved why the Kansas Jayhawks are a basketball school and not a football school by running for an NCAA Division 1 record 427 yards in a 44-7 victory for the Sooners! The same week Samaje ran for 227 against Tech, up in Wisconsin, a stud running back with the name, Melvin Gordon, ran for 408 yards and broke the record that was held by former TCU running back, LaDainian Tomlinson for the last 15 years. So just for fun, Perine thought he'd outdo Gordon, and break the record for the second week in a row.

Sooner running back, Samaje Perine (32), broke the NCAA record for most
rushing yards in a single game with 427 of them that came against Kansas in
a 44-7 shellacking of the Kansas Jayhawks, in Norman. 

  With Perine proving to the entire nation that he's a major threat to any defense, the matchup in two weeks against the Oklahoma State Cowboys may get easier for the Sooners. The OU medical staff has issued that their season-opening starter, Trevor Knight, will miss his third week of practice during this week, and will most likely not play in the Bedlam Game on December 5th. Sure, he has another full week after this to recover, but with concussion-like symptoms and transient quadriplegia, the seriousness of the injury may keep him out for the remainder of the season. That means that freshman quarterback, Cody Thomas, will be at the helm again for OU, and with a woeful quarterback rating of  69.3 (a D-), the Sooners will look to rely on the powerful running of Perine. Thomas has only thrown 1 touchdown in 2 full games of playing time and has thrown 4 interceptions in that same span of time. With numbers like that, the OSU quarterback situation may have a weight lifted from them. In Stillwater, Mike Gundy is the talk of the town (as usual) because he pulled freshman phenom, Mason Rudolph's redshirt agains the Baylor Bears. Yes, OSU lost, but Rudolph racked up better numbers than Thomas has collected all season, in 1 game. To concern the crimson and creme faithful even more, Thomas has only played against Texas Tech and Kansas, while Rudolph played the same Baylor team that destroyed OU, 48-14. Plus, Baylor ranks 27th in overall defense when Kansas ranks 96th and Tech ranks 126th! So you just got done playing against two of the worst defenses in the Big 12, and can't throw for more yards than a true freshman did against Baylor? Most fans would worry about something like that, but when you can constantly run the ball for huge chunks of yards all game long, a passing attack isn't really necessary! So with 227 yards against Tech and a record-shattering 427 yards against Kansas, Perine proved that he is the go-to back for the Sooners for the rest of this season, and possibly for next season. The only reason that's not a fact and just a possibility is because OU has a (supposed) even better running back, Joe Mixon, who has been suspended all season.
  Most people sit back and agree with the statement that Mixon could possibly be better, but with OU coming out in the spring and saying all these things about how good certain players are, those "certain players" haven't been as great on the field as advertised by the Sooner coaching staff. Examples? Michiah Quick, a wide receiver who hasn't been targeted very often, due to lack of playing time, which is funny, because the coaches were very excited about the freshman. Safety, Steven Parker, is also a good example of a freshman that was given high praise but hasn't proven it on the field (in a game) yet. So with this being said, as of right now, Perine is the best running back on this team, and will continue to be given the ball in mass quantities until someone proves that they are better (if that's even possible). As far as getting Perine the ball against Oklahoma State on December 5th, the statement might be easier said, then done. The Cowboys defense is way better than Texas Tech's and Kansas' combined and that will force the Sooners to rely on the unproven arm of Cody Thomas for most of the game. This, in fact, could make this year's Bedlam game the most interesting match-up between these two schools in the sense that two freshman quarterbacks will most likely be competing against each other on opposing sidelines. It will be interesting to see if the Sooners big offensive line can create holes for Samaje so that the pressure to perform at a high level can be lifted from Thomas' shoulders. Just something to think about, as the Sooners host the Cowboys at 2:30 CT on Fox Sports 1 on December 5th.

A FREE MASON: Gundy Burns Rudolph's Redshirt in Pokes Loss

  As the Vegas betting booths were closing down, one person sat down at the bar and took another sip of his drink. He had put most of his money on the Baylor Bears to beat the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Waco by more than 32 points. Unfortunately for him, with only a little over 5 minutes in regulation, the Cowboys had the ball, and were only down by 2 scores, 28-42. The reason? Mike Gundy had burned the redshirt on the freshman phenom, Mason Rudolph, and the young man had looked poised all night long in the pouring Waco rain. It was first and 10 at the Baylor 41 yard line, and Rudolph was looking to cut the Baylor lead to 7, but the young gunslinger misread the defense and was intercepted by the Bear's Orion Stewart to pretty much end any hope any Cowboy had in a miracle upset. In the end, the final score was 28-49 in favor of the Bears, and the Pokes were now down to one last shot at becoming bowl eligible. The only two words in any Oklahoma State players, fans, or coaches minds was, "Beat OU".

Freshman qurterback for OSU, Mason Rudoph (10), had his redshirt burned
in order to try and preserve the Cowboys' hopes for a bowl birth. Rudolph
had one of the best debuts for an OSU freshman QB that came only 2nd to
former starter, Daxx Garman, earlier this season against Missouri State. Pokes
still lost to the Baylor Bears, 28-49, and are still 1 win short of being bowl eligible.

  Yes, the Cowboys must travel to Norman in two weeks to face the Sooners, but all hope may not be lost for fans of the orange and black. Trevor Knight, the starting OU quarterback, is still fighting off concussion-like symptoms and the transient quadriplegia he suffered two weeks ago is still bugging him. Backup QB for OU, Cody Thomas, has played decently, but the only part on his body that should be sore is his elbow, because he just keeps handing the ball off to the outstanding running back the Sooners have, Samaje Perine. Perine broke the NCAA record just a week after Wisconsin's running back, Melvin Gordon, broke it, and ran for 427 yards against the woeful Kansas Jayhawks. For Perine, that marks the third game of the season where he has rushed for over 220 yards. The only reason he hasn't put up those type of number more often is because his number of carries have been limited with the return of some of his other fellow running backs off of injury. So if OSU can stop the run game, the will be forcing Cody Thomas to throw the ball. Another good thing for the Pokes is that the Sooners top wide receiver might still be out with a groin injury. Oklahoma wideout, Sterling Shepard, was Trevor Knight's go-to guy all year long, and is one of the best receivers in the country. Without him, Thomas will have to rely on the other wide receivers, who haven't really been impressive or productive, to move the ball through the air. When passing the ball with Thomas, the young freshman quarterback has gone 13 of 33 for 172 yards, 1 touchdown, and 4 interceptions. For OSU, Mason Rudolph played much better than Thomas' last two starts combined! Further more, Rudolph was playing against much better competition, as well, because Thomas has only played against Texas Tech and Kansas. This will mark one of the more rare occasions where Oklahoma State will have the edge at quarterback when facing the Sooners. Even more unique, the Bedlam game could feature two true freshman quarterbacks on opposing teams for the first time in what will seem like forever for lifelong fans of either team. With OU having the injury issues it has, and OSU finally gaining some offensive firepower behind center, is it enough for OSU to pull the upset on December 5th? That question, indeed, cannot be easily answered.
  For the Cowboys, their defense must improve vastly against the run and remain attentive to the fact that OU might run the ball 9 times in a row and then try and trick the defense by running a play-action pass. With the young secondary that OSU has, it could be easier than anticipated to throw the ball, and the last thing the Pokes need is to just let the Sooner offense go crazy and run Oklahoma State out of the building. The worst fear for anyone who has orange running through their veins instead of red, is not being competitive at all in this contest and leaving without becoming bowl eligible. As stated in previous articles, it would be the first time in almost 10 years that OSU might end the season with less than 6 wins. That's just something to think about, as the Pokes prepare for a hard-faught, always chippy, rivalry game against the Sooners in two weeks. Kickoff time and TV channel have yet to be announced. 

All Day Samaje! : Sooners Running Back Runs Wild Against Texas Tech

  As the afternoon turned into evening last Saturday, down in Lubbock, Texas, the Oklahoma Sooners were putting the finishing touches upon a 42-30 game they had control of against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Early on in the third quarter, the Sooners looked like they might be falling to the lesser Raiders when they were down 7-21, but then offensive coordinator, Josh Heupel, found his rythem through the running attack of Samaje Perine. Perine, who led Oklahoma to a victory against West Virginia with over 200 rushing yards, duplicated his effort, averaging 8.5 yards a carry for 213 total rushing yards to go along with 3 touchdowns. The Red Raiders defense had no answer, and with the OU defense picking it up in the second half, Texas Tech didn't have a prayer in coming back. What started to look like a huge win this season for Tech head coach, Cliff Kingsbury, ended up being a win for a Sooners team that needed one to get themselves back on track. 

  When OU took the field that afternoon, starting quarterback, Trevor Knight, was deemed unfit to perform, so back-up quarterback, Cody Thomas, took the offensive reigns for the Sooners. In the first half, OU was looking to pass the ball, and Thomas ended up throwing 3 interceptions before halftime! Once Oklahoma discovered that Perine looked more and more like a monster truck running over Tech defenders, Thomas threw the ball only a handful of time, and had no turnovers. OU needed that win very much, and with Kansas this Saturday, it looks like the Sooners might be in prime position for one of the better bowl games meant for teams that just missed the top 4 spots in the playoff. With 3 losses and TCU beating Kansas 34-30, OU is officially out of contention when it comes to winning the Big 12, and a 9-win season isn't exactly what the fans and coaches had hoped for this season.

Oklahoma running back, Samaje Perine (32), finds
space in the open field against Texas Tech on Saturday.
The Sooners beat the Red Raiders, 42-30.

  If 9 wins is unacceptable for fans, how would they feel about 8? or 7? The Jayhawks are coming off a game where they had a top 10 team on the ropes, and the way their quarterback is playing, it looks like Kansas maybe in prime position to at least make the game watchable. Trevor Knight is out again for the Sooners, so Cody Thomas will be looking to add another victory to his undefeated record (1-0), and Samaje Perine will hope to get the load of the carries. The only issue that presents itself to me, is the fact that the Kansas defense is not as porous as Texas Tech's, so the running game may not be as successful as the Sooners would need in order to move the ball with relative ease against this Jayhawk team. Thomas may have to be forced to throw the football, and with 3 picks thrown by him this past Saturday, the confidence in his decision making and accuracy is in question. If Thomas plays the remainder of this year for OU, 7 wins could be something not far-fetched for Oklahoma. No is expecting the Sooners to blow a home game against lowly Kansas, but a loss in Bedlam could be possible. Surely, if Thomas handily beats OSU (if he's called on to start again) then it's just very apparent to how big a problem the Cowboys might have up in Stillwater, but that's a topic for discussion down the line. 

  In all reality, the Sooners should whoop up on the Jayhawks and be able to coast into Bedlam. The Jayhawks have only won 1 conference game that was against a hapless Iowa State program, but you never know what can happen when your starting quarterback is sitting on the bench. Even still, Kansas is bad, and OSU is nowhere near being considered a formidable opponent, so OU might have 9 wins when the season is all over and done with. That's just something to think about as the Sooners host Kansas at 11:00 AM CT on FOX Sports 1.