National Championship or bust!

[Collier11]

Do you enjoy these type of seasons more or do they stress you out?

I obivously love being in position to win a national title but knowing that expectations are so high this year that if we dont win it all it will be a disappointment does make it stressful

[Peach Fuzz]

Yeah it's kind of hard on my heart :(

These ups and downs are gonna be a nightmare

[BoulderSooner79]

I enjoy them more; it's exciting to compete for it all even though the odds are against it. But I have a good grasp of probability and statistics, so I'm not crushed if things get derailed - just bummed the excitement is over.

[Mike Stoops]

I enjoy it. Even if we don't win a NC this year I still think we beat Texas, win the conference and add another BCS bowl skin on the wall. That's pretty good in my book.

[yermom]

i'm dumb. i think we can do it every year :D

it sure would be nice to be on the winning side at the championship game though.

watching us lose three was still a pretty damn fun ride.

[Fraggle145]

i'm dumb. i think we can do it every year :D Yep.


it sure would be nice to be on the winning side at the championship game though. Yep.


watching us lose three was still a pretty damn fun ride. Nope. Watching us winning all the games up until then was a fun ride. Watching us lose three was pretty sucky actually.

[Always_Sooner]

I like Ou's chances to be in the title game. You just have to get there. Anything can happen. I just do not like the minor setbacks already occurring with Fleming, and then Trice with Martinez. Hopefully all of this ends up passing, and we will the areas of concern going into the season which are few right now.

[AlbqSooner]

Being a Sooner fan is a great blessing but it also brings the stress of each game being a must win. I have found that my peace of mind is inversely proportional to my expectations.

This year we have what Switzer said is the key to winning Championships; the best players and the best coaches. However, he also said that the third ingredient is a little bit of luck. You have to be lucky enough that you don't have key injuries or key bad calls at the wrong times during the season.

See my signature.

[swardboy]

I want to taste the dominance of the '74-'75 teams one more time. Back when the only question was by how many points were we going to smash the other team. I can't imagine how it felt to have over 40 straight wins like the mid-50's teams accomplished. Sure, "Sooner Magic" came from the close games, but "Sooner Mystique" arose from teams that others shuddered to step on the field and face.

[MojoRisen]

We need to have a killer instinct! Counting on Lewis and the defense to have an edge! No reason we should come out flat in any game this year. I expect 40 points a game and a d that is top 15. We need to play for it all

[MiccoMacey]

I never subscribe to a "NC or bust" mentality.

Too many possible stumbles by 18-22 year old kids.

I take each year for what it's worth. If we go 12-1, but lose in the NC game...that's a pretty good year to me.

[tcrb]

The University of Oklahoma is one of only a handful of teams in the nation that has a realistic shot at winning a NC nearly every year that it fields a team. I've been fortunate enough to ride along for 4 of the 7 NC's we have, and always begin each season with the expectation that the stars may align for another.

[oudavid1]

I just like

http://www.hiphophater.com/wp-content/uploads/charline-sheen-winning.jpg

[Jacie]

An ESPN writer's latest Preseason Top 25 now looks like this (comments are mine):

1. Oklahoma (the planets are in alignment . . . now just do it on the field)
2. Alabama (lost the smartest QB ever and a Heisman winner, can they be this good?)
3. Florida State (scary to think that one of the two teams playing for the BCS title will emerge from this early-in-the-season game)
4. LSU (a QB away from being scary good?)
5. Oregon (I think some Pac-10 teams figure out how to defend against what they do on offense this year . . . ducks also may have not have as strong a defense as they did last year and either they or LSU will go down early)
6. Ohio State (still atop the Big 10 team till another team can knock them off and don't count on the nebbish doing it, at least not this year)
7. Stanford (too high, I think . . . cincy showed what happens to a good team that loses it's head coach)
8. Boise State (new conference, same result?)
9. TCU (either them or Boise State win the Mountain West . . . I think BSU)
10. Oklahoma State (we keep waiting for the bubble to burst . . . are they a permanent fixture in the Top 15 now?)
11. Arkansas (always this close to winning the SEC West)
12. Texas A&M (the new best in Texas?)
13. Wisconsin (only other team that can win the Big 10)
14. Notre Dame (till they lose to someone they shouldn't)
15. South Carolina (if they don't win the SEC this year, when?)
16. Michigan State (still pretty good or not?)
17. Auburn (a little drop off from last year should be expected)
18. Georgia (too many big games, including Boise State, to finish this high)
19. Texas (most difficult team to predict at this point)
20. Florida (still best of the East or overrated?)
21. Missouri (begins life w/o Blaine)
22. Virginia Tech (another one that hopes to pick up where they left off)
23. Arizona State (where did this one come from?)
24. Nebraska (third or fourth in the Big 10 is a safe bet)
25. Mississippi State (another team hoping to be successful two years on a row)

[jersey sooner]

Do you enjoy these type of seasons more or do they stress you out?

I obivously love being in position to win a national title but knowing that expectations are so high this year that if we dont win it all it will be a disappointment does make it stressful

:eek: C'mon Man!!!!!!!!!!! If seasons like this stress you out too much, try this. Go be an Oklahoma State fan for 5 or 6 years. Then when you've had a taste of both sides, you can come back and tell us which one you'd rather be ;) For me personally, I wouldn't have it any other way.

[MyT Oklahoma]

The University of Oklahoma is one of only a handful of teams in the nation that has a realistic shot at winning a NC nearly every year that it fields a team. I've been fortunate enough to ride along for 4 of the 7 NC's we have, and always begin each season with the expectation that the stars may align for another.

^^ This.

[KantoSooner]

Typically, I like our chances prior to the season. Then as the games stack up we either lose one early and then it's back to playing the BCS ranking boogie, or we keep winning.
Last year, by the time Mizzou rolled around, I was almost unfit for human company during games. (Not to mention that I had to severely control the bourbon - I had so much adrenaline running around my system that any form of liquid just went down without taste.)
If we run the table deep into November, I'll probably just have a quiet stroke. You have my full authorization to hold off on the ambulance until the final whistle blows.

[agoo758]

. Oops Wrong thread. :O

[BoulderSooner79]

Typically, I like our chances prior to the season. Then as the games stack up we either lose one early and then it's back to playing the BCS ranking boogie, or we keep winning.
Last year, by the time Mizzou rolled around, I was almost unfit for human company during games. (Not to mention that I had to severely control the bourbon - I had so much adrenaline running around my system that any form of liquid just went down without taste.)
If we run the table deep into November, I'll probably just have a quiet stroke. You have my full authorization to hold off on the ambulance until the final whistle blows.

We must be the exact opposite. Most seasons, I see too many weaknesses to shore up to believe we'll win the title. Exceptions are '03 and '08 where we looked dominant enough to overcome some bad luck and still get there. I had us losing to Mizzou last year on my ticket based on watching multiple games of both teams. I didn't think we were ready for their defense, especially on the road combined with the fact we had yet to play a decent 4th qtr. I cringed when we were BCS #1 in the first poll going into that game because I didn't want to hear Musberger saying "another #1 goes down this week..." grrr. I had no visions of a title in '09 having to break in a green O-line, but I was very excited about the season anticipating the pure joy of watching perfect passes rolling off the fingers of Sam Bradford. My excitement ended in dismay by the end of the first half of the season.

Sooo, how does a Debbie downer feel about '11? I have the '03 and '08 excitement back, but for different reasons. I don't see the dominance of those squads, but I see lots of depth and a lack of dominance at other schools. In other words, I see a bit more control in the hands of the coaches performance and a little less in the hands of lady luck. The only other team out there that might emerge as dominant is LSU and that is worrisome given the location of the title game. I hope the ridiculous luck that seems to follow "the hat" evens out this year.

[jersey sooner]

^ Yes, yes, and yes! I agreed with literally everything you said, but I would love nothing more than to get a payback shot at LSU in the superdome.

[soonervegas]

I enjoy them more; it's exciting to compete for it all even though the odds are against it. But I have a good grasp of probability and statistics, so I'm not crushed if things get derailed - just bummed the excitement is over.


Agreed. I like the excitement surrounding the chance of winning one, but fact is that we are one of the most successful programs in college football and only have a 6% completion percentage should tell you all you need to know.

I try to go in with the mindset of "if we get to a BCS bowl" I am happy. Anything else is gravy....

I am not saying that mindset always holds up.

[KantoSooner]

Well, Boulder, I'm just a glass-half-full kind of person.

[BoulderSooner79]

Well, Boulder, I'm just a glass-half-full kind of person.

And I don't really think I'm a Debbie downer either. I just try to take off the crimson shades before sizing up the team. The fact that '11 marks the 3rd season in the Stoop era I anticipate us to be good enough to win it all is actually pretty heady territory. I underestimated us in '04 because I thought our defense lost too much from '03. The '00 season was too early for me to understand how much team Stoops would improve the program.

[Collier11]

I enjoy it, its just stressful as hell

[starclassic tama]

the only thing i don't like about these types of seasons is how much a loss sucks out the excitement... when it's one of those years that the sooners aren't expected to compete for it all, the wins seem to be a lot more rewarding and the losses sting a little loss.

[pappy]

"Can't Wait!" - Bart Scott

[AlboSooner]

I think we are due for another one, but I don't think it will be a bust if we don't win it. But man, we are due for one. more than due, we are oversuperdue

[ouwasp]

I think we are due for another one, but I don't think it will be a bust if we don't win it. But man, we are due for one. more than due, we are oversuperdue

Amen, Albo... who woulda thought (after 2000) that all these yrs later the Sooners would still be chasing number 8?! Just goes to show how hard they are to get, I suppose.

[BoulderSooner79]

I saw an article about gator fans during the '09 season. I doubt it was scientific, but it showed many gator fans had no fun the entire season. They were defending champs (ahem) returning almost everyone and were heavy favorites to repeat. All they did was dissect every game and bitch about the team not playing well enough or winning big even though they ran the table in the regular season. Life ended completely when 'Bama knocked them off in the CCG. All I could think was that's a sucky existence and I will never be that sort of fan; I mean this is supposed to be entertainment.

[12]

We have a good hand at the table. At this point, it is just OUr collective nature to expect the jackpot. As fans, we'll just ride it out and see how it goes. I certainly like our chances.

Just like every other year like this.

[tcrb]

I saw an article about gator fans during the '09 season. I doubt it was scientific, but it showed many gator fans had no fun the entire season. They were defending champs (ahem) returning almost everyone and were heavy favorites to repeat. All they did was dissect every game and bitch about the team not playing well enough or winning big even though they ran the table in the regular season. Life ended completely when 'Bama knocked them off in the CCG. All I could think was that's a sucky existence and I will never be that sort of fan; I mean this is supposed to be entertainment.

And the best part was when tebow wept. :)

[swardboy]

tebow wept. :)

FIFY....isn't that the shortest verse in the bible?

[tcrb]

FIFY....isn't that the shortest verse in the bible?

It's tied with Corrine Brown's "Go gata". :D

[StoopTroup]

I heard STEP was asked to be in charge of the Pre-Game Festivities at the Landry Jones / Whitney Hand Tailgate Revivals this year. :D