Greatest OU team of all time

[Soonerborn59]

Athlon posted this back in January but I am wondering what season that you have been alive for that you think is the best OU team ever. I started seriously watching in 1967 and for me I have always been split between the 71 and 85 team. So what is your opinion?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/athlon...greatest-oklahoma-football-teams-all-time?amp

BTW the writer must not realize OU has 7 NC as he said they only had 6.

 

[CTOkie]

1974....the team that no one saw while the team was on a three year probation.

 

[Schoonerman]

I'm surprised the 1978 team isn't on the list. That was a pretty stout team that lost to NU 17-14 during the season, but got redemption against the Huskers in the Orange Bowl, 31-24, in a game that wasn't that close. OU finished third that year in the final season poll.

 

[owenfieldreams]

I think such rankings should be done by Era. There is no way a team from the Wilkinson Era can be compared to a team from the Switzer Era and so on. As I recall Wilkinson called his '49 team his best because they were predominantly war vets in their middle 20's.

 

[Plainosooner]

1974....the team that no one saw while the team was on a three year probation.

Technically, it was a two year probation, but it carried over three seasons. They announced the probation after the tv schedule was set for the 1973 season, so the regular season games that season were on ABC, then the only carrier.

So the two years covered the 1974 and 75 regular seasons, and the 1973 and 75 post seasons. So no bowl game in 1973 and no regular season in 1975. But the 1975 team did get to play in the Orange Bowl, and won the natty beating Michigan, I believe it was 14-6.

The '74 team was certainly one of OU's top three ever, and likely number one. They had two of three Selmon brothers, and several seniors who weren't around for the loss at home to KU a year later. Rod Shoate, Randy Hughes and Kyle Davis were likely the best three.

If Jack Mildren had been around for the 1972 team, it would have been the best ever, but with Dave Robertson as OUr slowest wishbone quarterback ever, we had a bad day on the icy artificial turf in Boulder. If we'd have had a BCS in '72, and gotten a chance at USC, whom we beat in '71 at home, and tied at their place with a bunch of sophomores in '73 (And the best Sooner ever, watching with Pericarditis) I'd have loved to have had a chance at it.

THe 1949 Sooners and the 1955-56 Sooners were also great teams.

 

[Soonerborn59]

I'm surprised the 1978 team isn't on the list. That was a pretty stout team that lost to NU 17-14 during the season, but got redemption against the Huskers in the Orange Bowl, 31-24, in a game that wasn't that close. OU finished third that year in the final season poll.

I agree as OU was a fumble away from being undefeated if my memory serves me right. Or I should say a late fumble deep in NU territory cost them.

 

[CTOkie]

Technically, it was a two year probation, but it carried over three seasons. They announced the probation after the tv schedule was set for the 1973 season, so the regular season games that season were on ABC, then the only carrier.

So the two years covered the 1974 and 75 regular seasons, and the 1973 and 75 post seasons. So no bowl game in 1973 and no regular season in 1975. But the 1975 team did get to play in the Orange Bowl, and won the natty beating Michigan, I believe it was 14-6.

The '74 team was certainly one of OU's top three ever, and likely number one. They had two of three Selmon brothers, and several seniors who weren't around for the loss at home to KU a year later. Rod Shoate, Randy Hughes and Kyle Davis were likely the best three.

If Jack Mildren had been around for the 1972 team, it would have been the best ever, but with Dave Robertson as OUr slowest wishbone quarterback ever, we had a bad day on the icy artificial turf in Boulder. If we'd have had a BCS in '72, and gotten a chance at USC, whom we beat in '71 at home, and tied at their place with a bunch of sophomores in '73 (And the best Sooner ever, watching with Pericarditis) I'd have loved to have had a chance at it.

The 1949 Sooners and the 1955-56 Sooners were also great teams.

Technically, it was a two year probation that cost OU from TV appearances in 1974 and 1975, but the 1975 Orange Bowl was played on January 1st, 1976 so the TV ban was over with after the third year (1975).
1974 was what I consider the best OU team ever and its level of competition was very good that year. And it was undefeated.
1975 was also a championship year, but featured a stunning 23-3 loss to a decent Kansas team (7-5), a narrow escape against a 2-8 Miami team, 20-17 and the bowl win over less than stellar Michigan team that carried an 8-1-2 record into its game with OU, to finish at 8-2-2.

We can play the "if game" all day.....If freshman had been eligible a year earlier in 1971, OU would have had Shoate, Dewey and Lee Roy Selmon as freshmen with 9 games under their belts when it faced Nebraska and on offense, Joe Washington and Tinker Owens would have helped too.
OU's loss to Colorado in 1972 was lost on a bad (high) snap from center by Brahaney that Wylie could not field and then he tried a desperation pass that was intercepted at the OU 18 yard line. Colorado went in to score making it 14-7. Robertson was not Jack Mildren, but OU's defense put forth a winning effort that was wasted by Brahaney's mistake. Colorado won 20-14.

 

[Plainosooner]

Not exactly. Shoate wasn't ready for the varsity in his freshman year of 1971. Too skinny. He wouldn't have been able to execute the defense. We were starting three seniors in a 4-3. Shoate was a good, not great player on the Boomers.

LeeRoy and Dewey were in high school. They were freshman in 1972.

 

[CTOkie]

Not exactly. Shoate wasn't ready for the varsity in his freshman year of 1971. Too skinny. He wouldn't have been able to execute the defense. We were starting three seniors in a 4-3. Shoate was a good, not great player on the Boomers.

LeeRoy and Dewey were in high school. They were freshman in 1972.

The two younger Selmons were indeed freshmen in 1972, but remember we're talking a hypothetical scenario of having them (and Shoate) as ready-to-go freshmen a year earlier, 1971.
Shoate was listed in my 1971 media guide among the signees at 195 lbs coming out of high school, but my 1972 media guide has Shoate at 209, or about the same size as the veteran linebackers already on the team.
Mullen, Milstead, Gibbs on the 1972 were listed between 204-210 lbs and JUCO David Smith was listed at a whopping 231 lbs. That's not a deep linebacking depth, but it worked out well for OU.
I read once that Switzer kept Shoate "hidden" from other recruiters while he was in high school. If so, Shoate must have been quite a stud in the eyes of OU's coaches. Is this what you have heard, Plaino ?

 

[WP76]

I'm not sure if I've ever gotten over that Billy Sims fumble at the two yard line in Lincoln.

The '78 team was certainly the best OU team I can remember and IMO better than several OU teams that did win national championships (Sims, Roberts, King, Cumby, Lott, Overstreet--just off the top of my head). They wound up with a single loss and finished third in the country behind one loss teams from Alabama and USC.

FWIW USC beat Alabama in a head to head matchup but a loss later in the year cost the Trojans a split title. In all fairness, however, the Trojans "scored" the winning TD of the Rose Bowl on a ball that was clearly fumbled before Charles White crossed the goal line.

I guess the fact that I can remember those details from 42 years ago proves that it still stings--at least a little bit. I will go to my grave believing that OU was a better team than either Alabama or USC in 1978...if not for that @#$%ing fumble.

 

[Soonerborn59]

I'm not sure if I've ever gotten over that Billy Sims fumble at the two yard line in Lincoln.

The '78 team was certainly the best OU team I can remember and IMO better than several OU teams that did win national championships (Sims, Roberts, King, Cumby, Lott, Overstreet--just off the top of my head). They wound up with a single loss and finished third in the country behind one loss teams from Alabama and USC.

FWIW USC beat Alabama in a head to head matchup but a loss later in the year cost the Trojans a split title. In all fairness, however, the Trojans "scored" the winning TD of the Rose Bowl on a ball that was clearly fumbled before Charles White crossed the goal line.

I guess the fact that I can remember those details from 42 years ago proves that it still stings--at least a little bit. I will go to my grave believing that OU was a better team than either Alabama or USC in 1978...if not for that @#$%ing fumble.

There are a lot of lost games that stings for me but the 78 one is certainly one of the top of the list stingers. We all have seen OU so close to adding to the NC totals only to see them lose to someone they shouldn't or do something stupid to cost them a game. At least now though losing late doesn't put you out of the running for a shot at a NC like it did in the old days. Like you I still believe the 78 team could have won a playoff system back then but after that NU loss they never really had a shot at getting back to the top of the mountain.

 

[Senior Sooner]

IMO, which is no Surprise to anyone who knows me, OUr Loss to Notre Dame, in 1957, was the game that broke the heart of The Sooner Nation...

 

[CTOkie]

The 1978 was one of OU's best non-national championship teams even though it struggled in the opener vs Stanford 35-29 and barely hung on to beat a 1-10 Kansas team 17-16.
The 1977 Sooners only had to beat Arkansas (with 3 players suspended, two of whom accounted for 78% of the offense that season) in the Orange Bowl to win a national championship after Texas was mauled by Notre Dame earlier in the day, 38-10. A huge favorite to beat Arkansas, Switzer's team never showed up and was also clobbered, 31-6, and was never in the game.
The 1970's were a great decade for Oklahoma, but the 6 near-miss championships (1971,1972,1973, 1977, 1978, and 1979) have been hard to take.

 

[Plainosooner]

The two younger Selmons were indeed freshmen in 1972, but remember we're talking a hypothetical scenario of having them (and Shoate) as ready-to-go freshmen a year earlier, 1971.
Shoate was listed in my 1971 media guide among the signees at 195 lbs coming out of high school, but my 1972 media guide has Shoate at 209, or about the same size as the veteran linebackers already on the team.
Mullen, Milstead, Gibbs on the 1972 were listed between 204-210 lbs and JUCO David Smith was listed at a whopping 231 lbs. That's not a deep linebacking depth, but it worked out well for OU.
I read once that Switzer kept Shoate "hidden" from other recruiters while he was in high school. If so, Shoate must have been quite a stud in the eyes of OU's coaches. Is this what you have heard, Plaino ?

Shoate was not highly recruited by anybody. Lacewell, I believe, saw him on tape and his speed. But there wasn't much recruiting info in the early 70's. Hell, the NFL had teams still drafting players from college football magazines like Street's And Smith's. Or they were just leaving that era.

Shoate had a lot of personal issues, and didn't display the most confidence in the world. They almost had to talk him into being a confident player. He wasn't very big. There were several guys in his class who were looked forward to, by Sooner fans and honestly those within the program, considered to be players to watch. He really wasn't. The coaches surely were intrigued. But he started in 72 with Milstead as we switched back to a 5-2.

He wasn't a guy that year, who was standing many RB's up in the hole and driving them back. But he sure was fast. Once we started putting zeroes up on the defense, no TD's in the first four games, the whole defense was considered outstanding. I'm trying to remember, but I believe he was one of only two starters who wasn't a junior or senior. Even Lee Roy and Dewey didn't start. The three TNT's were Sugar Bear, Derland Moore and Lucius Selmon. Several upper classmen took reps playing a 9 technique. Jimbo was a soph, but redshirted. I think Vic Kearny and Gary Baccus started.

The secondary had Larry Roach and Ken Pope at corner. Former quarterback Dan Ruster a senior played free safety. Randy Hughes was the only other soph at the other safety.

Once the defense was established as having a great season, Shoate got a lot of pub. Made some Soph AA teams. But he really wasn't considered an elite linside linebacker until the trip to LA in 1973, Barry's second game as head coach. Some coach asked Lacewell and Switzer, "Did you teach that inside linebacker (unnamed as I recall) how to chase down USC's sweep from behind?" And their reply was that he kind of did that on his own. After that, he became a potential first round future draft pick.