Better, The Same, or Worse?

[n8v_ndn]

In 2005, we sat at 3-3 and had lost to Texas. We go onto win 4 of the last 5, which included a L against the only ranked team we faced (#21 Texas Tech on the road).

Unranked, we beat #6 Oregon in the Holiday bowl to end the season at 8-4.

Four seasons later, we could potentially face 2 more ranked teams in these 3 home and 3 road games we have left in the regular season.

The Owen Field advantage should give us the edge against KSU, A&M, and OSU.

Will the O find any continuity in Lawrence, or will the D play valiantly but give up 1 too many plays in a close contest again, leaving us at 3-4?

Coach Stoops is also 1-1 in Lincoln, where the average score's been
OU 21
NU 22

He's also 2-3 in Lubbock--average score:
OU 32
TT 27

With this team's inability to pull out close games on the road, run the ball effectively, find consistency among the receivers....how likely are we to end up 6-6 (which would be the worst record Bob has had here at OU)?

The Eeyore side of me says pretty damn likely, especially if the line doesn't improve. The Capt. Comeback side says we'll be 7-5, losing to KU & TT.

[Curly Bill]

7-5 sounds about right to me.

[TXBOOMER]

Could happen. Defense will have to play lights out for us to beat TT or Neb.

[GottaHavePride]

I think an OSU loss more likely than a KU loss. Especially if they have Dez Bryant by then.

[goingoneight]

In 2005, we sat at 3-3 and had lost to Texas. We go onto win 4 of the last 5, which included a L against the only ranked team we faced (#21 Texas Tech on the road).

Unranked, we beat #6 Oregon in the Holiday bowl to end the season at 8-4.

Four seasons later, we could potentially face 2 more ranked teams in these 3 home and 3 road games we have left in the regular season.

The Owen Field advantage should give us the edge against KSU, A&M, and OSU.

Will the O find any continuity in Lawrence, or will the D play valiantly but give up 1 too many plays in a close contest again, leaving us at 3-4?

Coach Stoops is also 1-1 in Lincoln, where the average score's been
OU 21
NU 22

He's also 2-3 in Lubbock--average score:
OU 32
TT 27
With this team's inability to pull out close games on the road, run the ball effectively, find consistency among the receivers....how likely are we to end up 6-6 (which would be the worst record Bob has had here at OU)?

The Eeyore side of me says pretty damn likely, especially if the line doesn't improve. The Capt. Comeback side says we'll be 7-5, losing to KU & TT.

With respect to the OP, I don't like stats like these. Not because they're scary or anything, but because in two of those games in Lincoln, we were playing a top-ranked team, and a Bill Calahan-coached team. Two "losses" to Tech were basically screw jobs, and both times we caught every bad break imaginable.

Different teams, different everything. Only the location is the same.

The only thing we can realistically predict is record to be honest. This team has a lot of heart, but just ain't "there" yet in terms of being able to execute a clean game, and they sure as hell aren't lucky. It's more similar to the 1999 group than it is the 2005 group. 2005 was just a bear of a schedule and a team that had too much youth and sense of entitlement. 1999 was one of those teams that "suffered" and kept pushing itself to grow into the system. Before you go and predict a 14-0 season in 2010, I'll remind you that again was a matter of heart and destiny in 2000, and there's still much to rebuild in 2010 as far as we can see.

[redlegsooner]

IMO it does not matter. 7-5 or 9-3... WHATEVER.. there is no moral victory to be had.. Scary thing is if we do get to a bowl game.. NOTHING WILL CHANGE!!! We will get the same list of excuses and mediocrity next season from the same coaching staff.. Stoops has a lot to prove by what he accepts as passing muster going into this off season.. IT IS ALREADY A LOSING SEASON.... My only hopes for victory come from my support of the players... sadly we may need to lose a couple at home to get the message across to the unworthy coaching staff that have failed our talented team once again..

now let the litany of criticism for my post begin.. blah blah blah..

[UberSooner]

IMO it does not matter. 7-5 or 9-3... WHATEVER.. there is no moral victory to be had.. Scary thing is if we do get to a bowl game.. NOTHING WILL CHANGE!!! We will get the same list of excuses and mediocrity next season from the same coaching staff.. Stoops has a lot to prove by what he accepts as passing muster going into this off season.. IT IS ALREADY A LOSING SEASON.... My only hopes for victory come from my support of the players... sadly we may need to lose a couple at home to get the message across to the unworthy coaching staff that have failed our talented team once again..

now let the litany of criticism for my post begin.. blah blah blah..

I would have neg'd you a year ago but i'm finding myself more and more on the fence in my blind defense of this coaching staff. I know about the injuries but that doesn't explain why we don't have a backup TE who can catch the ball or why we throw 10 flair passes in a half. At this point I don't really know what to think. Bowl eligibility is the goal at this point and I never would have believed that going into this season even knowing about the injuries.

[redlegsooner]

i defended the staff up until the Florida game and then held my breath and waited for the new season to start.. This season they have reverted to what Mack Brown does at Texas.. Lots of "if only" this or that and no results.. That just doesn't fly in Oklahoma.. If it was that we just plain old didn't have the talent or really lost to teams that were just way better than us, I would accept that. But this problem is much deeper.. I'm not a fire Stoops guy.. but he has got to do his job and clean house to bring us back to a place where we are a "no excuses" football team like before...

[westcoast_sooner]

I was just getting ready to post this type of thread, though you have a slightly different slant n8v. I think we have to look at the schedule game by game.

KU - Kansas is good, probably got caught looking ahead last week in Boulder and the Buffs may have found themselves a QB. But, I think the OU defense is the best that the Jayhawks will face all season (I could post that on all of the remaining games scheduled).

Making an assumption (with facts not yet in evidence) that Landry will just realize he's the guy and not the backup, and he gets all the reps this week, I think we're ready for the fighting Manginos and come out with the win.

KSU at home - please. I think we win that game.

Nebraska in Lincoln. To me, the Huskers have been OK, but not really that good yet. They've been inconsistent enough that we could win. Winning in Lincoln will be tough, but if the OL grows a little - enough to break our RBs loose some, I think we win there.

A&M - See Baylor - only not as good. Win in a sleepwalk.

Tech - in Lubbock. As always, this comes down to being able to slow down Leach's offense just enough. This is the one we could lose, but with a couple of breaks (again no evidence we get breaks of any kind this year) we could pull it off.

Pokes - I just don't think they're very good this season. Without Bryant, they sure aren't good this year. I think we'll win this one - our D knows how to contain Zac.

OU could win out, I think though 5-1 is very do-able, though.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

One difference so far to me is looking at the guys taking the field and thinking those guys are gonna be good football players....MK....Finley....Quinn...Cooper.....Duke ...Braxton....Iggy....because they would flash something that would give a glimpse...

I don't see this from anybody (so far)...not saying they aren't but those question marks haven't flashed

[ashley]

New alert: Our All American QB and TE have been out. In football it makes all the difference in the world. How come you did not know that? It makes me wonder, or do some guys love to loose so they can bitch? OH, I know the answer to that question. 2%ers.

[BoulderSooner79]

This team is better overall than the '05 squad due to experience on defense. The offense is similar now that both Sam and Gresh are out. It doesn't mean it will end in a better record, but barring more crippling injuries it's a better squad. The down side of more experience on D is that it won't carry over as much to next year as it did in '06 as we'll lose more to graduation.

[Fraggle145]

I think an OSU loss more likely than a KU loss. Especially if they have Dez Bryant by then.

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

Shut your filthy ****ing mouth.

[aero]

I say 9-3 and redemption in Dallas. Of course, I could be wrong.

[Sooner70]

Could be a rough remainder of season. Depends on how offensively OU can respond. The probable good news, if you can call it that, is that Sam is probably off the board & now there's no divided focus on which QB will play. This half in-half out stuff has got to drive Wilson & OC staff nuts. KW needs to earn his pay. OU's D can position the team to lose no more games if they can muster the effort, but KW &Co. need to put something together that will work. This no running game crap has got to stop, even with all the attrition.

Still, all in all, give me Bob Stoops who, in the last decade, took us to 4 NC shots & won one, vs. a clappin Mack Brown who took his charges to 1 NC game & won one. You don't have a chance of winning a NC if you don't get on the big dance floor.

[UTsucks]

I say 9-3 and redemption in Dallas. Of course, I could be wrong.

Drop the pipe man :pop:

[stoops the eternal pimp]

This team is better overall than the '05 squad due to experience on defense. The offense is similar now that both Sam and Gresh are out. It doesn't mean it will end in a better record, but barring more crippling injuries it's a better squad. The down side of more experience on D is that it won't carry over as much to next year as it did in '06 as we'll lose more to graduation.

I would have to disagree on the better squad issue but really neither one of us know the answer to that question yet...mostly because of the oline and receivers...

And I agree with your downside...