Randy Inman
Bruce Bostwick
James Rickard
Jam Patterson 
Winless In Seattle
Robin PottratzYou Know Who I Don't Like? The Oklahoma Sooners
December 15th 2008 02:20
Last night, Oklahoma Sooner Quarterback Sam Bradford took home the Heisman Trophy, the highest honor that can be bestowed in College Football. Bradford won the award in the closest Heisman race since 2001. Bradford averaged an astounding 343.4 passing yards per game and threw for 4464 total yards and 48 touchdown passes. His stats are very impressive, but those statistics are a reflection of how unsportsmanlike the Oklahoma Sooners play football. They sacrifice respect for their opponents and general goodwill around the country in order to put themselves in contention for the National Championship every year.
What I am referring to is the product of one of the most dysfunctional creations within the world of sports...the BCS. Last week, it was determined that Oklahoma would face the Florida Gators for the BCS National Championship on January 8th. Now in the eyes of many (including myself), Oklahoma has absolutely no business being in this game. They have an identical record to the Texas Longhorns, and when Oklahoma and Texas played one another on a neutral field in October, Texas gave the Sooners a ten point defeat. Head to head, there is no question that Texas should be in the National Championship, not Oklahoma.
So the obvious question is: How did Oklahoma weasel their way into the championship ahead of Texas. The answer is that Oklahoma, like they have done in the past, have found ways to manipulate the system. One of the determining factors that goes into the BCS decision making process is margin and quality of victory. Translation - If you win your games by a larger margin of victory then your BCS counterparts then you gain an edge in the BCS standings. Oklahoma has been pulling this BS for years. I recall when USC was undefeated and ranked number one in both polls at the end of the season...yet they were left out of a National Title Game against LSU in favor of...you guessed it, Oklahoma. They were able to do this in the same way that they were able to do it this season...by running up the score on inferior opponents.
A familiar tactic that the Sooners took all season long was running up the score on inferior opponents. This involved leaving Sam Bradford in the game in the fourth quarter when the game had already been decided just so that they could score a few more points in order to improve their BCS ranking. They did it to Oklahoma State, Missouri, Texas Tech, Nebraska, Texas A&M and Baylor. The only time that they were not able to enact their unsportsmanlike tactic was when they played their main conference (and BCS) rival Texas...because Texas handed them a Big L.
Just to give you a clearer picture, Oklahoma became the first team in history to score at least 60 points in their last five games. They also had an average margin of victory of 33.4 points per game in that same span. Now you tell me, did they really need to score sixty points if they were winning by such significant margins. The answer is no, the only reason that they scored so many points is that they new that they couldn't overtake Texas without manipulating the system. What Oklahoma did this season was wrong, slimy and unsportsmanlike.
Getting back to the beginning point, I congratulate Sam Bradford on his win, but in my eyes it is tainted because of the bullying ways that they won their contests. If Oklahoma would have been better sportsman, Bradford would have been taken out regularly in the fourth quarter of those games and his stats wouldn't have been so high.
If there is true karmic justice in the College Football world, then come January 8th they will run into a buzz-saw known as the Florida Gators led by another Heisman winner Tim Tebow as well as Percy Harvin among other talented players. I hope that the Florida Gators take the Sooners apart and run the score up on them...just because it would be really funny and terrific payback for all of the Big XII opponents that the Sooners have humiliated over the past couple of months.
Whether or not that will happen remains to be seen. One thing is for sure, on January 8th, I will be tuned into Fox to see who will hold the Sears Trophy high above their head...and God I hope its Florida.
What I am referring to is the product of one of the most dysfunctional creations within the world of sports...the BCS. Last week, it was determined that Oklahoma would face the Florida Gators for the BCS National Championship on January 8th. Now in the eyes of many (including myself), Oklahoma has absolutely no business being in this game. They have an identical record to the Texas Longhorns, and when Oklahoma and Texas played one another on a neutral field in October, Texas gave the Sooners a ten point defeat. Head to head, there is no question that Texas should be in the National Championship, not Oklahoma.
So the obvious question is: How did Oklahoma weasel their way into the championship ahead of Texas. The answer is that Oklahoma, like they have done in the past, have found ways to manipulate the system. One of the determining factors that goes into the BCS decision making process is margin and quality of victory. Translation - If you win your games by a larger margin of victory then your BCS counterparts then you gain an edge in the BCS standings. Oklahoma has been pulling this BS for years. I recall when USC was undefeated and ranked number one in both polls at the end of the season...yet they were left out of a National Title Game against LSU in favor of...you guessed it, Oklahoma. They were able to do this in the same way that they were able to do it this season...by running up the score on inferior opponents.
A familiar tactic that the Sooners took all season long was running up the score on inferior opponents. This involved leaving Sam Bradford in the game in the fourth quarter when the game had already been decided just so that they could score a few more points in order to improve their BCS ranking. They did it to Oklahoma State, Missouri, Texas Tech, Nebraska, Texas A&M and Baylor. The only time that they were not able to enact their unsportsmanlike tactic was when they played their main conference (and BCS) rival Texas...because Texas handed them a Big L.
Just to give you a clearer picture, Oklahoma became the first team in history to score at least 60 points in their last five games. They also had an average margin of victory of 33.4 points per game in that same span. Now you tell me, did they really need to score sixty points if they were winning by such significant margins. The answer is no, the only reason that they scored so many points is that they new that they couldn't overtake Texas without manipulating the system. What Oklahoma did this season was wrong, slimy and unsportsmanlike.
Getting back to the beginning point, I congratulate Sam Bradford on his win, but in my eyes it is tainted because of the bullying ways that they won their contests. If Oklahoma would have been better sportsman, Bradford would have been taken out regularly in the fourth quarter of those games and his stats wouldn't have been so high.
If there is true karmic justice in the College Football world, then come January 8th they will run into a buzz-saw known as the Florida Gators led by another Heisman winner Tim Tebow as well as Percy Harvin among other talented players. I hope that the Florida Gators take the Sooners apart and run the score up on them...just because it would be really funny and terrific payback for all of the Big XII opponents that the Sooners have humiliated over the past couple of months.
Whether or not that will happen remains to be seen. One thing is for sure, on January 8th, I will be tuned into Fox to see who will hold the Sears Trophy high above their head...and God I hope its Florida.
| 47 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
subscribe to this blog
Comment by Randy Inman
Waxing Political
Football Dogz
I have to admit I like Oklahoma a little because their offensive coach is from the same county I live in.
Comment by James Rickard
unlucky_ fishermen.com
Angling Fish
Check this out...
Comment by James Rickard
unlucky_ fishermen.com
Angling Fish
Check this out...
Comment by James Rickard
unlucky_ fishermen.com
Angling Fish
Check this out...
Comment by jesse-podoll
UnSportsman
Now, speaking of playing late in games - I think you will find that the other 2 finalists played just as much as Bradford late into some blow outs. But on the flip side - in playing Bradford and Murray late in games that were over at halftime - you go into the National Championship game with a cast on Bradford's non-throwing hand and your stud RB, Murray, will be watching on the sidelines...