Octavian
9/30/2007, 05:26 PM
A few things:
1. Time to rally: The game in Boulder was downright painful. We've hashed it over now, slept on it, hashed it over some more. There are different perspectives and disagreements on why we lost. That's to be expected. There's some divisiveness there....but it won't do any good to be divisive just for its own sake. We just need to suck it up and rally around Stoops and the players...buy up as many RRS tickets as we possibly can and get into the Cotton Bowl and cheer like ravid lunatics for OU because....
2. This year's RRS may be the most important in a long time. This seems to be said almost every by someone....but this year is different because now we're both in positions of desperation. The Stoops regime has endured yet another inexplicable loss and the Mack regime looks nothing like a Top 10 program. The program that loses this game will probably take a major hit in prestige and perception. It could change the course for the loser for years to come. The loser will be 0-2 and staring at a trip to San Diego....at best. There is still an enormous amount of pressure for both programs. Not Top 5 showdown pressure...but save-us-from-oblivion pressure. It actually looks brighter for us because....
3. Our losses were much different. We went on the road and lost in a dramatic come-from-behind, OMG-type fashion. Texas endured a systematic 20-point beatdown on their home turf. Our staff, players, and fanbase were absolutely shocked with our loss. Because of their average play throughout September, their fanbase seemed to be anxiously expecting something like this to happen. Stoops and the Sooners really have a chance to turn the knife this Saturday in Dallas: an RRS loss for Mack would make 4 straight Big XII losses for the Horns stretching back to last year. Should we win, we'll still control our own destiny in the South and we'll be in Norman much of the time. And who knows....maybe all is not lost because...
4. If we had to lose, we picked the perfect day to do it. Five other Top 10 teams also fell. It not only helped take some of the sting away, it helped us from falling deeper in the polls. We're #10 in the Coaches Poll and #9 in the Harris Poll. That's a little surprising...and very managable heading into October. Nope, not what we wanted or expected but it could be much worse. We still are more than capable of running the table if we perform up to our potential. Never know....after Saturday's results, this season looks like one of the most wild and unpredictable in recent memory. There is no invincible juggernaut. USC and LSU will be incredibly lucky to navigate their schedules unblemished. Who knows? We may catch a few lucky breaks and be back in the hunt before it's all said and done. If you're in the Top 10 at the end of September....you still have a shot.
5. SO LET'S RALLY THE WAGONS!! Buy up RRS tickets, go down to Dallas and let's be the aggressor with a chip on our shoulder inside the Cotton Bowl. Wear CRIMSON and lose your voice....help OU get back on track and help send the Horns back to Austin with a winless conference record.
1. Time to rally: The game in Boulder was downright painful. We've hashed it over now, slept on it, hashed it over some more. There are different perspectives and disagreements on why we lost. That's to be expected. There's some divisiveness there....but it won't do any good to be divisive just for its own sake. We just need to suck it up and rally around Stoops and the players...buy up as many RRS tickets as we possibly can and get into the Cotton Bowl and cheer like ravid lunatics for OU because....
2. This year's RRS may be the most important in a long time. This seems to be said almost every by someone....but this year is different because now we're both in positions of desperation. The Stoops regime has endured yet another inexplicable loss and the Mack regime looks nothing like a Top 10 program. The program that loses this game will probably take a major hit in prestige and perception. It could change the course for the loser for years to come. The loser will be 0-2 and staring at a trip to San Diego....at best. There is still an enormous amount of pressure for both programs. Not Top 5 showdown pressure...but save-us-from-oblivion pressure. It actually looks brighter for us because....
3. Our losses were much different. We went on the road and lost in a dramatic come-from-behind, OMG-type fashion. Texas endured a systematic 20-point beatdown on their home turf. Our staff, players, and fanbase were absolutely shocked with our loss. Because of their average play throughout September, their fanbase seemed to be anxiously expecting something like this to happen. Stoops and the Sooners really have a chance to turn the knife this Saturday in Dallas: an RRS loss for Mack would make 4 straight Big XII losses for the Horns stretching back to last year. Should we win, we'll still control our own destiny in the South and we'll be in Norman much of the time. And who knows....maybe all is not lost because...
4. If we had to lose, we picked the perfect day to do it. Five other Top 10 teams also fell. It not only helped take some of the sting away, it helped us from falling deeper in the polls. We're #10 in the Coaches Poll and #9 in the Harris Poll. That's a little surprising...and very managable heading into October. Nope, not what we wanted or expected but it could be much worse. We still are more than capable of running the table if we perform up to our potential. Never know....after Saturday's results, this season looks like one of the most wild and unpredictable in recent memory. There is no invincible juggernaut. USC and LSU will be incredibly lucky to navigate their schedules unblemished. Who knows? We may catch a few lucky breaks and be back in the hunt before it's all said and done. If you're in the Top 10 at the end of September....you still have a shot.
5. SO LET'S RALLY THE WAGONS!! Buy up RRS tickets, go down to Dallas and let's be the aggressor with a chip on our shoulder inside the Cotton Bowl. Wear CRIMSON and lose your voice....help OU get back on track and help send the Horns back to Austin with a winless conference record.