By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
The Oklahoma Sooners will roll into Kansas City for Saturday's Big 12 Championship Game with a gaudy 11-1 record. They'll be heavily favored to smash the Missouri Tigers.
But don't be too surprised if OU leaves town a whipped football team.
The Big 12 title game has seen several huge upsets, in situations much like this one, in which a nationally ranked team loses to a lightly taken opponent. Examples:
-- 2003: OU is the No. 1 team in the nation, one of the supposedly best collegiate squads of all time. Kansas State rakes the Sooners, 35-7.
-- 2001: Texas comes in as the No. 3 team in America, and is upset by Colorado, 39-37.
-- 1996: In the first Big 12 championship, Texas romps over a favored Nebraska squad.
Sure, it's going to take a hot Missouri team doing all the right things to defeat OU on Saturday.
But if quarterback Chase Daniel has a great game, and coach Gary Pinkel can avoid a mid- or late-game meltdown in coaching strategy, the Tigers just might pull off one of the bigger upsets of the 2008 season.
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"But don't be too surprised
"But don't be too surprised if OU leaves town a whipped football team."
I wasn't surprised - tonight I told my brother prior to the game that if Bradford stayed healthy that we'd win by 40 (I'm an OU graduate of 1979). I realize that there's no way I can prove it, but it's true. They won by 41. It was a combination of OU's far superior matchup of their offensive line vs. MU's defensive line and the inevitable emotional deflation MU would have experienced from that epic loss last week vs. KU (a terrific game by both schools).
I suspect Florida is going to give us one hellacious game, and I will make no further predictions, but I have to say that I trust Texas fans can at least respect these facts:
1 - No one in NCAA history has ever scored more points in a season than the Sooners
2 - No one has ever scored 60 points or more in 5 straight games except the Sooners, who would have done so in 6 games if after scoring 55 in the first half vs. KState they would have scored 6 more points (when they only got a field goal the entire second half).
3 - OU beat #2 Texas Tech 65-21, who beat Texas 39-33, then beat #12 OSU at Stillwater 61-41, then hammered the North division champ #20 MU tonight (as usual) ... if Texas had taken care of Tech as they should have, they wouldn't be whining.
4 - OU was not responsible for the Big 12 tiebreaker rule that used the BCS ranking after FOUR OTHER TIEBREAKERS to determine the division champion - they simply played the games on their schedule and let the cow chips fall where they might, which unfortunately fell squarely on Texas (unfortunately for their fans - lol).
--> Global warming is the new eugenics <--
So much for that
So much for that theory
Fizzou never had much of a defense. And they brought it tonight.
One reason Oklahoma scored more than 60 points in six straight games is they kept getting chances for the offense to get on the field.
It's gonna be Florida and the Sooners for the national championship and OU looks pretty good in that match-up.
Pinkie has the coaching challenge of his career coming up. He's gotta come back from back-to-back losses and try to redeem "The Year of the Tigger" at some meaningless bowl game against some school like the Little Sisters of the Poor or the Indiana School for the Blind. Try getting the team up for that challenge.
Next year, with Mizzou's best players gone and the rest of the team (which we saw tonight) as its foundation for the future, the Tiggers will begin the season with a three-game losing streak.
twas_was; Re Stoops
twas_was;
Re Stoops whining
Since both teams play on the same horrible field how can Stoops be whining?
Playing a night football game in KC in December in one of the worst venues in the known world is ridiculous.
The only reason it is played there is to give the north champions fans a chance to see some good football.
Misouri fans were obnoxious in Norman and San Antonio last year-maybe they will win this year-but imagine how obnoxious they will be.
I'm one of those
I'm one of those old-fashioned people that think that football is played in all elements. The people at this year's game, due to the elements, will be the real fans, not someone who goes as a social affair. I guess you think playing football inside the Alamo Dome is where real football is played. It's part of the game, sir!
Then, sir, why do so many
Then, sir, why do so many venues have covered stadiums?
Are the games played in the New Orleans Superdome, or the Georgia Dome, or the Pontiac Dome, not "real" football?
KC is still a horrible football venue in December--I used to live there!
The stadium is not real great and the field is terrible if the weather is bad.
Yes, emphatically, San Antonio is a far suprior venue in December. But you knew that since you were there last year, right?
I won't argue with you on
I won't argue with you on your points since we disagree on everything. I watched the game in the Alamo Bowl last year. With HD broadcast you can see the the fans real well. It was very evident to me that many of the people there were there for social reasons. You'd see a reaction to a very good play, and half of the people were looking and talking to each other or people behind them. You won't see that this year. Those folks won't sit in 30 degree weather to socialize. They are there for one purpose - the game. But that's fine, go to your fluff stadium and drink wine and watch the replay on the jumbotron (cuz you missed the play). Leave the real football atmosphere to the places that appreciate it.
The last couple of years, OU
The last couple of years, OU has just tanked in games they were favored in (bowls, NC), so its possible that Missouri could pull the upset.
But if MU's defense plays like it did on Saturday, they will have a very difficult time winning. If OU gets on the board with quick scores like they did against Tech, MU will be toast. And I'm good with that, in fact, I will be ecstatic.
My son asked me during the
My son asked me during the MU/KU game "what's wrong with MU's defense?" I said, son, it's the same defense they've had all year. Their offense has just been overpowering in the games we've won, that all we needed from the defense was one or two "3&outs". Obviously, if they can't do that, we are toast.
And Bob Stoops has already
And Bob Stoops has already started whining, before the game starts. He's whining now about the playing field at Arrowhead. The MU/KU game had snow & rain before and during the game. The field was wet - that's all. But Stoops will whine his way to the national championship.