Hot Links: 2024 exit, Super Bowl Sooners, and more!

Feb 14, 2023 - 4:18 AM

What’s good?

Man... lots and lots to get to today.

I mean seriously, where to even start or what to start with is a tough one. Oklahoma has announced they are heading into their final year as a member of the Big 12. I know that I am in the minority, but I for one am glad we are getting the zany Big 14 season. The schedule release was fun. Traveling to Utah will be a cool environment, and it’s one season, so why the heck not?

Overall, I assume this feels like the last few weeks of high school for most Sooner fans. I know this is over. I know this part is kind of pointless, but you are still making me show up anyway? Lame.

Before you start studying Alabama depth charts and trying to figure out which three other SEC teams you will play every season (I would like it to be Texas, A&M, and Arkansas) I hope everyone takes a deep breath. The SEC will provide a lot of things, many of which have nothing to do with football.

Yes, Oklahoma will now be playing against the titans of the sport every so often, and the likes of Kirby Smart and Nick Saban will be strutting up and down the sidelines in Norman soon while in the back room printing more cash than will ever be needed. Men in old man hats and leather jackets coming up with dumb things to spend money on for things they don’t need, ya know? Because we’ve gotta say we are broke at the end of the year, otherwise how do we ask for more donations?

But that’s just the money. What else will happen with this move?

The men’s basketball program that is currently under-talented and unprepared to swim with the big fish in the Big 12 ocean will move to calmer waters, maybe allowing it to keep its head above the waves.

The women’s basketball program is building real momentum, but will be losing two incredibly fun rivalries that are budding. Have you watched OU against Baylor or Oklahoma State? It’s a blast.

Softball, known titan on its own planetary sphere, will be losing frankly one of the only teams that have a shot of beating them regularly off their schedule. Oklahoma State was about as close to a “problem” as OU had the last few years. Now, maybe schedule in some non-conference games.

I could rattle through the reasons why women’s gymnastics, men’s gymnastics, baseball, track, soccer, and others are all going to feel this stress/change but you get the point. The money infusion will help these programs, but the competition will be tougher and the travel will be longer.

And before you send me the “FOOTBALL IS ALL THAT MATTERS” messages, I just want to say that I don’t believe that. I interact with a lot of these coaches and players through the course of my day job. Football is not the only thing that matters to me. While excited for the new, the jury is out on how beneficial it will be for the other sports.

But who honestly cares? The home football schedule got better and the fans are excited, no one wants the wet blanket to be hanging around at the party so let’s get to the links.

OU LINKS:

• OU is congratulating Creed Humphrey, Orlando Brown, Blake Bell and James Winchester for coming out on top with the Kansas City Chiefs.

• On the other side, Jalen Hurts came up just short, but his incredible effort will not soon be forgotten.

• Big 12 Schedule was released a few weeks ago! Finally! My thoughts; three out of the last five games are road games, including a trip to BYU. Punch in a short week hosting TCU to end the season at home, the ending isn’t exactly easy. Overall though? First five are layups heading into Texas. UCF & West Virginia are easy home games. All the THEY ARE GOING TO GIVE OKLAHOMA A DEATH SCHEDULE takes might need to retract those headlines. On the whole? Not too bad. Also, why you clicked; I am predicting the season right now:

Home: Arkansas State -- WIN 42-10. Tune up, baby!

Home: SMU — WIN 49-17. Turns out SMU needs a star QB to be good

Away: Tulsa — WIN 32 - 9. Tulsa hangs around in the first and then...

Away: Cincy — WIN 24 - 17. Shout-out to a good Cincy D

Home: Iowa State — WIN 31-13. Iowa State stinks

Red River — LOSS 34-33. The “WTF” clock moment of season

Bye Week

Home: UCF — WIN 42-13. Gabriel struggles early but then catches fire

Away: Kansas — WIN 26-24. Coach Lance does coach Lance things.

Away: Oklahoma State — WIN 54 -17. Pokes have no players

Home: West Virginia — WIN 44 - 18. Mountaineers have no players

Away: BYU — LOSS 20 - 17. Three road games in four weeks? Woof.

Home (Black Friday): TCU WIN 28 - 24. Brent’s defense “arrives”

Ya heard it here first! 10-2. That probably gets you to Arlington, too.

• Bob Przybylo lays out the story behind the SEC move and the timing. You can check that out here, I promise he is not as much of a Negative Nancy like myself.
• The OU women’s basketball team is amazing? I mean seriously the most enjoyable basketball experience in state right now, followed by the Thunder. Tramel writes about Oklahoma putting themselves in position to win the Big 12 in what now is their final chance to do so.
• The ole’ pressure of a three-peat, something few teams know what it is like. Frankly, I have no idea how to talk about it. My buddy Ryan Aber let the softball players do it for themselves, probably the better idea.
• 5-0 with some ranked wins? I’d call it a successful weekend for OU softball.

• I think everyone is curious about the SEC transition, and even the most confident fan has to admit they have woken up on their couch in a cold sweat, brushed the cheetos off their shirt, and look at themselves in the mirror and ask... is OU ready for the SEC? I know I have done that 10 times these past two weeks getting ready for the Super Bowl. Here is Hoover answering that question.
• Frankly, if I was asked, I could write 10,000 words on everything I think is going wrong with Oklahoma basketball. To Porter’s credit, he summed it up with one word, grit. Eli Lederman writes on that here.
• Speaking of which, Porter shot down the recent Notre Dame chatter today.

• If you are wanting to know the nitty gritty of the financial details of the SEC move, Ross Dellenger has it all here, some is in the thread of this tweet.

• Sam Khan from the Athletic talks about his perception of how not only Oklahoma transitions to the SEC but also.. Texas. The other half of this equation.

Is anything else going on?

• Lol, did anyone else wake up to this while feeding their baby at 3am, go back to sleep, then wake up for the day two hours later assuming they had made this up in a late night portion of imagination...? No? Just me? Cool cool cool cool.

• I mean seriously. I never watch this event live. I didn’t this year either but after watching this video and getting a little choked up I for the first itme was kicking myself for not doing so.

Talk to you knuckleheads soon.