From ESPN.com
With a nod to Pat Forde's annual March Madness dream and nightmare scenario piece, we've been coming up with the dream and nightmare scenarios for every Big 12 team. Of course, reality will fall somewhere in the middle. But imagine a season in which every single possible domino fell into place. And likewise, if all that could go wrong, well, did.
We continue with the Oklahoma Sooners:
Dream scenario
The Sooners get their 2015 campaign off with a bang, cruising to a 20-point win at Tennessee. Lincoln Riley’s offense is the talk of college football after Baker Mayfield leads the way while throwing five touchdown passes in the win. But Mayfield’s postgame dancing exploits steal the show, prompting “Dancing with the Stars” to extend him an invite to join the next star-studded cast during the offseason. His response?
“You guys can’t handle my swag.”
Sterling Shepard in the fourth quarter seals a 5-0 start.
The win streak continues into November when Bob Stoops takes his team down to McLane Stadium hoping to get revenge on a Baylor squad that has ran the Sooners off the field the past two seasons. Vengeance is sweet as the Sooners take a late lead on a punishingSamaje Perine touchdown run in which he carries three Bears the final five yards into the end zone. On BU’s next possession, Mike Stoops gets vengeance of his own, tricking Seth Russell into throwing a game-clinching interception with a coverage the Sooners had rarely used all season.
The Sooners get a little carried away while celebrating the victory with several players jumping into the Brazos River with their uniforms still on and others “borrowing” unattended boats to sail deep into the night after the game.
It all comes back on them the following Saturday as a hangover from removing the BU monkey off their back seems to linger throughout the week during their preparation for their meeting with TCU. The Horned Frogs leave Norman with an eight-point victory after the Sooners simply have no answer for Trevone Boykin, but its not all bad for the Sooners as the Horned Frogs had already slipped up against Oklahoma State, meaning OU’s Big 12 title hopes remain intact, particularly with Baylor heading to Fort Worth the following week.
All the stars align for OU on Black Friday as the Bears knock off TCU, meaning OU knows it simply has to win Bedlam to win its eighth Big 12 title under Bob Stoops by the time the game kicks off. Boosted by that realization, Mayfield passes for 350 yards, Perine rushes for 150 yards and Shepard has 150 receiving yards as the Sooners play their best -- and most balanced -- game of the season in a double-digit victory over Oklahoma State.
Things get even better when three of the four favorites in conference championship games are upset, allowing OU to cruise into the College Football Playoff as the No. 2 seed behind Oregon with an 11-1 mark. But the dream ends in the semifinals as defending champion and No. 3 seed Ohio State, which finds its way into the playoff despite losing on Championship Saturday, sends the Sooners home for good.
The optimism surrounding the Sooners' program isn’t dampened by the playoff loss, however, as Riley has returned OU among the nation’s top offenses and Mike Stoops' defense finishes in the top 20 nationally in several categories. The Sooners head into the offseason as national title favorites for 2016.
Nightmare scenario
Things start going downhill as soon as the Sooners land in Knoxville for their Week 2 tilt with Tennessee. On the field, Mayfield has three first-half turnovers, prompting Bob Stoops to turn to Trevor Knight, who has three turnovers of his own in the final 30 minutes. The six-turnover debacle results in a 24-point loss to the Vols.
All the while, unbeknownst to the Sooners, OU’s plane has mechanical trouble and is grounded for the night. UT offers help, finding an available plane to help OU get back to Norman. Kindness comes with a cost however as “Rocky Top” is played on a loop for the entire flight resulting in the longest two-hour flight in recent memory.
The Sooners rebound with a win over Tulsa but are brought right back down to earth by a home loss to West Virginia and a Red River Showdown setback to Texas. Sitting at 2-3 early in the season, all hope looks lost in Norman as the Sooners' marketing people, in a bold move, start their basketball marketing campaign in mid-October, touting Lon Kruger’s basketball squad as “OU's best chance for a Big champion.”
Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant, unable to help himself, decides to troll OU, recording the TV ads then posting them on social media with the caption “Well, well, well … look who is a basketball school now #hookem” And Charlie Strong favorites the tweet.
OU seems to right the ship, winning four straight games over Kansas State, Texas Tech, Kansas and Iowa State. But the gauntlet of Baylor, TCU and Oklahoma State to end the season is unkind as OU goes 0-3.
Sitting at 6-6 to end the season, the Sooners decline to participate in any bowl game citing “the lost opportunities to watch OU basketball.”
Rubbing salt in the wound, Durant puts up 66 points in a Christmas Day win. Sitting in his personal seats that afternoon? Charlie Strong.
With a nod to Pat Forde's annual March Madness dream and nightmare scenario piece, we've been coming up with the dream and nightmare scenarios for every Big 12 team. Of course, reality will fall somewhere in the middle. But imagine a season in which every single possible domino fell into place. And likewise, if all that could go wrong, well, did.
We continue with the Oklahoma Sooners:
Dream scenario
The Sooners get their 2015 campaign off with a bang, cruising to a 20-point win at Tennessee. Lincoln Riley’s offense is the talk of college football after Baker Mayfield leads the way while throwing five touchdown passes in the win. But Mayfield’s postgame dancing exploits steal the show, prompting “Dancing with the Stars” to extend him an invite to join the next star-studded cast during the offseason. His response?
“You guys can’t handle my swag.”
Sterling Shepard in the fourth quarter seals a 5-0 start.
The win streak continues into November when Bob Stoops takes his team down to McLane Stadium hoping to get revenge on a Baylor squad that has ran the Sooners off the field the past two seasons. Vengeance is sweet as the Sooners take a late lead on a punishingSamaje Perine touchdown run in which he carries three Bears the final five yards into the end zone. On BU’s next possession, Mike Stoops gets vengeance of his own, tricking Seth Russell into throwing a game-clinching interception with a coverage the Sooners had rarely used all season.
The Sooners get a little carried away while celebrating the victory with several players jumping into the Brazos River with their uniforms still on and others “borrowing” unattended boats to sail deep into the night after the game.
It all comes back on them the following Saturday as a hangover from removing the BU monkey off their back seems to linger throughout the week during their preparation for their meeting with TCU. The Horned Frogs leave Norman with an eight-point victory after the Sooners simply have no answer for Trevone Boykin, but its not all bad for the Sooners as the Horned Frogs had already slipped up against Oklahoma State, meaning OU’s Big 12 title hopes remain intact, particularly with Baylor heading to Fort Worth the following week.
All the stars align for OU on Black Friday as the Bears knock off TCU, meaning OU knows it simply has to win Bedlam to win its eighth Big 12 title under Bob Stoops by the time the game kicks off. Boosted by that realization, Mayfield passes for 350 yards, Perine rushes for 150 yards and Shepard has 150 receiving yards as the Sooners play their best -- and most balanced -- game of the season in a double-digit victory over Oklahoma State.
Things get even better when three of the four favorites in conference championship games are upset, allowing OU to cruise into the College Football Playoff as the No. 2 seed behind Oregon with an 11-1 mark. But the dream ends in the semifinals as defending champion and No. 3 seed Ohio State, which finds its way into the playoff despite losing on Championship Saturday, sends the Sooners home for good.
The optimism surrounding the Sooners' program isn’t dampened by the playoff loss, however, as Riley has returned OU among the nation’s top offenses and Mike Stoops' defense finishes in the top 20 nationally in several categories. The Sooners head into the offseason as national title favorites for 2016.
Nightmare scenario
Things start going downhill as soon as the Sooners land in Knoxville for their Week 2 tilt with Tennessee. On the field, Mayfield has three first-half turnovers, prompting Bob Stoops to turn to Trevor Knight, who has three turnovers of his own in the final 30 minutes. The six-turnover debacle results in a 24-point loss to the Vols.
All the while, unbeknownst to the Sooners, OU’s plane has mechanical trouble and is grounded for the night. UT offers help, finding an available plane to help OU get back to Norman. Kindness comes with a cost however as “Rocky Top” is played on a loop for the entire flight resulting in the longest two-hour flight in recent memory.
The Sooners rebound with a win over Tulsa but are brought right back down to earth by a home loss to West Virginia and a Red River Showdown setback to Texas. Sitting at 2-3 early in the season, all hope looks lost in Norman as the Sooners' marketing people, in a bold move, start their basketball marketing campaign in mid-October, touting Lon Kruger’s basketball squad as “OU's best chance for a Big champion.”
Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant, unable to help himself, decides to troll OU, recording the TV ads then posting them on social media with the caption “Well, well, well … look who is a basketball school now #hookem” And Charlie Strong favorites the tweet.
OU seems to right the ship, winning four straight games over Kansas State, Texas Tech, Kansas and Iowa State. But the gauntlet of Baylor, TCU and Oklahoma State to end the season is unkind as OU goes 0-3.
Sitting at 6-6 to end the season, the Sooners decline to participate in any bowl game citing “the lost opportunities to watch OU basketball.”
Rubbing salt in the wound, Durant puts up 66 points in a Christmas Day win. Sitting in his personal seats that afternoon? Charlie Strong.
