For many of us, there is no question that Bob Stoops has been an incredible coach for the University of Oklahoma, when he took the reins at the University the status of the program was arguably at an all time low. In fact, any time the question of whether or not we should pursue other coaches is brought up we are immediately reminded of the "Blake" years or the "Schnellengberger" seasons and reminded that we should be thankful that we have "Big game bob." However, this post will hopefully dissect why this rationale is erred, and why the University of Oklahoma should ultimately encourage Bob Stoops' retirement.
The fact of the matter is Bob Stoops should never be compared to Blake or Schnellenberger because Bob Stoops isn't paid like Blake or Schnellengberger, he is paid like Nick Saban. Bob Stoops makes an average of 5.25 million dollars a year. For anyone who doubts that we would be able to find a coach of a similar caliber as Bob once was, I urge you to look at Tom Herman's contract. The story is always, the same "who would we get to replace him," yet every several years a big university announces a big hire, and our fans are left wondering, if we could convince a coach like Harbough or Meyer to come coach at the University of Oklahoma, but by then, its too little, too late. Take for instance Urban Meyer, obviously, Urban Meyer wouldn't leave Ohio State to take the reins at the University of Oklahoma. However, who is to say that back in 2011, when Urban Meyer made the decision to get back in the game that Oklahoma wouldn't have been a contender. After all, our program is #2 to Ohio State in the "all-time rankings," we have more national championships. So when Urban's people put the word out that he was interested, why weren't our people making a move to go after him? Oh wait, it's because we were about to clinch a win in the Insight Bowl against Iowa....more on that later... Another great coach OU missed an opportunity on was FSU's Jimbo Fisher who had reportedly committed to replace Les Miles at LSU last year, but later signed an extension with the Seminoles. Obviously, with the Sooners rolling a 10-1 regular season last year they probably weren't looking to make any drastic moves, but these comments are made in response to all of those who say, "but, who would we get," as if talented coaches are never available.
So who then is a legitimate hire for the University of Oklahoma? How about a move out of the Golden State Warrior's handbook, with University of Houston's Tom Herman. Herman is definitely trending up by taking a school, who hadn't been mentioned with the Texas Big Dogs since the days of the Southwestern Conference, and making them a playoff contender. He is coming off a major victory against arguably one of the most loaded teams in college football last year (FSU) and giving the Sooners a undeniable beating earlier this year. Many fans are of the notion that if OU were to play UH 10 times, OU would win 9/10 times. However, the game really wasn't close in terms of offensive production, and people overlook the fact that Houston beat Florida State, a program with some of the most athletically gifted and highly recruited players, just last year. Tom Herman also offers the University of Oklahoma an unparalleled access to the pulse of Texas recruiting, which is an area where there has been some decline since the emergence of other Texas programs such as Baylor, TCU, Texas Tech, and now UH, which has effectively cornered the Houston/Katy area which is a breeding ground for 4 & 5 star athletes. More importantly, this move would also place Oklahoma in a strategic advantage against other Texas teams as well as a future big 12 opponent (potential). There have already been talks of programs such as USC and LSU with interest in Herman and there is no question that if the Cougars continue to roll that his demand will only increase. Although Herman would probably make an excellent fit, true fans already know that the AD's office will more than likely not even give Herman an phone call because Stoops is their guy, after all, when the SEC and the NFL came knocking, he stayed by their side.
With the apparent instability surrounding the Big 12, now is more important than ever, for the University of Oklahoma Sooners, because we cannot allow the program to fall into irrelevance as the Big 12 self-destructs. Most of the experts agree that its a matter of when, not if, the Big 12 will disband, and when that occurs, whether it is this year, or five years from now it is critical that Oklahoma is able to join a Power 5 conference such as the SEC and have sufficient leverage to demand a seat at the table in whatever power 5 conference that may be. If the program is consistently going 9-3, 8-4, and losing in the bowl games then that will significantly diminish the University of Oklahoma's ability to demand a seat at the table in the SEC. This reality is why the University must take action in identifying a successor to Stoops. Oklahoma does not have the luxury that Texas had with the replacement of Mack Brown, moreover, does anyone want to send Stoops of in a 6-6 season? Are we really going to force our program to sink to that depth before its finally time to recognize that it is time to pull the trigger? The author of this post isn't merely reacting to the Houston game or the Ohio State game, rather he is pointing to the body of work that Stoops has produced as a whole. Stoops has consistently let the fans down in big games by allowing the team to take the field unprepared, and its obvious! Even Stoops himself admitted that the team was unprepared for both the Houston game and the Ohio State game, these games were both colossal games for the team's season and overall perception in the media. Yet, for some reason Stoops felt that it was acceptable to onto the field unprepared not once, but twice? Everyone in the nation knew that the Ohio State game was arguably the most important regular season game of the Stoops era, yet he didn't take the necessary steps to ensure that the team was prepared? An insider informed the author that the defense was called back into practice and film Friday afternoon before the game, after they had previously been dismissed Friday morning per standard operating procedures, because of the apparent concern of the players' readiness. How is that possible? Who were they preparing for all summer? Because they were unprepared against Houston and Ohio State. So as a sooner fan you're forced to accept that your head coach, who earns $5.25 MM/yr, was either incapable of preparing his team, or was not aware of the fact that he needed to prepare his team. Not sure which one of those is easier to swallow?
There is no question that Bob Stoops has several Big 12 titles left in the gas tank He may even have a run to the playoffs left. But it has become apparent that he does not have the ability to win another national championship. The fact of the matter is that the University of Oklahoma will not have another National Championship while Bob Stoops is the head coach. Stoops has lost his edge in the eyes of recruits, he doesn't win big games. Recruits today, are more plugged in than ever, they will inevitably look up his records and see that in the biggest games of his careers Stoops and company fall short, this is exactly why we see the talent discrepancy that took place in Norman last Saturday when we faced off against the Buckeyes. In order to get the top recruits in the nation the Sooners need a new face. Many of you are saying, "but we are ranked fifth in the 2016 recruiting class," well that is fine, but where is Ohio State ranked? Where is Alabama Ranked? Where is Florida State Ranked? Where will we finish by the end of the year? Will we be able to develop those players? Keep in mind, many of these players will not even see the field on game day until 2018. While there is no question that we appear to be in a good position in terms of recruiting this year, the front runners of college football today have been consistently pulling in top 5 classes for consecutive years.
Some of you may bring up the "lull" Switzer had before he brought in the Boz and the team really began to roll again, and argue that Stoops has more in the tank and that he will win another championship. However, I implore you to find another NCAA head coach who has won a national championship after 16 years since their last national championship. We've all heard the stats Stoops has against ranked opponents in the last several years. What I find odd, is that we never talk about his bowl game record. He now has a losing bowl game record, of 8-9. With several of these losses being flat-out embarrassing, including the 2012 Cotton Bowl, where we sustained a 41-13 loss, the 2014 Russel Athletic Bowl where we lost 40-6, and we can all remember last year's 37-17 Orange Bowl loss. While yes, it's important to remember we are getting to these bowl games, and there have been some wins, including the blowout against the Connecticut Huskies it's also to keep in mind that Stoops has consistently been among the top three and top five highest paid coaches in NCAA athletics, and as long as that trend continues, the fans deserve to question, any performance that is less than exceptional.
So the ultimate question the Sooner Nation must ask itself, is whether they would like to continue on the path they've traveled for some time now, where we can expect to remain mentioned as a one of America's Dynasty Football programs, who were once great. Teams whose accomplishments are featured in archival footage and memorialized in 30 for 30's and ESPN classics, but who are just the remnants of once great programs. There is no doubt that we have winning seasons and potential big 12 championships left in the Stoops era, but sooner or later that downward trend will persist, and Stoops will hit 8-5, 7-6, 6-6, and at that point the program will be beyond repair. OU remains one of the top programs in the Nation today, and can be revitalized to the once great position, but it cannot happen under the tutelage of Bob Stoops and its time the Sooner nation gets proactive, rather than reactive. However, as many of us know nothing will change, we will have a tough season, but next year through some miracle we will have an acceptable season and everyone will forget the failures of Bob Stoops again until he is ranked in the top #5 again and lets the nation down. Tom Herman, Jimbo Fisher, Urban Meyer, and Nick Saban will continue to win big games and our fans will wonder why we don't have a head coach who can win big games.
The fact of the matter is Bob Stoops should never be compared to Blake or Schnellenberger because Bob Stoops isn't paid like Blake or Schnellengberger, he is paid like Nick Saban. Bob Stoops makes an average of 5.25 million dollars a year. For anyone who doubts that we would be able to find a coach of a similar caliber as Bob once was, I urge you to look at Tom Herman's contract. The story is always, the same "who would we get to replace him," yet every several years a big university announces a big hire, and our fans are left wondering, if we could convince a coach like Harbough or Meyer to come coach at the University of Oklahoma, but by then, its too little, too late. Take for instance Urban Meyer, obviously, Urban Meyer wouldn't leave Ohio State to take the reins at the University of Oklahoma. However, who is to say that back in 2011, when Urban Meyer made the decision to get back in the game that Oklahoma wouldn't have been a contender. After all, our program is #2 to Ohio State in the "all-time rankings," we have more national championships. So when Urban's people put the word out that he was interested, why weren't our people making a move to go after him? Oh wait, it's because we were about to clinch a win in the Insight Bowl against Iowa....more on that later... Another great coach OU missed an opportunity on was FSU's Jimbo Fisher who had reportedly committed to replace Les Miles at LSU last year, but later signed an extension with the Seminoles. Obviously, with the Sooners rolling a 10-1 regular season last year they probably weren't looking to make any drastic moves, but these comments are made in response to all of those who say, "but, who would we get," as if talented coaches are never available.
So who then is a legitimate hire for the University of Oklahoma? How about a move out of the Golden State Warrior's handbook, with University of Houston's Tom Herman. Herman is definitely trending up by taking a school, who hadn't been mentioned with the Texas Big Dogs since the days of the Southwestern Conference, and making them a playoff contender. He is coming off a major victory against arguably one of the most loaded teams in college football last year (FSU) and giving the Sooners a undeniable beating earlier this year. Many fans are of the notion that if OU were to play UH 10 times, OU would win 9/10 times. However, the game really wasn't close in terms of offensive production, and people overlook the fact that Houston beat Florida State, a program with some of the most athletically gifted and highly recruited players, just last year. Tom Herman also offers the University of Oklahoma an unparalleled access to the pulse of Texas recruiting, which is an area where there has been some decline since the emergence of other Texas programs such as Baylor, TCU, Texas Tech, and now UH, which has effectively cornered the Houston/Katy area which is a breeding ground for 4 & 5 star athletes. More importantly, this move would also place Oklahoma in a strategic advantage against other Texas teams as well as a future big 12 opponent (potential). There have already been talks of programs such as USC and LSU with interest in Herman and there is no question that if the Cougars continue to roll that his demand will only increase. Although Herman would probably make an excellent fit, true fans already know that the AD's office will more than likely not even give Herman an phone call because Stoops is their guy, after all, when the SEC and the NFL came knocking, he stayed by their side.
With the apparent instability surrounding the Big 12, now is more important than ever, for the University of Oklahoma Sooners, because we cannot allow the program to fall into irrelevance as the Big 12 self-destructs. Most of the experts agree that its a matter of when, not if, the Big 12 will disband, and when that occurs, whether it is this year, or five years from now it is critical that Oklahoma is able to join a Power 5 conference such as the SEC and have sufficient leverage to demand a seat at the table in whatever power 5 conference that may be. If the program is consistently going 9-3, 8-4, and losing in the bowl games then that will significantly diminish the University of Oklahoma's ability to demand a seat at the table in the SEC. This reality is why the University must take action in identifying a successor to Stoops. Oklahoma does not have the luxury that Texas had with the replacement of Mack Brown, moreover, does anyone want to send Stoops of in a 6-6 season? Are we really going to force our program to sink to that depth before its finally time to recognize that it is time to pull the trigger? The author of this post isn't merely reacting to the Houston game or the Ohio State game, rather he is pointing to the body of work that Stoops has produced as a whole. Stoops has consistently let the fans down in big games by allowing the team to take the field unprepared, and its obvious! Even Stoops himself admitted that the team was unprepared for both the Houston game and the Ohio State game, these games were both colossal games for the team's season and overall perception in the media. Yet, for some reason Stoops felt that it was acceptable to onto the field unprepared not once, but twice? Everyone in the nation knew that the Ohio State game was arguably the most important regular season game of the Stoops era, yet he didn't take the necessary steps to ensure that the team was prepared? An insider informed the author that the defense was called back into practice and film Friday afternoon before the game, after they had previously been dismissed Friday morning per standard operating procedures, because of the apparent concern of the players' readiness. How is that possible? Who were they preparing for all summer? Because they were unprepared against Houston and Ohio State. So as a sooner fan you're forced to accept that your head coach, who earns $5.25 MM/yr, was either incapable of preparing his team, or was not aware of the fact that he needed to prepare his team. Not sure which one of those is easier to swallow?
There is no question that Bob Stoops has several Big 12 titles left in the gas tank He may even have a run to the playoffs left. But it has become apparent that he does not have the ability to win another national championship. The fact of the matter is that the University of Oklahoma will not have another National Championship while Bob Stoops is the head coach. Stoops has lost his edge in the eyes of recruits, he doesn't win big games. Recruits today, are more plugged in than ever, they will inevitably look up his records and see that in the biggest games of his careers Stoops and company fall short, this is exactly why we see the talent discrepancy that took place in Norman last Saturday when we faced off against the Buckeyes. In order to get the top recruits in the nation the Sooners need a new face. Many of you are saying, "but we are ranked fifth in the 2016 recruiting class," well that is fine, but where is Ohio State ranked? Where is Alabama Ranked? Where is Florida State Ranked? Where will we finish by the end of the year? Will we be able to develop those players? Keep in mind, many of these players will not even see the field on game day until 2018. While there is no question that we appear to be in a good position in terms of recruiting this year, the front runners of college football today have been consistently pulling in top 5 classes for consecutive years.
Some of you may bring up the "lull" Switzer had before he brought in the Boz and the team really began to roll again, and argue that Stoops has more in the tank and that he will win another championship. However, I implore you to find another NCAA head coach who has won a national championship after 16 years since their last national championship. We've all heard the stats Stoops has against ranked opponents in the last several years. What I find odd, is that we never talk about his bowl game record. He now has a losing bowl game record, of 8-9. With several of these losses being flat-out embarrassing, including the 2012 Cotton Bowl, where we sustained a 41-13 loss, the 2014 Russel Athletic Bowl where we lost 40-6, and we can all remember last year's 37-17 Orange Bowl loss. While yes, it's important to remember we are getting to these bowl games, and there have been some wins, including the blowout against the Connecticut Huskies it's also to keep in mind that Stoops has consistently been among the top three and top five highest paid coaches in NCAA athletics, and as long as that trend continues, the fans deserve to question, any performance that is less than exceptional.
So the ultimate question the Sooner Nation must ask itself, is whether they would like to continue on the path they've traveled for some time now, where we can expect to remain mentioned as a one of America's Dynasty Football programs, who were once great. Teams whose accomplishments are featured in archival footage and memorialized in 30 for 30's and ESPN classics, but who are just the remnants of once great programs. There is no doubt that we have winning seasons and potential big 12 championships left in the Stoops era, but sooner or later that downward trend will persist, and Stoops will hit 8-5, 7-6, 6-6, and at that point the program will be beyond repair. OU remains one of the top programs in the Nation today, and can be revitalized to the once great position, but it cannot happen under the tutelage of Bob Stoops and its time the Sooner nation gets proactive, rather than reactive. However, as many of us know nothing will change, we will have a tough season, but next year through some miracle we will have an acceptable season and everyone will forget the failures of Bob Stoops again until he is ranked in the top #5 again and lets the nation down. Tom Herman, Jimbo Fisher, Urban Meyer, and Nick Saban will continue to win big games and our fans will wonder why we don't have a head coach who can win big games.
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