Yahoo - Oklahoma LB Eric Striker is sure excited to play Tennessee (and the SEC) (Dr.

[Jenni Carlson]

Oklahoma has been no stranger to SEC teams in recent memory. The Sooners beat Alabama at the end of the 2013 season in the Sugar Bowl and convincingly beat Tennessee at home in 2014. The return game of the home-and-home series with the Volunteers is Saturday as the Sooners travel to Knoxville. Tennessee is one of a record 10 SEC teams in the AP top 25 this week and LB Eric Striker would like to help bring the conference back down to earth. "Yeah, man, I don’t know why people blow gas up their *** all the time," Striker said when he was asked if he gets "jacked up" for the SEC via the Tulsa World. "I don’t understand why, you know what I mean? It sucks. Who is it?” [ Check out Dr. Saturday on Tumblr for things you won’t see on the blog ] College football fans know that the SEC hasn't won the last two national championships. But college football fans also know that the SEC – well, Alabama, Auburn, Florida and LSU*– won the seven championships prior to 2013. The reputation the SEC has garnered over the past 10 years in college football is deserved, even if it has been overinflated. Here's the rest of the exchange between Striker and reporters. Some playful banter followed, and then... Striker: “That’s a couple teams. I look forward to it. Because I like to prove people wrong. I love that. You say this about your opponent. They got this, they got that. But what you don’t understand is you’ve gotta get it done between the lines. That’s all that matters. Who’s the better team when the whistle blows in between the lines? That’s all I care about. It’s kind of funny to hear them talk about that... “I hope SEC players don’t let it go their heads. Because this is how you get beat. I look forward to it. Gas ‘em up. Bring ‘em back down to earth.” [ Yahoo Sports Fantasy Football: Sign up and join a league today! ] Perhaps Striker knows something about being brought down to Earth based off Oklahoma's 2014 season. Because of that Alabama win, Oklahoma was considered a top team heading into 2014. Instead, the Sooners finished 8-5 and were shellacked by Clemson in the Russell Athletic Bowl. But let's not read too much into Striker's talk about the SEC. The quotable captain is trying to get his team prepared for Saturday's game, even at the risk of bulletin board material in the Tennessee locker room. If Oklahoma wins, he can crow about his team's performance and celebrate the fact that his (higher ranked) team visited the No. 25 team and knocked it out of the polls. And if Tennessee wins, well, Striker won't be living his comments down anytime soon by Tennessee faithful. Even if an SEC team other than the Vols ends up winning the College Football Playoff. For more Oklahoma news, visit SoonerScoop.com. - - - - - - - Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @NickBromberg

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