Two words: Sooner arrogance.
That's right, that good ol' "if we don't hang a half-a-hunnerd and go home or it ain't squat" attitude just might drive Bob Stoops back toward his old stomping grounds of east Ohio--which is just happens to be a couple of hundred miles from "Touchdown Jesus". And don't be fooled: Notre Dame still has major allure--especially for a good catholic like Coach Stoops.
Now, let's pepper that allure with a little realism: OU is a better job--it's a destination job. Notre Dame right now is not, and won't be unless somebody (or somebodies) catapult it back into the BCS title spotlight. But Stoops already has his OU reclamation project skin on his belt--and that's part of the rub that Sooner arrogance has forgotten: it was just 11-years ago that Stoops took over a moribund program that endured four straight losing seasons--a much worse situation than what Notre Dame's next head coach will inherit. Stoops has a national title, and a slew of Big 12 titles, and--unfortuately for him--some embarrassing BCS bowl losses that tarnished his once feared "Big Game Bob" moniker.
But Sooner arrogance turned monstrous--with many fans calling for Stoops' head in lieu of 2009's 7-5 record. Geez. One sub-par season--and let's face it--OU was WAAAY overrated in the preseason polls with that porous offensive line. One sub-par season, a season nowhere near the depths of the John Blake era. One sub-par season, and Sooner arrogance flips its collective nose at Stoops.
And with that in mind, I couldn't blame Stoops for leaving. This is a loyal guy, who could have bolted for Florida earlier in the decade to take over for the guy (Ron Zook) who followed the legend (and his mentor, Steve Spurrier). Look, I'm well aware of the all popular attitude of "what have you done for me lately?" Well, I'll take a page out of the Sooners recruitment of Adrian Peterson--where a Sooner assistant coach's last line to Peterson was reportedly, "You can either play for us, or you can go up against us." Well, given the choice, I'd rather be on Stoops' side--recent lack of success in BCS bowl games notwithstanding. If Stoops could rebuild OU after the Gary Gibbs and aforementioned Blake eras, he could do it at Notre Dame. And Sooner arrogance would be on the hook for the guy who didn't get away--he got chased away.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Sunday, November 1, 2009
The "Little Brother Flop"
One's instance was just embarrassing, while the other was just an embarrassment--and that last one involved my alma mater--and that's where I'll start.
Yes, my beloved Oklahoma State Cowboys stunk it up BIGTIME versus the Longhorns last night--and did it in prime time. Zac Robinson picked the wrong time--and the wrong game--to toss four interceptions, with two of them returned for touchdowns. All in all, 28 of the Longhorns' 41-points came off of OSU turnovers. And, barring a victory in the "Bedlam Battle" versus OU on Thanksgiving weekend, this will go down as another season that the Cowboys couldn't score a signature victory over an elite program. And, in my opinion, galvanizes the image of being Oklahoma's major college "little brother". And, it hurts me to say that.
But an even bigger embarrassment came at Baylor, where it looked as much like a Cornhusker "sea of red"--courtesy of visiting Nebraska--than a gold rush of home-team Baylor fans. It confirmed that BU fans pretty much checked out on a season--again. Look I understand that nobody wants to follow a perennially losing program. But even Iowa State fans rolled out to Jack Trice Stadium in Ames during some very lean years to support their Cyclones. But even in the good years in Waco, about the only time Floyd Casey Stadium would sell out would be when UT or A&M would pay a visit--and a good 25-30% of those fans were cheering for the visitors. And I know--I know--I can hear the most common Waco rhetoric right now, "That's they way it's always been, and that's the way it's always going to be.". And, that's the rhetoric of a stagnant fan base. I think the Waco Tribune-Herald columnist Brice Cherry hit the nail on the head in the next to last paragraph of his Sunday, November 1st column on page 6C:
"But it comes down to this: if you so-called Baylor fans want to start beating Nebraska and Texas and Texas A&M, perhaps you should become Nebraska and Texas and Texas A&M. That is, model yourself after their fans. Do what they do."
(WACO TRIBUNE-HERALD, Nov. 1, 2009)
And, what do they do? They follow their team.
Now, to be fair, BU would do well to put a better product on the field on a consistent basis. But Waco in general needs an enema when it comes to this entrenched attitude of "That's the way it's always been, and that's the way it's always going to be.". And, until that enema happens, Central Texas, that kind of limited thinking will continue to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Yes, my beloved Oklahoma State Cowboys stunk it up BIGTIME versus the Longhorns last night--and did it in prime time. Zac Robinson picked the wrong time--and the wrong game--to toss four interceptions, with two of them returned for touchdowns. All in all, 28 of the Longhorns' 41-points came off of OSU turnovers. And, barring a victory in the "Bedlam Battle" versus OU on Thanksgiving weekend, this will go down as another season that the Cowboys couldn't score a signature victory over an elite program. And, in my opinion, galvanizes the image of being Oklahoma's major college "little brother". And, it hurts me to say that.
But an even bigger embarrassment came at Baylor, where it looked as much like a Cornhusker "sea of red"--courtesy of visiting Nebraska--than a gold rush of home-team Baylor fans. It confirmed that BU fans pretty much checked out on a season--again. Look I understand that nobody wants to follow a perennially losing program. But even Iowa State fans rolled out to Jack Trice Stadium in Ames during some very lean years to support their Cyclones. But even in the good years in Waco, about the only time Floyd Casey Stadium would sell out would be when UT or A&M would pay a visit--and a good 25-30% of those fans were cheering for the visitors. And I know--I know--I can hear the most common Waco rhetoric right now, "That's they way it's always been, and that's the way it's always going to be.". And, that's the rhetoric of a stagnant fan base. I think the Waco Tribune-Herald columnist Brice Cherry hit the nail on the head in the next to last paragraph of his Sunday, November 1st column on page 6C:
"But it comes down to this: if you so-called Baylor fans want to start beating Nebraska and Texas and Texas A&M, perhaps you should become Nebraska and Texas and Texas A&M. That is, model yourself after their fans. Do what they do."
(WACO TRIBUNE-HERALD, Nov. 1, 2009)
And, what do they do? They follow their team.
Now, to be fair, BU would do well to put a better product on the field on a consistent basis. But Waco in general needs an enema when it comes to this entrenched attitude of "That's the way it's always been, and that's the way it's always going to be.". And, until that enema happens, Central Texas, that kind of limited thinking will continue to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
