Could This Be Bob's Best Team to Date?

I think this team is good and is getting better. I am excited every year about the team we field. But this team is not one of the better teams since Stoops has been here.

We need better line play on both sides of the ball. In college ball a great offense is wonderful but super stingy defenses are the ones that win the title more years than not. This defense is fast and physical but still gives up to many big plays. It is also does not have a dominate tackle/noseguard like we have had in the past and need.

 

We dont need to win by double digit points against anyone. All we have to do is win! Everything else will take care of itself.

When Style points are allowed back into the BCS equation, then let me know. it is the lack thereof that is cause for OU being #1 in the BCS right now.

As long as we keep winning we control our destiny. We lose, it will hurt us.

The human polls may not admire us, but they are not totally hating us like the media is doing!

Again, all we can ask our team to do is win...and they are doing that.

 

Of Bob Stoops teams, here's how I'd rank them currently ... of course it's only 6 games in so they have time to impress me more.

1. 2000
2. 2008
3. 2003
4. 2004
5. 2007
6. 2002
7. 2010
8. 2006
9. 2001
10. 1999
11. 2009
12. 2005

 

I don't think so.

The talent is incredible. The potential is amazing. But I think they need more maturity, and more big game pressure experience.

 

Better than 2002 right now, but not as good as 2007. We'll see at the end of the season.

 

People that like to mention that we have to win by double digits to prove anything....

Well, 2 loss LSU didnt have to worry about that in 2007:
28-24 W vs. Florida (8-5)
30-24 W vs. Auburn (9-4)
41-34 W vs. Alabama (2-6, had 5 wins vacated)
21-14 W vs. Tennessee (10-4)
37-43 L vs. Kentucky (8-5)
48-50 L vs. Arkansas (8-5)

LSU went 11-2, so over half their games were close calls or losses.

2001 Ohio State had 7 of their 14 games were close games.

What does both of these teams have in common? They were both BCS National Champions that won the bulk of their games by very close margins (within 10 points).

Sure, the media may not be slobbering all over our junk, but I kind of like it that way. Some in the media could show some more class (Bayless and Schlambach, sp?), but who cares!

If OU wins, they are BCS Championship Bound...they may not be #1 in the BCS if they win out and they are all close games, but they will remain in the top 2. How?

1. Boise State's SOS will continue to drop them in the computer rankings. The media will still love them, the only way they leap frog OU in the BCS now is by OU losing.
2. LSU still has to play Auburn and Alabama and Arkansas, with their offense they aren't making out of that undefeated.
3. Auburn still has to play Alabama and LSU, with their defense they are not making it through that undefeated.
4. TCU, their schedule is a complete joke from start to finish. They may be highly ranked, but they aren't going to leap frog OU unless we lose.
5. We get to play two of the 11 teams undefeated at this point in the season. Missouri and Oklahoma State. We win against both, we only solidify our spot among the top 2 in the BCS, especially if their only losses are to Oklahoma!
6. Utah, their schedule is even worse than TCU's. No way in hell they jump OU, hell maybe wont if OU has one loss.

That really only leaves us with Oregon and Michigan State.

Michigan State did not start the season ranked, that hurts them. They are likely out of the equation because of that and they do not have that game against Ohio State to help them this year.

Oregon: They are really the only ones standing if they win out. They are #1 in the human polls, but their weak schedule hurts them in the computer polls, and it really does not get much better for them from here on out. They have perhaps the easiest road of the BCS-AQ's to win out.

Now, the only way I can see OU getting jumped is by an SEC undefeated team. That said, I can see OU jumping Oregon thanks to the Big 12 CCG and a lot better SOS.

Just my 2 cents. You may now go back to your regular programming.

 

maybe so...but this is probably one of the best Stoops has coached...but also the youngest he has coached in one season.

Right now, I would rank them above 2002 but below any team that actually made it to the national championship game.

 

at this stage of the season, the 2001 team was dominant. unfortunately, injuries crippled that team soon after.

 

The same could be said of 2003. Without Jason getting killed in the Big12 CCG that team was almost unstoppable.

 

And I would rate the '08 as the very best at the end of the season right up until the kick-off of the CCG when we lost DM. But the '08 team was still reeling from the loss of RR after game 6 and took the rest of the season for the D to come around.

 

That's fair.


My all-time favorite Stoops team was probably the 2006 team because of what we did with what we had.

 

the '03 team up until the CCG was the best team Stoops ever fielded. Injuries plagued OU down the stretch.... but up until the close of the season most of the nation were putting the GOAT title on us.

 

2008 with DeMarco and Reynolds was unfair.

 

I'm not sure. I will say that to this day, this looks nowhere close to some of his teams in the past. I've seen numerous posts here about the team finally putting it all together after the Iowa State game. I think Iowa State has a really bad football team. I will feel much better if we go in and bitch slap Mizzou.

As always, my worthless opinions will change as the season goes on.

 

Potential

 

This.

Its really hard to judge after only 6 games. If we win out, I say yes because we truly have more talent than the '00 team and were able to overcome obstacles that more talented teams were unable to hurdle.

 

I would put it about 11th right above the 99 team.

 

best team evar...easy

 

I'd much rather see threads like this after the season.

 

Trust me, I understand that all they have to do is win to control their destiny. I was talking about for the players' confidence. I think it's vital that they know they can win and win big on the large stage. There are a lot of young kids on this team who need a big road victory, IMHO. I'm not talking to the point of arrogance, but a solid win where they have confidence in the schemes and their abilities against good teams away from home.