After the Baylor game, I asked my brother and sister in a text what their thoughts were.
My brother’s reply was “We are what they thought we were.” And my sister’s was “This team has so much talent but continues to under achieve.”
I’m tempted to just end this article right here and say the Worry Meter is at 90% this week and have a good day. I think those two replies sum up Oklahoma’s season perfectly.
We as fans didn’t want to admit it, but 9-0 was fool’s gold. The signs were right there in front of us.
Close calls against several mediocre to bad teams. Teams Oklahoma were expected to bury at the start of the season.
The great comeback against texas has even been sullied as the longhorns have sunk to depths they haven’t seen in 50 years. And although watching texas implode is always a good time, it
doesn’t help the Sooners in the quality win category.
It seems crazy to question Riley because of the hardware he has already won…. But this is Oklahoma. You have to feed the beast.
Our best win has been against Kansas State. Not exactly the resume of a semi-final team. Not even the resume of a top 10 team now.
Look, Baylor is a solid team. But with all the expectations Oklahoma had this year, and all the talent Oklahoma has, this had to be a win. OU not only lost, they lost pretty handily.
I don’t think many Oklahoma fans would tell you that they honestly thought the Sooners were going to stage a comeback once Baylor took the lead in the second half. And that is frustrating to say the least. Baylor just looked like they wanted it more.
Is Riley having issues getting his team up for these games?
This shouldn’t be a problem because almost every game in college football is a must win if you have a team that is a legit contender for the National Championship. Especially in what has come to be known as Championship November. And Oklahoma should be a legit contender almost every year.
It’s hard to question a coach who has won four straight Big 12 titles and appeared in three College Football Playoffs in his first four years on the job.
But what is it going to take to get to the next step? Can we get to the next step in the Big 12?
One theory is that once we get to the SEC, we of course will face better opponents, at least in the top part of the league, but we will be able to recruit higher quality athletes as well.
Iron sharpens iron and all that.
Is Riley the man to get OU their next National Championship? There’s a rumor floating around that Grinch is complaining the practices are too soft. He wants more contact, but Riley doesn’t want to risk injury.
Again, it seems crazy to question Riley because of the hardware he has already won. And it can also seem crazy that anyone whose team is 9-1 is complaining. But this is Oklahoma. You have to feed the beast.
It’s been 21 years since our last National Title. That’s the longest streak between National Titles for Oklahoma since they won their first of seven in 1950. It would seem the wait continues for at least another year.
Riley said at his press conference if they could play today they would. He says the team is anxious to get back on the field. Hopefully that translates to a better showing this Saturday morning in another rooster kick-off against the Iowa State Cyclones.
If there is a team in the Big 12 that has been more disappointing than Oklahoma this year, it’s Iowa State. After having played for a Big 12 Championship and beating Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl last season, the Clones were riding high with all 22 starters returning this year. Some were picking them to win the conference and play in the CFP this year.
However, they come limping into Norman off a loss to Texas Tech and with a 6-4 record. Don’t know what happened to those guys. They do have one of the best wins in the Big 12 handing Okie State their only loss of the season, but then they turn around and lose to West Virginia and Texas Tech.
They have all the talent back that led them to one of, if not the best season in Iowa State history last year, but have somehow regressed in 2021. If Oklahoma is really anxious to get back on the field and show that the Baylor game was a fluke, they should beat Iowa State easily this weekend. And I mean it shouldn’t be close in the fourth quarter.
But “easy win” has hardly been in the Sooner’s vocabulary this year.
So the Worry Meter is at 90% this week.
There is still time to have a solid year that would hopefully lead into a special 2022 season. But Oklahoma has to show it on the field.
With all that being said…BOOMER!!!
-Dave
WORRY METER: 90 PERCENT
Kickoff: 11 am Saturday (TV: FOX)
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