UnBEARable Loss: Sooners Get Mauled by Baylor

  11 AM kickoffs in Norman have become a trend this season for Sooner fans, and on Saturday, Gaylord Memorial Stadium was completely filled with crimson and creme maniacs that had the impression OU was going to get revenge for last year's 42-14 blowout loss in Waco, even with OU's top wide receiver, Sterling Shepard, out for the game after re-tweaking his groin in warm-ups. Boy, were they ever wrong about that! In the first quarter, it was all Oklahoma, and with a 14-3 lead over the Bears, everyone thought that it was the beginning to huge OU win. Just like all good things, though, it came to an end, and the sleeping bear was prodded with a stick one too many times, and awoke from hibernation. Baylor proceeded to rack up 45 unanswered points over the next 3 quarters, and with a little over half of the fourth quarter remaining, the Sooners starting quarterback, Trevor Knight, went down with an apparent left shoulder or neck injury. The Bears ended up routing the Sooners, 48-14. Not only did Baylor destroy OU's chances of getting to the football final four, but they may have destroyed the Sooner's opportunity for a Big 12 title.

Running back, Shock Linwood, (#32) and offensive tackle,
Spencer Drango, (#58) of the Baylor Bears
celebrate a touchdown against the Oklahoma 

  Amongst the mass chaos that took over Norman that afternoon, the stats were not necessary to convey the dominance Baylor displayed. Mike Stoops, the defensive coordinator, was furious when his cornerbacks were giving the Baylor wide receivers an 8-yard cushion on every play to start the third quarter, and when he screamed for them to scoot up, they didn't. Not because they couldn't hear him, but because they knew that if they did, getting beat deep was inevitable. That's when the realization that this team was not championship caliber came to light for many in the Sooner nation. As crazy as it is to see OU sitting in sixth place in the Big 12 behind Baylor, TCU, Kansas State, West Virginia, and even Texas, the Sooners are still in a relatively decent position. Am I crazy?
  The answer to that question is yes, but that has nothing to do with Oklahoma football. When it comes to the question, "Is OU still in a spot where winning the Big 12 is a possibility?" The immediate response, without thinking, is no, because how could 5 teams in front of OU choke like a bunch of losers? Well, let me paint you a very hypothetical picture then. Baylor will have to lose all the rest of their games, (OSU, Texas Tech, and Kansas State) which isn't the craziest thing that could happen, TCU would have to lose to Texas and Iowa State, which is unlikely because Iowa State has yet to win a Big 12 game, but that could be the reason they sneak up on the Frogs. As for Kansas State, they would have to lose to West Virginia and Kansas. Again, most likely, the Wildcats should beat Kansas, but the Jayhawks are coming off of their first Big 12 win this season over Iowa State, so maybe the momentum could carry them. To wrap it up, West Virginia would have to lose to Iowa State, and Texas would have to fall to OSU, and then both teams would have to win the remainder of their games. Still, OU would be tied with TCU and Kansas State for first place, and the Sooners did lose to both of those teams, so putting them ahead of the Frogs or Wildcats is very bold, but if the losses to bad teams (Kansas, Iowa State, and Texas) outweigh OU's losses (TCU, Baylor, Kansas State) then why not have them at the top spot? Plus, if these teams fold like they need to for OU to miraculously win the Big 12, then OU should be ranked higher in the nation's Top 25 poll than both K-State and TCU.
  Okay, so the liklihood of OU winning the Big 12 is the same odds you have of getting hit by a bus in your own living room, but it the bottom line is that it is still a very, very, very slight possibility. Other than that, what exactly do the Sooner have left to play for? The only answer to that question is that they are playing for a very prestigious bowl game against another team that will be left on the outside, looking in, when it comes to this year's college football playoff. Sure, it's a long ways down from being a top 4 team in the nation and being labeled as having "the best defense in the country" by week 3 of this season by ESPN analyst, Kirk Herbstreit, but at least 9-3 is a respectable record.  Still, OU has to travel to Lubbock this week, and no team coming off such a huge defeat ever wants to set foot in that environment, so we'll see how the Sooners can respond. In the Baylor game, body language was very negative when the Bears started their 45-0 run in the second quarter, so the moral of this team needs to be very high, heading into Saturday, because we all know the crazy things that have happened in Lubbock for the Sooners in the past. Until then, it's just another thing to think about as OU prepares for the Texas Tech Red Raiders at 2:30 CT on ESPN.