Either OU or OSU out of hunt by end of today

Either OU or OSU will be out of the hunt for championships by the end of today. An OSU win over Tech ousts OU  and an OSU lostsousts the Cowboys.

Saturday, November 8th 2008, 12:08 pm

By: News 9


College Station-Overlooked by almost everyone is the fact that at the end of today either OU or OSU will be out of any realistic chance of winning the Big 12 South...the Big 12...the chance to play for the national championship.

For the Sooners, they must beat an improving A/M club today then have Tech beat OSU as only a three-point favorite.

It's not complicated for OSU. Win out.

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"I'm 40." Unfortunately, that was the primary storyline the public vividly remembers the last time OSU and Texas Tech played. What people should recall is the momentous win the Cowboys had over a dangerous Red Raider club.

Mike Gundy is considered by some "a sports cultural icon for his infamous "I'm 40, I'm a Man" catch phrase" in his post-game presser that inappropriately and thoroughly overshadowed the victory and anything and everything the thoughts of the winning players had to say after the game. But the wins that have followed that classic win in Stillwater have made everything secondary to the job Gundy has done

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Today........OSU will take advantage of a defense with their potent run game against a zone secondary used to seeing the pass in practice and in Big 12 Conference games. Safeties play too deep to clamp down the run. When they creep up to slow down Kendall Hunter and Zac Robinson they will get burned by Dez Bryant-who is at least the second best receiver in college.

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An OSU win would be their sweetest ever. Ever. They would jump in the BCS rankings, gain even more national respect, stay alive in the hunt for championships and most importantly to some, effectively knock their hated, hated, hated rivals in Norman.

OSU wins, 48-45...and OU wins here in College Station 51-24.

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Hey, stop the presses! Lee Corso just said something that was interesting and correct-a combo heretofore not often heard from good-guy Lee. He said odds makers would have Florida then OU then USC-in that order, favorites over all the others in the BCS argument.

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However, Kirk Herbtreit continues to preach exactly what OU does not want to hear...and Kirk is smart and has the platform with his national respect to effect how some voters think.

Herbstreit repeatedly pounds home this point: If it comes down to the BCS rankings Texas should get the nod because they won the Red River Rivalry.

OU's best shot is for voters to not pay attention to most at ESPN, for the TCU and Cincy wins to play a big role with the computers and strength of schedule effect with the voters and for the year-ending roll OU will have been on beating Texas Tech and then OSU on the road.

OSU says, "Whoa Nellie," forget that thinking. Devotees squeal, we've covered the spread EVERY week....AND a win today then blister OU and then we are the ones in the same situation as our hated, hated, hated rivals from Norman.

Bottom line is that Herbstreit will hammer his staked-down position home....and the OU defense will continue to be espoused to be suspect and not good enough to earn the respect that would allow the Sooners to jump Texas.

And if it comes down to it the persuasive PR ability of Mack Brown will quite possibility win out over the fact that OU would again be a favorite over the Horns if the two played in Dallas today.

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Mike Leach is a different breed a cat. He kept in contact with Barry Switzer after he left Bob Stoops for Lubbock. Donald Trump is now a confidant. I'll never forget when Leach first moved to OU and I wanted to get to know him and his unorthodox system.

Wanting to learn and do homework for calling network games around the country led me to setting up a meeting with Leach. I took a notebook expecting to take notes and watch tape.

After hellos, the suds-inclined Leach suggested we take our discussion across the street to the Pub. Of course seeing the determination in his eye, I relented. A business decision. Right?

Much of our two-hour discussion centered on Mike wanting to know what stood out to me with the big-name coaches, politicians and others of stature I had gotten to know throughout the years.

Clearly, Mike was doing his own homework. And seeing where he is today and seeing the fact that The Donald is now a buddy, it is obvious whatever Leach has gleaned enough information to be undefeated and the nation's darling.

By the way, about three thirsties into our Pub-lic X and O meeting, Leach explained his offensive philosophy. He did it the way only Mike Leach would. He got up and pulled over chairs and tables to use as props to show where players were lined up. It worked.

The next day my notebook was full of his logic. By the time we'd left, it was a good idea to have taken the notebook, because the next day I didn't remember anything except Leach and his chairs and tables. And Leach in his odd queries into what I remembered from time with the Bear Bryants, Switzers and Dean Smiths.

Truly, from the beginning The Mad Scientist was and is a different breed a cat.

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Unfortunately, another successful and classy coach is forced out at the school where he invested many years and where his enormous success had made people nationally respect and fear his program.

Phil Fulmer is out at Tennessee. I've had personal contact with the guy. He's one of the most unpretentious and a "normal" men

"422 wins as a player and coach with the Vols...but an average loss 24 points in the SEC....and an unacceptable 15-15 in his final 30 conference games.  

What's up with coaches going out in the middle of the season? This isn't the NFL. Players will lose motivation. Recruiting is not a good enough of an excuse to make an in-season firing. And not the newly-established thinking by some that booting a guy early gives them a head start on finding a big-time replacement. Shame on the Knoxville Orange Bloods.

Phil sobbingly said at his press conference, "I love Tennessee too much to see her divided."

Barry Switzer and Pat Jones and Phil Fulmer, just three devoted men who did not leave on top. But unfortunately that's the way it is in business-which is really what college football is in 2008.

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Take Alabama and give Less-Miles the three.....

Adios.

                       

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