Masoli, who had been mentioned as a potential Heisman candidate, will remain on scholarship with the Ducks.” —ESPN

Chip Kelly did say that Masoli does have his redshirt still available should he choose to use it. So, is this a case of a coach making a very gutty decision and putting his QB down for the year, or a cop out in letting him potentially take the redshirt?

It does put the UO season at risk and Kelly is to be commended for putting the long term credibility of the program over one year, and demonstrating that more leadership is and should be expected of the quarterback position than any other. I just wonder if he’s watering down his own discipline by offering the redshirt?

What do you guys think?

That is the collective record of perennial powers UNC, Uconn, Arizona, UCLA, Indiana and Oklahoma. Maybe that’s why I just couldn’t get that interested in this college hoops season. I like the big powers in CFB and hoops. I root for the blue blood programs, except maybe UConn (‘cause them’s Yankees).

The problems at Indiana left behind by the cheater are well documented, but should it be taking this long for them to get better? The Big 10’s a salty basketball league but how does Indiana lose 10 in a row?

Will we ever know what really went down at Arizona leading to the “retirement” of Lute Olson. Clearly there was something wrong in the program and it must’ve had to do with him. That, not UCLA, has been the premier program in the west since 1985 and the wheels have fallen off badly.

UCLA with a losing season in a crappy Pac-10? Dogs and cats must be sleeping together.

You can blame the OU season on injuries, but this team was average before Warren went down. Capel had a bad year. He’ll get better but he didn’t do a good job engaging this team. Their effort on the defensive end, even at home, just wasn’t there and was ultimately the reason for the record.

Debate?

Which is why I write about, until two weeks ago, my favorite Mavericks player, Josh Howard. This morning we learn that Josh tore his ACL in his fourth game with the Wiz last night and is out for the year.

He has been the center of many self-inflicted media storms the past two years. He has no one to blame but himself. That said, I’m here to tell you, Josh Howard is a good guy.

I don’t know what’s happened in the past two and a half seasons as Josh’ train has clearly jumped the tracks. I used to do some sponsorship business with the team and had several occasions, including a round of golf (old adage, you learn everything you need to know about a guy by playing a round of golf with him) and other business/social events. In every situation I found Josh to be a friendly, courteous, humble guy. Was it because I was a sponsor, possibly, but assholes don’t usually fake nice well, or at least convincingly.

I wonder if this didn’t all begin with the two missed FT’s in the Miami series in game 3 and the botched timeout in the very game 5 in which the NBA stole the title from the Mavericks (more about that when Ripley launches his Mavs blog). Josh seemed to have a crisis of confidence after that series.

So, in spite of all the vitriol in Dallas regarding Josh Howard, I remain very hopeful that he gets the wheels back on and becomes the All Star slasher that he was before. Count me as a guy firmly in his corner.

Home games against Florida State, Air Force highlight 2010 OU football schedule

The University of Oklahoma football team will face nine bowl teams in its 2010 schedule. The schedule was released Tuesday morning. Of the nine bowl teams, two — Cincinnati and Texas — played in BCS games.

“We have assembled a schedule that is representative of our tradition,” OU athletics director Joe Castiglione said in a statement. “It features intriguing intersectional games as well as the always rigorous Big 12.”
“We’re also excited about the visit from the Air Force Academy. With Tinker Air Force Base located just a few miles north of our stadium, we anticipate heightened interest in that game. Certainly we are privileged to host the Cadets in Norman.”

Oklahoma will play six games at home, five on the road and one, the annual match-up with Texas, on a neutral field.
The Sooners open with three straight home games. The first takes place Sept. 4 against Utah State prior to a Sept. 11 visit from Florida State and new Seminoles defensive coordinator Mark Stoops, the brother of OU coach Bob Stoops.

OU’s open week falls on Oct. 9.

2010 Oklahoma football schedule

(opponents 2009 record in parentheses)

Sept. 4: Utah State (4-8)
Sept. 11: Florida State (7-6)
Sept. 18: Air Force (8-5)
Sept. 25: at Cincinnati (12-1)
Oct. 2: Texas at Dallas (13-1)
Oct. 9: Open
Oct. 16: Iowa State (7-6)
Oct. 23: at Missouri (8-5)
Oct. 30: Colorado (3-9)
Nov. 6: at Texas A&M (6-7)
Nov. 13: Texas Tech (9-4)
Nov. 20: at Baylor (4-8)
Nov. 27: at Oklahoma State (9-4)
Dec. 4: Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship at Arlington, Texas

Wow. Nine bowl teams is a load, even in an overloaded bowl system. None of them are exactly Middle Tennessee State. Four in a row including two BCS returnees, a traditional power (FSU) and a sneaky good change up of a team. Landry Jones and the offensive line better improve quickly.

Is it manageable? Yeah, it’s manageable. In fact, if you can get through the first 5 at 4-1, not to mention 5-0, and the 1 loss isn’t Texas, you’re in the thick of the national title race.

The Big 12 South schedule has only one game in Norman, but it’s a B12S schedule we’ve won the conference with every time we had it from ’00-’08.

It’s a schedule you can win a national title with. It’s also a schedule you can go 8-4 with. I’m liking 9-10 wins at first glance, and will adjust after the Spring.

Who’ll get to the NBA first, Warren or TMG?

Let’s just get to August, dammit.

Coach Capel? What’s up? I’m not calling for your neck. Someone got those players here and that was you. But, Lucy, you got some ’splaining to do about the performance of this team and its total lack of progress.

The losses in December didn’t bother me. Young team. Learning how to travel. Replacing a mega-star.

One month later, with a 31 -point loss in Waco and a 17-point loss to an Oh-and-Five conference team earns some real serious questions about the state of the team.

The simple answer is that WWarren regrets his decision not to come out and is keeping his powder (and health) dry by taking it easy through the season. But, I tell you, this kid may be playing his way out of the draft altogether.

TMG looks like he has something. And I love effort/glue guys like Cade Davis, but the Cade Davis’s of the world should be leading the team in scoring at Iowa State or Drake, not Oklahoma.

Get it together, Jeff. Finish strong. If that only means NIT, then try to win it.

This is too far back for a team to fall in one year.

From ESPN

Personally, I’d put Tech over Nebraska and Mizzou over K-State, but maybe that’s just recent memory

Big XII Programs of the Decade

A few quick notes on OU football in college football history now that the 2009 season is complete for the Sooners:

• Oklahoma now has the best winning percentage (.74703) in major college football over the past 75 years (1935-2009). Ohio State is second (.74497).

• OU’s next win makes Oklahoma the eighth program in major college football history to reach 800 wins all-time. OU’s current record is 799-302-53.

• No school in the history of college football has produced more unanimous All-Americans (31). No school has more consensus All-Americans (72) in the modern era (since 1945).

• OU has placed at least one all-conference player on the first team every year since 1926 (84 seasons). In fact, OU has only had one season when playing in a conference without first-team honors (1925). That’s 94 of 95 seasons.

• Oklahoma remains the program with the most 10-win seasons at 31. Alabama now has 30 all-time. OU also has the most seasons (19) with 11 or more wins.

• OU has scored more points (30,987) than any program in major college football history. Michigan is second (29,940) despite playing 61 more games than the Sooners.

• Oklahoma remains the only program to have four head coaches (Owens, Wilkinson, Switzer and Stoops) with more than 100 wins. USC has three and Pete Carroll almost made four, but he leaves the Trojans with a 97-19 record.

• Only four schools have more bowl wins than the Sooners (25). They are Alabama (32), USC (32), Penn State (27) and Georgia (26).

That said,

• Of course I rooted for Alabama. Texas winning national titles is bad for Oklahoma. But, they way this went down was unsatisfying.

• No way am I going to say that if McCoy hadn’t gone down, Texas wins. You can’t say that. McCoy’s injury changed the whole complexion of the game, but it changed it for both teams. I bet Alabama throws it more than eleven times if it’s “even.”

• I’m sick for McCoy. Again, I was firmly in the Crimson Tide camp, but despite my vigor for Texas losses, I didn’t want it like this. McCoy has been the Texas program for three years. Without him they were, well……..Oklahoma without Sam Bradford.

• Texas’ kids fought their asses off after losing their guy. They should be proud of their effort, especially on defense.

• But, Alabama won it fair and square. But, SABAN IS A SLIME FOR RUNNING UP THE SCORE, WHICH HE DID.

• Now, I’m watching Saban on the podium for the press. Smile you SOB. You won. Enjoy it. The “sober” look makes you look like a malcontent.

• Enjoy your win, Alabama. Your kids fought hard, deserved it and won. Just don’t get too cocky. National titles are hard to come by. Don’t for a second sell this one short no matter what happened, but understand, you caught a major break tonight.