Open Post | Tuesday, November 17th
Posted on: November 17, 2020
Sunday Brunch | Big 12 Rankings & Random Notes Ahead of Bedlam
– Charlie S
Let’s start with my Big 12 rankings.
Remember, these are my own personal week to week rankings. This is not how I view the teams overall but by the end of the season they should matchup with my exact thoughts.
***1. Iowa State – (5-1) Last week 1 – Schedule: KSU, @TEX, WVU – Loses: OkState
***2. Oklahoma – (4-2) Last week 2 – Schedule: OkState, @WVU, BAY – Loses: KSU, ISU
***3. OkState – (4-1) Last week 3 – Schedule: @OU, TTU, @TCU, @BAY – Loses: TEX
***4. Texas – (4-2) Last week 4 – Schedule: KAN, @ISU, KSU – Loses: OU, TCU
***5. West Virginia – (4-3) Last week 6 – Schedule: OU, @ISU – Loses: OkState, TTU, TEX
***6. Kansas State – (4-2) Last week 5 – Schedule: @ISU, @BAY, TEX – Loses: WVU, OkState
***7. TCU – (3-4) Last week 7 – Schedule: @KAN, OkState – Loses: ISU, KSU, OU, WVU
***8. Texas Tech – (2-5) Last week 9 – Schedule: @OkState, KAN – Loses: TEX, KSU, ISU, OU , TCU
***9. Baylor – (1-5) Last week 8 – Schedule: KSU, @OU, OkState – Loses: WVU, TEX, TCU, ISU, TTU
***10. Kansas – Last week 10 – (0-6) – Schedule: TEX, TCU, TTU – Loses: Errbody
***I still see Iowa State with the inside track to the CCG as the top seed.
***Bedlam is basically an elimination game for both schools (Yes I know OkState would still have a shot at the 2 seed if some crazy things happen even if they lose)
***KSU is hanging on for dear life and it could be over for them as soon as next week
***Texas needs to win out and if they do, they should be in (again, crazy scenarios could still work against them even if they win out, but they are less likely)
Sooners host Bedlam in primetime and ESPN College Gameday will be in town!
On that note, I have picked up some chatter that there will potentially be some recruits in town (on self guided tours) but have yet to confirm their plans fully.
Obviously, that is something we will be talking about this week, but I would not expect a huge bunch of guys due to the logistics and challenges that the pandemic is playing havoc with.
Quick note on 2021 Running Back Camar Wheaton.
Spoke to a source around Wheaton who told me that OU is still feeling good about where things stand.
Source said the commits are having ‘a lot’ of communication with him and ‘he knows OU gives him a great opportunity with the offensive scheme and early playing time’.
Not a huge note, but with how quiet Camar goes about his recruiting, I figured y’all would wanna hear what we hear.
We will continue to gather what we can in regards to how things develop here and look for when a possible decision will be made. I know there is increasing speculation about a decision coming ‘soon’, but it has been that way since the spring. Eventually someone will get it right because time is running out as early signing day is just over a month away. Would not shock me if Wheaton doesn’t sign early, as nothing he does has been broadcast and everything is basically a surprise.
Snippet from: Monday Notebook | Recruiting Notes
– James Hale
Recruiting in the time of a pandemic
There is still no word on whether a mini Sooner Summit will take place in Norman for the Bedlam weekend. At press time, Caleb Williams and his family have started to talk to Tristan Leigh’s family, and they have reached out to Savion Byrd and Camar Wheaton and even five-star wide receiver Emeka Egbuka out of Steilacoom, Washington.
Leigh still wants to see Oklahoma, Ohio State, and Florida before he makes his decision. He’s been to LSU four different times and has a great idea what he Tigers are all about. Leigh has been to OU once, and he went to Ohio State before the pandemic hit. Leigh is working with the All-American game to announce his decision on January 2nd. The game was canceled due to COVID, but several players still plan to announce their decision that day as NBC is putting together a special with players declaring where they are going to play their college ball.
Right now, Leigh plans on announcing that day, but he still wants to take trips to see three campuses. He is not sure if he can get those visits done in time or not, and if he doesn’t, he will have to decide whether he wants to announce on the 2nd or wait until the second signing period. He has always dreamed of announcing at that game, and he still wants to be part of their announcements on the second, so if that is what he wants, he will have to get busy over the next month and a half to get those remaining visits in.
One interesting note about Leigh, his girlfriend, is no longer a factor where Tristan goes to school. Yes, they are still dating, but her family has moved close to the campus at UCF near Oviedo, Florida. With her mom working there, she can go to school free at UCF, and that is where she will go to college.
The two will try to have a long distance relationship, but Tristan no longer has to worry about finding a school where they can go to the same school. Leigh is not considering UCF.
Byrd recently came out with a top-five this past Friday.
I am not sure that Byrd is actually considering five schools, and I think he really likes OU. I still feel its OU, SMU, and LSU. There is some thought that he is a silent commitment to OU, but he continues to recruit and take phone calls. Don’t be surprised if you see him around Norman this coming Saturday.
Caleb Williams continues to be a big factor here. Williams is living in Norman, while his family remains in Washington DC. Williams has hired a personal trainer and takes his high school classes online, working to graduate from Gonzaga High School in Washington DC. If you live in Norman, you will see Williams around town as he has become a regular Norman citizen.
Williams has invited all those guys to Norman to come and stay with him. I have no idea how many bedrooms his place has, but the Williams family will make it work. Williams and his family are coming to the Bedlam game. They have invited all those mentioned earlier, plus four-star 2022 receiver Talyon Shettron (6’3, 185) out of Edmond Santa, Fe, Oklahoma, to come with them to the game.
Every one of these recruits that I talked to, whether it was the player themselves or their family, still indicates they are talking all the time to Williams. No matter what else I hear, I still feel that it’s going to be hard for any of these players to turn down Caleb and the Williams family.
Oklahoma is the only program that is recruiting all of these players together, even though a few of them have a legitimate interest in a couple of other schools. The Sooners are the only program that has Caleb Williams, and no other program has anybody like him. OU still has a great chance to close with all these players, including four-star offensive lineman Bryce Foster (6’4 1/2, 330) of Katy (Taylor), Texas. Foster is down to OU, Oregon and Texas A&M and will announce in December.
Lincoln Riley | Big 12 Conference Call
– Charlie S
James will likely have more for you all, but the highlights of Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley’s portion of the Big 12 conference call include:
***On the current situation of college football during the pandemic: ‘Would any of us be shocked right now if the season got shut down? No.’
***On Sooners tight end Austin Stogner: Says he is sore and the week off came at a good time for him. Notes he has not been practicing to this point. Expects to get him back out there this week. Will see how it goes.
***On Spencer Rattler: Only notes that he hopes he is ready to play his best ball of the year as the season concludes.
