Open Post | Tuesday, October 20th
Posted on: October 20, 2020
Sunday Brunch | This Weeks Big 12 Rankings
– Charlie S – Posted on: October 18, 2020
This week the Big 12 only had one game on the schedule as WVU beat up on Kansas.
Let’s take a look at my updated rankings for the conference now that the majority of the teams have played multiple games:
***Note: In order to not be simply a reactionary poll, I am using a set guideline where no matter where a team entered the poll from the previous week, they cannot move up or down more than 3 spots. This does not mean they will not continue to drop or ascend as the weeks go on, but I’m trying to not be as reactionary as I would like to be.***
Remember, these are 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.
Conference record in parenthesis.
***1. OkState – (2-0) Last week 1 – Didn’t do a darned thing as Baylor opted-out of their game. Still not sure who or what this team really is.
***2. Iowa State – (3-0) Last week 5 – Since my last rankings they beat Texas Tech to move to 3-0 in conference and, in my opinion, they have the inside track to the Big 12 championship game. They aren’t flashy, but they have been getting the job done.
***3. West Virginia – (2 -1) Last week 2 – Since my last rankings they didn’t do a darn thing impressive as they played Kansas which is much like having a bye week. If anything, I was a bit disappointed in their overall game and I do not think they remain in the top 3 in the conference much longer. Their defense is getting a bit of attention, but their toughest games are in front of them, IMO.
***4. Oklahoma – (1-2) Last week 6 – Since the last rankings they went out and beat Texas in 4 overtimes. OU actually showed flashes of domination in all facets of the game, but they still rolled over and blew another 2-score lead in the fourth quarter to get to those overtimes. Should be behind KSU right now, but because of the 3 spot movement limitations, they remain just ahead of them, but that will likely change next week should both teams win.
***5. Kansas State – (3-0) Last week 8 – Since the last rankings they beat a puzzling TCU team 21-14. They also lost their starting QB Skylar Thompson so that will be an issue as they still have some challenges on their schedule. They haven’t beaten themselves to this point and if they continue to play with discipline and focus, they could easily still find themselves in the Big 12 championship game.
***6. TCU – (1-2) Last week 3 – Since my last rankings, TCU went out and lost to Kansas State in a largely uninspiring 21-14 game. Their offense sputters and their defense does just enough to lose. Still not ready to write them off as a threat, but they have yet to really put things together. OU hopes that continues this week.
***7. Texas – (1-2) Last week 4 – Since my last rankings Texas lost to OU in 4 overtimes. They were fortunate to even get to overtime as OU dominated the game for 55 minutes until they rolled over and let Texas tie things up. They just are not a cohesive unit and there is strife around the program both on and off the field. Herman is on the hot seat and they likely need to win out to have any chance of saving his job. I don’t see them winning out.
***8. Baylor – (1-1) Last week 7 – Since my last rankings they opted out against Oklahoma State. Probably saved themselves an ‘L’ temporarily and the game is rescheduled for later in the season (the date of the Big 12 championship game) so it may not get played if the Pokes are locked in to the CCG.
***9. Texas Tech – (0-3) Last week 9 – Since the last rankings they dropped a game to Iowa State 35-14. Their best hope to leave the 9th spot is Texas or Baylor mailing their seasons in. They likely never leave where they are at in the rankings. I would say they are almost…almost as locked in to their spot as Kansas is.
***10. Kansas – Last week 10 – (0-3) – Final answer, lock it in.
Couple takeaways from my own poll:
***Finally looking close to what it should be. KSU being below Oklahoma is the one real injustice, but that should be remedied this week as they take on Kansas and will leapfrog OU even if both teams win.
***West Virginia is likely too high as I saw nothing overly impressive out of them. Could have just been unispired since Kansas was the opponent, but I think they have QB issues and I do not believe the defense is nearly as good as they are getting credit for right now aside from their DL which I really like.
***Couple teams searching for their bottoms in Texas (who very easily could be 0-3 in conference) and TCU. TCU is dangerous but just cannot seem to put it all together.
***Gonna learn a lot about OkState this week as they take on a steady Iowa State team. If you are an OU fan, you are rooting for Iowa State here.
Update on the Good News
– Super K – Posted on: October 16, 2020
Am told the 2022 player reached out to the Sooners staff around noon today (Friday) and committed. So, in that sense it’s a done deal.
However, was excepting an announcement to come about an hour after that and it still hasn’t happened. Not completely sure now when it will happen. But again, the player has spoken to the staff and made his commitment.
2021 Linebacker Recruiting | Update
– Super K – Posted on: October 19, 2020
Wanted to let you all know that I have heard that OU is looking to add another linebacker to the 2021 class.
They’re in the market for move of an interior LB. Rush position seems to be settled.
They have Stutsman in the boat and there is a sense that Clayton Smith could move around, if necessary.
I don’t have any solid names for you just yet. I know that Baylor commit, Romario Noel has been talked about a bit. He’s a very big DB who can absolutely fly. He’d be a Kenneth Murray type guy who has the body/frame of a LB but plays DB and can run.
Working on getting some names here though.
***I do know that 2021 linebacker Terrence Cooks (6’2″ 210) out of Pearland, Texas did recently reach out to Oklahoma.
OU is still evaluating him so he is a name you may hear more about in the coming days and weeks.
Update | 2022 Linebacker Xavier Simmons
– Charlie S – Posted on: October 19, 2020
Staying the the linebacker theme, last week the Sooners extended an offer to 2022 linebacker Xavier Simmons out of Greensboro, NC.
Simmons is listed at 6’3″ 210 and he holds around a dozen offers, most of which are from east coast schools including UNC, Virginia Tech, South Carolina and North Carolina State.
I caught up with Simmons over the weekend to get his quick reaction to the Oklahoma offer.
***Simmons said Sooners linebacker coach Brian Odom first reached out to him and his coach early last week.
***He told me he does not have any current connection with OU (friends or family) but he ‘Has a lot of respect’ for the program.
***Simmons noted he admires the coaching staff and what he called ‘The strong fan base” (yes, fan bases do impact kids)
***He commented that he views Oklahoma as ‘One of the top programs in the country’ and their pipeline to the NFL is also appealing.
It is very early in the relationship between OU and Simmons, but the fact that the Sooners are the first major program outside of his region to offer will likely carry some weight with him down the line.
OU already has Kobie McKinzie (6’3″ 227) committed in the 2022 class and they have a few other offers out there, but after watching his film, this looks like a really nice early eval and offer for OU.
You can see his potential in his sophomore film. Plenty athletic, good size, has a good motor and capable speed and he appears to be well versed in his role at linebacker at a very young age.
Big 12 Conference Call | Lincoln Riley | TCU Week
– James Hale – Posted on: October 19, 2020
Notes from Lincoln Riley’s portion of the Big 12 Conference call this week…
On the suspended trio:
“That process is still ongoing, so still yet to be determined.”
Using Postponements as a teaching tool:
“Yeah, no, we certainly use it as a teaching tool. I think it makes it more real. You know, we haven’t been to the point where we were going to miss a game, but it shows you how quickly it can get out of hand. And so we’ve done some good things on it the last few weeks, but like we’ve kind of continually said, this is a day-by-day process. Things can be great one day and not great the next if you let it slip. And, like we said, even with this virus, you can be as vigilant or as diligent as you want to be and you can still have a guy or two get it. That’s just the nature of this thing. So I think we’ve learned more. I think our guys have done a great job, especially with having to travel the last couple weeks. And the Big 12’s got us traveling here for a long time, so we’re getting in a good rhythm there.”
Austin Stogner as a matchup problem:
“Yeah, Stog’s done a nice job. You know, he’s really, really improved so much from last year. Offensively he’s probably the guy that’s had as much improvement as any player. Really kind of just figured out his body and just kind of got his legs underneath him. I mean, he was growing. Obviously grew so quickly as a child, as big as he is, and I think put on some weight win he got here. And he just has really athletically turned the corner, really developed in the weight room and route running, kind of all that stuff. So yeah, there are definitely some similarities to Mark. You know, Mark is a little bit faster. Stog’s a little bit bigger. But both are very competitive, both very coachable. Both presented tough matchups for people because of their combination of athleticism and size.”
On the one time transfer rule which has been proposed:
“I think every rule has unintended consequences. I think this one will be no different. Do I support it? It’s a tough question, honestly. I think there are circumstances where a player certainly should be allowed to and should be allowed to play right away. There are certainly extenuating circumstances. I do get that those are difficult to define or make a decision on who gets it or who doesn’t. Yeah, and then I think the obvious concern is just do you have just a mass of players just leaving places the second that something doesn’t work out for them. You know, and there are so many on your roster.
“I mean, like Isaiah Thomas is a great example for us. I mean, he’s having a tremendous year. That’s an example of a young guy that maybe could have got discouraged when it wasn’t the fairy tale start to a career, and this guy’s kind of hung in there, kept working and really turned himself into a heck of a player. And you wonder if you’ll have that many examples of that, if and when this rule goes through. So, I support kids being able to play. I certainly do. But I am a little bit worried about are we teaching them that in life the second something doesn’t go your way that you can just run from it and jump onto the next thing. I’m a little bit concerned about just a completely open door, to be honest.”
Should the 25 per class limit be changed:
“It’ll be interesting how it plays out. I mean, you’ve got two major changes. You’ve got the combination of the 25, and then you’ve got the combination of this year, where everybody’s getting a year that doesn’t count against their eligibility, which is going to have long-term effects on these numbers. So it’s going to be tough. It’s going to be difficult to figure that out and give schools an opportunity to get back to a reasonable scholarship number.”
On TCU QB Max Duggan:
“Certainly he’s a talented kid. You know, you could tell he’s getting better, like a lot of guys are when they play early in their careers. He had a lot of ups and downs as a young guy, which again that’s [something] most quarterbacks do. And there’s no question he’s improving. It’s a combination of a talented kid and he’s coached really well by Sonny [Cumbie] and those guys. So [it’s] no surprise that he has improved, and he certainly is making some really nice throws and a lot of plays both with his arm and with his legs.”
Matching up against Patterson’s defense:
“It is fun. It is. We’ve had some great battles over the years. And I’ve said it many times: There’s nobody in the country defensively that I have more respect for. And I think he just does a tremendous job and does it year-in and year-out. So it’s never easy against those guys. That’s for sure. It is a fun challenge for both our coaches and our players.”
What was worked on during the bye week:
“Yeah, it honestly probably is close to the stock answer. I mean, yeah, I think there’s so much. There’s so much we’re doing well [that] I’m excited about, but so much we have to clean up. I think we’re just looking for more consistent football across the board, all three sides. We’ve had kind of moments of brilliance and moments of not brilliance. And I think if you’re going to be a really, really good football team this is kind of the time [it happens]. You see kind of the setup for us. Like, this is the time we should really have a lot of growth.”
“We’ve kind of gone through some ups and downs as a team. You know, we’re coming off a big win. [It’s] a chance to hopefully get some guys back here in the next few weeks, chance for players to really improve. And so this is the time we should improve. That’s what we told our team. I mean, this is laid out for us to really go play a higher quality of football and play closer to what we believe our potential is, but we’ve got to go do it. And we had a very productive bye week. Guys did a good job handling it. And we need to do it again here this week and be ready to go.”
Specific teaching points following the first four games:
“Oh, so many, I mean so many There is, just some of the critical plays that we haven’t made. Obviously, we want to be able to play more consistent across the board, want to be able to finish games when we do play well enough to get leads against good opponents. But also [there were] a lot of exciting things from those first four games that we certainly feel like we can build on.”
