Bob stoops and "big game bob" must wins

[basel90]

Given the recent" big game" issues bob has been having, I think bob should seriously start overturning that trend . In 2012 am afraid this was not accomplished with losses with KSU, notre dame and TA&M . The Notre dame loss which was at home and attracted national attention, was a disaster by all means. The final score was very painful to comprehend. Ksu was another eye opener . We don't need to mention how bad the final game was. Granted, we beat texas but I don't think Texas was a top 15 team last year. The osu win left us with more questions than answers regarding our defense. Same with WV.
Manifestly, bob will need to win against notre dame , and at least 2 out of 3 against KSU , osu , and Texas in my opinion to prove that OU is a national contender again under bob stoops.

[EatLeadCommie]

If we're a national contender, he should wipe the floor with all 4 of those teams.

[badger]

All right, let's name em off:



Aug. 31 ULM Warhawks

Sept. 7 West Virginia Mountaineers

Sept. 14 Tulsa Golden Hurricane

Sept. 21 --- Open Date --- ---

Sept. 28 at Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Oct. 5 TCU Horned Frogs

Oct. 12 Texas Longhorns (in Dallas, duh)

Oct. 19 at Kansas Jayhawks

Oct. 26 Texas Tech Red Raiders

Nov. 2 --- Open Date --- ---

Nov. 7 at Baylor Bears

Nov. 16 Iowa State Cyclones

Nov. 23 at Kansas State Wildcats

Nov. 30 --- Open Date --- ---

Dec. 7 at Oklahoma State Cowboys

Must-win games are opponents that are perceived as inferior. The rest I think a majority of fans will understand and get over it, sad as they may be.

Therefore, must-wins are:
-ULM Warhawks
- Tulsa Golden Hurricane
- at Kansas Jayhawks
- Texas Tech Red Raiders

If we lose any of those four games, heads will not only roll, they will explode.

The rest? It depends on how those teams do this year. If Texas is 0-4 (or however many they play before us) when we meet or TCU injures half their starters in their LSU game, then of course we're going to declare those must-wins too.

[thecrimsoncrusader]

OU's bye weeks set up perfectly. Last year's bye-scheduling was an absolute disaster and did impact Landry and the new receiving corps getting on the same page before the KSU game. And thank you NCAA for waiting until OU lost to KSU to then make Jalen Saunders eligible, something that could have clearly been done before the season started. We love you so not much!

OU needs Blake Bell to pan out, Jordan Phillips to pan out (this will help the linebackers especially) and have no key injuries. If that happens, OU can (and should) win them all. Every team that OU faces has question marks and the number of returning starters is the most overrated "stat" in college football. OU only returns 3 starters on defense next season and I am betting the farm and the farm animals that they will be immensely improved.

OSU returns most of their offense, but it's being completely overlooked that they lost the Big 12's best back in Joseph Randle along with breaking in a new unproven at this level offensive coordinator and they also lost a heck of a receivers coach. No guarantees for success there. And playing KSU in Manhattan this season will be easier than playing KSU in Norman last season.

Texas isn't even worth of being mentioned outside of authoring this sentence. Baylor is fielding a fat and inaccurate QB. WVU is in a major rebuilding year. Texas Tech is breaking in an new and unproven head coach, which could go one way or the other, but Oklahoma is done losing to Texas Tech since Brent Venables is no longer around.

Then there is that dang curse of Notre Dame, but maybe with Golsen being suspended for the season, maybe some luck will finally come OU's way.

[badger]

Baylor is fielding a fat and inaccurate QB

Oh no, Baylor has Tim Tebow :eek:

[PLaw]

Until we start building a defense to compete for national championships instead of 7 on 7 leagues, there is no need to worry about winning big games. High powered O may put asses in the seats, but D wins championships.

Bummer

[IronHorseSooner]

Here's the thing...it is NOT talent nor size on D! Our starting DL will go 6'4" 260 (Grissom a 4-star), Ndulue (6'3" 275 by season beginning, high 3-star), Philips (6'6" 325, 4/5 star), and Russell (6'4", 315, 3/4 star and highly coveted). People want an SEC-sized DL? Well, we have one! All of them will be in at least their 3rd year out of HS. At LB, Nelson was a high 4-star, and Shannon should be an upgrade. In secondary, we have one AA (Colvin), two others who could be all conference (Johnson, Wilson), and two Srs who had good springs. It is about scheme. The last few years, our schemes were God-awful! The infamous 2-gap, then the 3-man DL, then the no-LB scheme, and who can forget the abysmal secondary play under Venables.

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

Here's the thing...it is NOT talent nor size on D! Our starting DL will go 6'4" 260 (Grissom a 4-star), Ndulue (6'3" 275 by season beginning, high 3-star), Philips (6'6" 325, 4/5 star), and Russell (6'4", 315, 3/4 star and highly coveted). People want an SEC-sized DL? Well, we have one! All of them will be in at least their 3rd year out of HS. At LB, Nelson was a high 4-star, and Shannon should be an upgrade. In secondary, we have one AA (Colvin), two others who could be all conference (Johnson, Wilson), and two Srs who had good springs. It is about scheme. The last few years, our schemes were God-awful! The infamous 2-gap, then the 3-man DL, then the no-LB scheme, and who can forget the abysmal secondary play under Venables.

Why don't you take the stars away from their names and compare them to other players in the country. When you start doing that, you realize that those stars aren't indicative of what we have. Corey Nelson may have been a "high 4-star" but I'd argue he is in the bottom 5% of college linebackers. Taking 3 seconds after the snap to move isn't scheme, it is talent.

[Mazeppa]

Given the recent" big game" issues bob has been having, I think bob should seriously start overturning that trend . In 2012 am afraid this was not accomplished with losses with KSU, notre dame and TA&M . The Notre dame loss which was at home and attracted national attention, was a disaster by all means. The final score was very painful to comprehend. Ksu was another eye opener . We don't need to mention how bad the final game was. Granted, we beat texas but I don't think Texas was a top 15 team last year. The osu win left us with more questions than answers regarding our defense. Same with WV.
Manifestly, bob will need to win against notre dame , and at least 2 out of 3 against KSU , osu , and Texas in my opinion to prove that OU is a national contender again under bob stoops.

How much weight does your opinion carry in the grand scheme of things? Maybe Bob Stoops would have an unfavorable opinion in the way you do your job.

[cleller]

Winning against ND in South Bend would be great, and a step back toward the Big Game Bob handle. But with Golson gone, and some of the other losses still fresh in people's minds, not enough. Shoot, he could go unbeaten this year and still have trouble in some circles.

Really, I don't the term ever comes back without winning all the way to a NC.

[IronHorseSooner]

Why don't you take the stars away from their names and compare them to other players in the country. When you start doing that, you realize that those stars aren't indicative of what we have. Corey Nelson may have been a "high 4-star" but I'd argue he is in the bottom 5% of college linebackers. Taking 3 seconds after the snap to move isn't scheme, it is talent.

I take your word on it, but it does make you wonder. Are there any guys amongst the LBs who could get the job done?

[IronHorseSooner]

Truth is, there isn't a game on that schedule that the good guys couldn't win. There are six critical games:

- ND without Golson is a big deal, as he was a big reason why they kept extending drives against us. ND fans generally have the same opinion about Rees that a lot of us had about LJ. Big difference at QB.

- I will put my next few paychecks on UTerus getting beat by us by more than 2 TDs. Ash and McCoy are not elite QBs. I can see Coach Stoops doing the exact same thing he did last year- crowd the LoS to stop Gray, Brown, and Co., and force their QBs to make plays. With Colvin and Johnson, I will take that any day of the week and twice on Sundays. Their D still can't tackle, and with Bell back there full time, that is not good. Their STs are atrocious and with Goodwin gone, even more so.

- TCU, who I think is the second best team in the conference, couldn't beat us last year when they were 1)at home, 2) against OUr worst defense, 3)with a mobile QB. Folks talk about TCU coming into Norman and winning before, but that was against OUr worst team and QB under Coach Stoops. They won't do it here.

- Baylor has NO defense, period! Only one guy on that team concerns me, Seastrunk, and I could see Coach Stoops employing the same philosophy he used against UTerus- stack the box and force Petty to throw it. Remember, the last 2 years Baylor has had the Heisman winner and then a senior QB with a number of snaps. They have neither now.

- KSTATE. The series history is that the road team always plays well. The last time we went up there, they were undefeated and higher ranked, and we still be beat them by 35. Sams may be a good QB, but he is not Klein. They do have a good RB, Hubert, and a good WR, Lockett, and a good safety, Zimmerman. That is it. The difference from last year is now gone- QB play. LJ and Klein are gone, and that is a net win for OU.

- OSU. Whereas TCU is better, and UTerus and ND will start out the year higher ranked, this is the most difficult game on the schedule. Both teams have questions on D. Both should have really good offenses. Both have dangerous return men. The difference in this game will be which team can effectively move the ball and keep the opposing offense off the field. Regardless of what anyone says, these two teams have the best OLs in the league, not UTerus. That being said, this is where having a 263 lb QB and the nation's best FB come into play. I can see OU slowing it down some to wear down that D. Even tough they have questions, OU is more talented and deeper on D than OSU. I could see something like 35-24.

The other six games (ULM, WVU, Tulsa, ISU, KU, and Tech) are inferior teams with big talent gaps. In fact, the most difficult game out of all of those is ULM- first game against a veteran mid-major with a good coach who is coming back home to OK (he's a fellow Miami Wardog). However, they don't have the depth, and they aren't facing a punchless Arky team with a clueless HC.

Thoughts?

[agoo758]

Todd Berry is likely overrated. He was a disaster at army, and made some very questionable coaching decisions that cost him against Auburn, and numerous Sun Belt Games.

Lucky to have Kolton Browning, who may gives us some trouble if we are not prepared.

[8timechamps]

Truth is, there isn't a game on that schedule that the good guys couldn't win. There are six critical games:

- ND without Golson is a big deal, as he was a big reason why they kept extending drives against us. ND fans generally have the same opinion about Rees that a lot of us had about LJ. Big difference at QB.

- I will put my next few paychecks on UTerus getting beat by us by more than 2 TDs. Ash and McCoy are not elite QBs. I can see Coach Stoops doing the exact same thing he did last year- crowd the LoS to stop Gray, Brown, and Co., and force their QBs to make plays. With Colvin and Johnson, I will take that any day of the week and twice on Sundays. Their D still can't tackle, and with Bell back there full time, that is not good. Their STs are atrocious and with Goodwin gone, even more so.

I really like OU going into the game in South Bend, especially playing a Notre Dame team without Golson and Teo. We'll have a better feel for what ND looks like once the season starts, but I don't think they'll be nearly as good as last year. As for Texas, I'm not predicting another beat-down, but it wouldn't surprise me either.



- TCU, who I think is the second best team in the conference, couldn't beat us last year when they were 1)at home, 2) against OUr worst defense, 3)with a mobile QB. Folks talk about TCU coming into Norman and winning before, but that was against OUr worst team and QB under Coach Stoops. They won't do it here.

What TCU will have this year, that they didn't have last year is Casey Pachall. The question is; will he be any good? He showed some ability before being kicked off the team, but he hasn't played in over a year...it could take him a while to get back into his rhythm (and since this game is early in the season, that favors OU). TCU will have a stout defense, but I agree with your reasoning. If they couldn't beat OU last year, I doubt they do this year.



- Baylor has NO defense, period! Only one guy on that team concerns me, Seastrunk, and I could see Coach Stoops employing the same philosophy he used against UTerus- stack the box and force Petty to throw it. Remember, the last 2 years Baylor has had the Heisman winner and then a senior QB with a number of snaps. They have neither now.

Coming off of a bye week, I just don't see OU losing this game. Could be a close one, but the Sooners win it.



- KSTATE. The series history is that the road team always plays well. The last time we went up there, they were undefeated and higher ranked, and we still be beat them by 35. Sams may be a good QB, but he is not Klein. They do have a good RB, Hubert, and a good WR, Lockett, and a good safety, Zimmerman. That is it. The difference from last year is now gone- QB play. LJ and Klein are gone, and that is a net win for OU.

I know a lot of people are convinced KSU will be a tough game, but I'm not. I know KSU has Snyder, and you can never count them out, but OU comes into this game with something to prove, and KSU doesn't bring back the horses they had. I could see a 35-14 type of game in the Sooners favor.



- OSU. Whereas TCU is better, and UTerus and ND will start out the year higher ranked, this is the most difficult game on the schedule. Both teams have questions on D. Both should have really good offenses. Both have dangerous return men. The difference in this game will be which team can effectively move the ball and keep the opposing offense off the field. Regardless of what anyone says, these two teams have the best OLs in the league, not UTerus. That being said, this is where having a 263 lb QB and the nation's best FB come into play. I can see OU slowing it down some to wear down that D. Even tough they have questions, OU is more talented and deeper on D than OSU. I could see something like 35-24.

This, to me, is the toughest game on the schedule. Even though the Sooners have a bye week coming in, the Pokes do too. I can't even think about this one yet.



The other six games (ULM, WVU, Tulsa, ISU, KU, and Tech) are inferior teams with big talent gaps. In fact, the most difficult game out of all of those is ULM- first game against a veteran mid-major with a good coach who is coming back home to OK (he's a fellow Miami Wardog). However, they don't have the depth, and they aren't facing a punchless Arky team with a clueless HC.

Thoughts?

ULM will be a great opening test, not a great team, but a team that can expose any weaknesses. OU wins, but learns a lot. None of the other games really concern me, and I think it could come down to the OU/OSU game for the conference title.

[IronHorseSooner]

I really like OU going into the game in South Bend, especially playing a Notre Dame team without Golson and Teo. We'll have a better feel for what ND looks like once the season starts, but I don't think they'll be nearly as good as last year. As for Texas, I'm not predicting another beat-down, but it wouldn't surprise me either.



What TCU will have this year, that they didn't have last year is Casey Pachall. The question is; will he be any good? He showed some ability before being kicked off the team, but he hasn't played in over a year...it could take him a while to get back into his rhythm (and since this game is early in the season, that favors OU). TCU will have a stout defense, but I agree with your reasoning. If they couldn't beat OU last year, I doubt they do this year.



Coming off of a bye week, I just don't see OU losing this game. Could be a close one, but the Sooners win it.



I know a lot of people are convinced KSU will be a tough game, but I'm not. I know KSU has Snyder, and you can never count them out, but OU comes into this game with something to prove, and KSU doesn't bring back the horses they had. I could see a 35-14 type of game in the Sooners favor.



This, to me, is the toughest game on the schedule. Even though the Sooners have a bye week coming in, the Pokes do too. I can't even think about this one yet.



ULM will be a great opening test, not a great team, but a team that can expose any weaknesses. OU wins, but learns a lot. None of the other games really concern me, and I think it could come down to the OU/OSU game for the conference title.

If the schedule and results end up the way we see it, I think OU seals the deal. See 2000, 2004, and 2008 for this. All three years OU had a lot riding on the line in those games, and came out of there with Ws. None of them were easy, but they got it done. Now, in each of those games, OU either had a Heisman winner or runner-up QB. We'll see...

[basel90]

Agree with most of your assessment. I think you agree the ND game will determine if OU under stoops is a national contender again.

[8timechamps]

If the schedule and results end up the way we see it, I think OU seals the deal. See 2000, 2004, and 2008 for this. All three years OU had a lot riding on the line in those games, and came out of there with Ws. None of them were easy, but they got it done. Now, in each of those games, OU either had a Heisman winner or runner-up QB. We'll see...

It's funny, because at the end of last year I felt like this team was going to be a long way from being back in the hunt. Turns out the schedule sets up pretty darn favorable for OU. This year, the schedule will provide enough early tests that we will know exactly where we stand at the half way point. IF they can get through the TCU/ND/Texas stretch 3-0, it could turn out to be a pretty special year.

[SicEmBaylor]

No defense, period! Only one guy on that team concerns me, Seastrunk, and I could see Coach Stoops employing the same philosophy he used against UTerus- stack the box and force Petty to throw it. Remember, the last 2 years Baylor has had the Heisman winner and then a senior QB with a number of snaps. They have neither now.
You clearly didn't watch us much toward the end of the season if you think we have "no" defense. I love that you're underestimating Petty. I hope every team we play underestimates him.

[SoonerKnight]

Given the recent" big game" issues bob has been having, I think bob should seriously start overturning that trend . In 2012 am afraid this was not accomplished with losses with KSU, notre dame and TA&M . The Notre dame loss which was at home and attracted national attention, was a disaster by all means. The final score was very painful to comprehend. Ksu was another eye opener . We don't need to mention how bad the final game was. Granted, we beat texas but I don't think Texas was a top 15 team last year. The osu win left us with more questions than answers regarding our defense. Same with WV.
Manifestly, bob will need to win against notre dame , and at least 2 out of 3 against KSU , osu , and Texas in my opinion to prove that OU is a national contender again under bob stoops.

Why are you on this board? You are not a Sooner fan!!

[8timechamps]

You clearly didn't watch us much toward the end of the season if you think we have "no" defense. I love that you're underestimating Petty. I hope every team we play underestimates him.

I think I am underestimating Petty too. It's not a knock on Baylor, I just don't quite understand what the fascination is with this kid (I see it all over ESPN's Big XII Blog too). I know what he's supposed to be, but just like every other new starter in the league (Bell included), they have to prove it on the field.

Am I missing something with him (did he secretly play 10 seasons in the CFL or something?)?

Also Sic'em, Baylor's defense was putrid last year. With the exception of a really solid showing against KSU, what did the Baylor defense do toward the end of the season?

[basel90]

Why are you on this board? You are not a Sooner fan!!

Who gave you the right to say am not a sooner fan? I am an OU grad and avid supporter . Are you?
I bet I gave more money to OU than you. Stop the negativity whenever we have objective discussions .. Seems you like mediocracy ..

[olevetonahill]

Who gave you the right to say am not a sooner fan? I am an OU grad and avid supporter . Are you?

I bet I gave more money to OU than you. Stop the negativity whenever we have objective discussions .. Seems you like mediocracy ..

Bruce? Is that you Bruce?

[SoonerStormchaser]

All right...the time old "you're not a REAL Sooner fan" slapfight.

:surprise:

[olevetonahill]

All right...the time old "you're not a REAL Sooner fan" slapfight.

:surprise:

Well hell yer Not a REAL sooner fan if Ya dint Graduate from there, Plus give several thousand a year to the U .

[SoonerKnight]

Who gave you the right to say am not a sooner fan? I am an OU grad and avid supporter . Are you?
I bet I gave more money to OU than you. Stop the negativity whenever we have objective discussions .. Seems you like mediocracy ..

1. The way you talk about Coach Stoops is a bit negative. He is going to achieve more wins than Coach Switzer did and achieve that this season!

2. You write your post as if we just went 7-6 for the last 3 years and suck really bad!! (Give me a break!)

3. I do not GAS who you donate to or what school you went to.

4. I only hear rival fans sarcastically refer to Bob Stoops as "Big Game Bob". (BGB)

5. Usually along with referring him to BGB they also will place his name in lowercase just to try and further an already lame insult.

6. The crap you post is almost always a waste of my time. So, you a sooner fan? OK! Try and be supportive of the team and not insult the coach or the players. Did our D suck at times last year? Yes, but Mike Stoops admitted that he game planned wrong last year. So, why don't you take a reality pill and realize that 10-3 is not that bad and sure is not mediocre!!! WOW!!! Of course I want to win the crystal every year but damn that just isn't going to happen every year!!

[basel90]

Coach stoops will always be credited for saving OU from the Blake years. He will go out as one of OUs best coaches. I just didnt like the slow progress lately especially his assistants and game planning. I guess I have higher expectations for the sooners than u.

[olevetonahill]

Coach stoops will always be credited for saving OU from the Blake years. He will go out as one of OUs best coaches. I just didnt like the slow progress lately especially his assistants and game planning. I guess I have higher expectations for the sooners than u.

You expect em to win TWO MNCs a year? Wow even I aint that big a Fanatic.

[basel90]

You expect em to win TWO MNCs a year? Wow even I aint that big a Fanatic.

What are u talking about? No one said 2 mnc , what are u smoking?

[ashley]

Coach stoops will always be credited for saving OU from the Blake years. He will go out as one of OUs best coaches. I just didnt like the slow progress lately especially his assistants and game planning. I guess I have higher expectations for the sooners than u.

Just for fun I am betting that the only thing you know about game planning is that we didn't score enough TD's and we gave up too many.

[En_Fuego]

I thought the "Big Game Bob" nickname went out the window back in 2004. I could be wrong......;)

[SoonerKnight]

I thought the "Big Game Bob" nickname went out the window back in 2004. I could be wrong......;)
Out the window?!? It got soaked in gasoline and torched then thrown out the window in 2004. Why? Must you bring that up!!! LOL!!!