Bradford back taking snaps in practice: Oklahoma quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford is still wearing a trimmed-down cast on his non-throwing left hand, but has progressed to taking snaps under center Monday and Tuesday at practice. "And he didn't drop one," OU coach Bob Stoops said. (Dallas Morning News)
Box expected to return today: Coach Bob Stoops said Tuesday he expects middle linebacker Austin Box to return to the practice field today. Box suffered a knee sprain at Oklahoma State and missed the Big 12 Championship. "He supposed to go," Stoops said. "We'll have to see" how he does. Stoops also said defensive end Alan Davis, who's also been out with a knee sprain, has returned to the practice field. (The Oklahoman)
Stoops denies ineligibility rumors: Stoops said there were no academically ineligible players for the national championship game, and Stoops said he expected everyone to be available who has been. "We are hopeful that Alan Davis and Austin Box will be back," Stoops said. "We're hoping here fairly soon." Internet rumors that Holmes and offensive tackle Phil Loadholt were academic casualties, they said, were laughable. Loadholt graduated last week. "It's the Internet," Loadholt said. (Tulsa World)
Sam Bradford named Associated Press player of the year: Sam Bradford of Oklahoma was voted The Associated Press college football player of the year Monday. He beat out the same two quarterbacks he did in capturing the Heisman Trophy -- Colt McCoy of Texas and Tim Tebow of Florida. Bradford received 27 votes from the AP media panel that votes in the weekly poll. The sophomore quarterback was followed by McCoy with 17 votes. Tebow won the award last year and had 16 votes this time. Texas Tech receiver Michael Crabtree had two votes. Bradford is the third Oklahoma player to win the AP award, which began in 1998. The others were Josh Heupel in 2000 and Jason White in 2003. (AP/USA Today)
Heisman scores big locally: ESPN's one-hour Heisman Trophy presentation show, which included the announcement that OU quarterback Sam Bradford had won the award, drew a huge 19.6 rating in the Oklahoma City television market. Nationally, it set an ESPN record with 3,058,000 households and tied the 3.1 rating of 2007. Sports events Dec. 9-16 1. Heisman Trophy Presentation, Saturday, ESPN, 19.6. 2. N.Y. Giants at Dallas, NFL, Sunday, KFOR-4, 15.5. (Ratings rundown at NewsOK.com)
Mack Brown considers giving up coaches vote: The Texas coach indicated Thursday that his opinion isn't just talk. He acknowledged that he might give up his vote in the USA Today coaches' poll next season. "I don't think coaches should vote," Brown said. "I'm going to have to do a lot of soul-searching to see if I continue to vote." (Dallas Morning News)
Venables visited Pelini to discuss Florida: Oklahoma defensive coordinator Brent Venables visited Saturday with Nebraska coach Bo Pelini, apparently to discuss strategy to stop Florida's offense. Pelini previously was defensive coordinator at LSU, and the Tigers were 2-1 against Florida in those three seasons. Florida never scored more than 24 points against Pelini's defenses. Pelini was defensive coordinator at Oklahoma in 2004. (Rivals.com)
OU-BYU at new Cowboys Stadium? UPDATE Brigham Young football coach Bronco Mendenhall caused waves Tuesday, telling reporters that BYU could be playing a game at the Dallas Cowboys stadium in 2009. Mendenhall singled out Oklahoma as a possible opponent. "I know that we have been and are being considered for some early games next year, and that was one of them," Mendenhall said. "There was a chance that it could be against Oklahoma. But there were a list of teams for us to play, or we might have been just one of the teams being considered to play." The Salt Lake Tribune reported discussions are ongoing with ESPN representatives for BYU to play a game next September at the new Cowboys stadium. OU spokesman Kenny Mossman, however, said talk of a game with BYU in Dallas is premature. (More at The Oklahoman) (11/05/08) UPDATE: Brigham Young athletic director Tom Holmoe told reporters Wednesday that he's close to finalizing BYU's 2009 schedule. Will that include playing Oklahoma in the new Dallas Cowboys stadium in Texas in a season-opener? "I think everybody knows that when I am working with scheduling, I don't want to announce anything, or say anything out there until it is done," Holmoe told The Salt Lake Tribune. "Right now, it is pretty obvious there are a lot of things that are going on. It is not that I have been trying to keep anything from the fans or the press or anything, but we are very close to solidifying a change." (Jake Trotter's OU Blog)
Jenks' Gabe Lynn verbally commits to OU:Gabe Lynn, the No. 1 player on the most recent Oklahoman Super 30 list, announced his decision to commit to Oklahoma during a ceremony Thursday afternoon at Jenks High School. Lynn (6-foot, 185 pounds) chose the Sooners over Oklahoma State and North Carolina. Lynn's numbers weren't overwhelming but that's largely due to teams avoiding going Lynn's way. (The Oklahoman)
DeMarcus Granger to miss BCS Championship: Oklahoma defensive tackle DeMarcus Granger will miss Oklahoma's upcoming BCS title game appearance after undergoing back surgery, OU head coach Bob Stoops said Wednesday. "Our doctors and training staff have worked extensively with DeMarcus and it was finally determined that surgery was necessary," Stoops said. "We're disappointed for DeMarcus and are certainly anxious to do everything we can to assist his recovery." Granger, a junior from Dallas, played in 11 games during the 2008 season, all in a back-up role. He had 20 tackles and 2 fumble recoveries. (Dallas Morning News) In addition, Oklahoma announced earlier this week, DeMarco Murrary will miss the BCS Championship.
Bradford, Gresham, McCoy, Robinson earn All-American honors: Sophomore defensive tackle Gerald McCoy (Oklahoma City, Okla.) and junior tight end Jermaine Gresham (Ardmore, Okla.) joined sophomore quarterback Sam Bradford (Oklahoma City, Okla.) and senior offensive guard Duke Robinson (Atlanta, Ga.) as All-Americans for OU in 2008. This marks the seventh time in Bob Stoops' 10 seasons at Oklahoma that the Sooners have produced multiple All-Americans in the same season. Oklahoma has now produced 148 First Team All-Americans overall since Claude Reeds first earned the honor in 1913. Under Coach Stoops, 28 Sooners have earned All-America honors. The NCAA officially recognizes the Associated Press, American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), Sporting News and Walter Camp Football Foundation All-America teams in determining consensus (listed by at least half) and unanimous (listed by all) selections. (SoonerSports.com)
Oklahoma RB DeMarco Murray out with hamstring injury: Oklahoma running back DeMarco Murray will have surgery to repair a hamstring injury and miss the BCS national championship game against Florida. Murray will undergo surgery on Dec. 22 to repair the tendon in his left leg, Sooners' coach Bob Stoops said Tuesday. The championship game is Jan. 8. "Obviously, we're very disappointed for DeMarco," Stoops said in a statement. "He has been an important part of our success this year and we will miss his contributions." Murray was Oklahoma's leading rusher before he was injured in the Big 12 championship game against Missouri on Dec. 6. The injury was first diagnosed as a bruise but an MRI exam revealed the damage. (AP)
Bradford All-American Player of the Year finalist: Sam Bradford is one of four nominees for the AT&T All-America Player of the Year award. The other finalists are Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell, Texas QB Colt McCoy and Florida QB Tim Tebow. Fans, who will determine the winner, can vote by sending the text message "vote" to the number 51234. Voting is open until noon Jan. 6. Fans are allowed to vote as many times as they want. (The Oklahoman)
Bradford edges McCoy, Tebow in Heisman vote:Sam Bradford was walking out of the Nokia Theatre following a rehearsal for the Heisman Trophy ceremony Saturday morning when he looked up at the portraits of the past winners from Oklahoma hanging from the ceiling. "When I looked up at all those Oklahoma guys, it really got to me," Bradford said. "I can't even imagine what it would be like to be up there." Bradford captured college football's most prestigious honor, edging Texas quarterback Colt McCoy and Florida quarterback Tim Tebow in one of the most anticipated votes in the 74-year history of the award.(AP/Houston Chronicle)
Total Votes Sam Bradford -1,726 points Colt McCoy - 1,604 points Tim Tebow - 1,575 points
Heisman advice: Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford received a text message this week from ex-Sooner QB Jason White, who won the Heisman in 2003. "He said, ‘Relax, have fun, there's nothing you can do now that will change the outcome,' " Bradford said of White's text. "Winning, that's probably the least important thing. "The most important thing is getting to meet all the past winners and enjoying the week." Florida QB Tim Tebow has also been talking with a past Heisman winner, ex-Ohio State running back Archie Griffin. Tonight, Tebow hopes to join Griffin as the only players to win the Heisman twice. "I had a chance to talk with him a few times," Tebow said. "He's a man who's really strong in his faith, too. So we have a lot in common. (The Oklahoman)
The Heisman Trophy presentation will be televised live on ESPN 8:00 ET/ 7:00 CT.
OT Jeff Vison commits to Oklahoma: Lackawanna Community College offensive tackle Jeff Vinson has committed to play football at Oklahoma in 2009 according to Rivals.com. "That was the best fit for me," Vinson told Rivals. "The program speaks for itself, the tradition of a wonderful, wonderful offensive line. I'm trying to be a part of that."The Sooners will be losing four starters off this year's offensive line, including award-winners Jon Cooper, Phil Loadholt and Duke Robinson. Vinson will give the OU an experienced option next season."I've got to come up there with a head of steam because we still want to keep the tradition going," Vinson said. (The Oklahoman)
Sam Bradford named Quarterback of the Year: Sam Bradford was honored with the 2008 Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award during The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards show Thursday night in Orlando, Fla. The O'Brien Award, given annually to the top quarterback in college football, is the nation's oldest and most prestigious quarterback award. Leading the most explosive offense in college football this season, Bradford completed 302 of his 442 pass attempts for 4,464 yards with 48 touchdowns and six interceptions. He led the nation in passing efficiency and also scored five rushing touchdowns on the year. (SoonerSports PR)
Bob Stoops on his time as Defensive Coordinator at Florida:
"They're great memories and relationships. There's lots of great friendships. I learned a lot in handling situations. It makes a big difference in my career."
"I had great feelings and memories there. But I also felt great about Oklahoma. I love the path I was on there. We were building something there that was very specific and I wanted to continue it."
Urban Meyer on facing the best offense in the country:
"It's a lot of pressure on an offense when you face a team that scores a lot. This year, we've improved. When you force a team to punt the ball, it's not as much of a concern. Not one time this fall have we felt like we were over-matched. Last year was different."
Gators hope for home-field advantage: Bob Stoops has recruited South Florida heavily before, although his current team has only one player from the Sunshine State. Meanwhile, Florida has 13 players from the greater Miami area alone, and Meyer said the same number were part of high school state championship victories at Dolphin Stadium, where the BCS title will be decided this year. "I hope it's a home-field advantage," Meyer said. "I'd be disappointed if it wasn't a tremendous showing, but I know Oklahoma has a great tradition of traveling fans as well. In the back of our minds, even in the front of some of our minds, this was our target to get to Miami -- because it's our home state, because of recruiting, because of all of the above."(Sun-Sentinel)
Leach unhappy Harrell didn't receive Heisman invite: Texas Tech coach Mike Leach had this to say.. "If Graham is not invited to the Heisman, they ought to quit giving out the award," Leach said in a statement released by the school. "It is a shameless example of politics ruling over performance. The other guys are deserving, but he has earned a place alongside them." (Dallas Morning News)
Sam Bradford receives NYC Heisman invitation: Tim Tebow will go for two against a pair of talented quarterbacks from the Big 12 when the Heisman Trophy is handed out Saturday night. Sam Bradford from Oklahoma and Colt McCoy from Texas joined Tebow as Heisman finalists announced Wednesday. The last time all the Heisman finalists were quarterbacks was 2001, when Nebraska's Eric Crouch won the award and QBs held the first six spots. Tebow's Gators will play Bradford and the Sooners in the BCS national championship game Jan. 8 in Miami. "It's a good thing I don't have a vote," Bradford said while attending an event with Tebow and McCoy in Orlando, Fla., where numerous college football awards will be handed out Thursday night. "I couldn't decide. It's just an honor to be one of the guys going up to New York." (Associated Press)
Sam Bradford weighing pro options: The Oklahoma quarterback plans to consider every bit of information available about his NFL Draft prospects before making a decision. "It's something me and my dad talked about -- in order to make a decision, in order to make the best decision, you need as much information as possible," Bradford said Tuesday afternoon. "So whether it's to stay or to go, we'll see." (The Oklahoman)
Stoops Coach of the Year finalist: Liberty Mutual Insurance and Archie Manning, chair of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame, announced the 25 finalists for the 2008 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award. Oklahoma's Bob Stoops is among that group. The finalists represent standout college football coaches across the four NCAA divisions who best exemplify excellence in coaching - on and off the field - as determined by a combination of hundreds of thousands of fan votes at www.CoachoftheYear.com and an objective scoring model endorsed by the College Football Hall of Fame. Stoops has coached his 2008 team to OU's third straight Big 12 Championship, a 12-1 mark and a berth in the BCS National Championship Game. (SoonerSports PR)
Sooners' Wilson named country's top assistant coach: The Oklahoma Sooners have the best offense in the nation. Now, they can boast of the top assistant coach, as well. Oklahoma offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson was presented the 13th Annual Frank Broyles Award by officials from The Rotary Club of Little Rock during a luncheon at the Doubletree Hotel on Tuesday. The award is given annually to the nation's top NCAA assistant football coach. Wilson is the second Sooner assistant to win the award since Bob Stoops arrived at OU in 1999. Mark Mangino, now the head coach at Kansas, was cited in 2000 while serving as Oklahoma's offensive coordinator. Wilson's offense is coming off one the greatest five-game stretches in NCAA history, and is the highest-scoring team in NCAA history. Oklahoma's 62-21 victory over Missouri in the Big 12 Championship Game last Saturday was the fifth consecutive game that the Sooners have gone over 60 points, a feat last accomplished 89 years ago. (More at SoonerSports.com)
Orange Bowl BCS title game sold out: OU announced by midday Monday that the school already had sold its allotment of 16,000 tickets through student sales and individuals who pre-ordered based on the athletic department's priority points system. Florida has a similar system, by which UF season-ticket holders are given first priority at purchasing tickets for the game. Florida will also hold a student lottery. The BCS and Orange Bowl Committees announced Sunday on their Web sites that tickets for the game are sold out. But the BCS and Orange Bowl are endorsing RazorGator.com as the official fan-to-fan ticket exchange, as well as VIPTicketCompany.com as the preferred travel supplier. (Tulsa World)
Oklahoma's Sam Bradford wins Baugh Award: Oklahoma sophomore quarterback Sam Bradford -- who led the Sooners to a third straight Big 12 Championship while throwing for nearly 4500 yards and connecting on 48 touchdown passes -- is the winner of the Sammy Baugh Trophy presented to college football's top passer by The Touchdown Club of Columbus. The award was first presented in 1959 and has been held by legendary players including Steve Young, John Elway, Bob Griese, Kerry Collins, and last year's winner, Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell. Bradford completed more than two-thirds of his passes in 2008, and was intercepted only six times while under center of the most powerful scoring offense in college football history. Bradford is the first Sooner ever to win the prestigious Baugh Award. (SoonerSports PR)
Bradford undergoes successful surgery: Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford underwent surgery Sunday morning in Oklahoma City to repair ligament damage in his left hand. The procedure lasted about 90 minutes. Bradford was released from the hospital and attended a team function Sunday evening. "It was a clean, routine procedure, and we expect Sam to bounce back quickly," OU coach Bob Stoops of the operation. "He'll be practicing again within 10 days, and we've taken this week off anyway, so he won't miss much." (The Oklahoman)
OU duo sets rushing record: Thanks to his 122-yard effort against Missouri, tailback Chris Brown became the 20th player in OU history to rush for 1,000 yards. Brown and DeMarco Murray became just the third Sooner duo to rush for 1,000 yards in the same season, joining Jack Mildren/Greg Pruitt in 1971 and Joe Washington/Waymon Clark in 1973. (The Oklahoman)
Oklahoma, Florida to play in National Championship in Miami: 1. Oklahoma .976 2. Florida .948 3. Texas .930 4. Alabama .844 5. USC .821 6. Utah .785 7. Texas Tech .784 8. Penn State .739 9. Boise State .698 10. Ohio State .635
AP Top 10 with Big 12 teams (First Place Votes) Points 1 Florida (50) 1602 2 Oklahoma (9) 1540 3 Texas (6) 1530 4 Alabama 1410 5 Southern California 1372 6 Penn State 1259 7 Utah 1225 8 Texas Tech 1193 9 Boise State 1101 10 Ohio State 1069 13 Oklahoma State 853 25 Missouri 150
USA Today's Coaches Poll 1 Oklahoma (31) 1482 2 Florida (26) 1481 3 Texas (4) 1408 4 Southern California 1309 4 Alabama 1309 6 Penn State 1193 7 Utah 1134 8 Texas Tech 1132 9 Boise State 1034 10 Ohio State 1004 14 Oklahoma State 722 23 Missouri 218
Harris Poll 1 Florida (77) 2776 2 Oklahoma (26) 2699 3 Texas (9) 2616 4 Alabama 2442 5 Southern California 2413 6 Penn State 2186 7 Utah (1) 2119 8 Texas Tech 2090 9 Boise State 1938 10 Ohio State 1858
Murry suffers knee injury; expected to play bowl game: Oklahoma running back DeMarco Murray left the game after taking a helmet to his left knee on the opening kickoff. After being examined on the OU sideline, Murray was taken to the locker room with 4:37 left in the first quarter and didn't return to the game. He came back to the sidelines later in the second quarter wearing sweats. Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, however, said Murray only suffered a knee bruise and that holding him out was just for precaution. Murray is expected to be fine for the Sooners' bowl game. (The Oklahoman)
OU offense sets NCAA record: With 38 points scored in the first half, the Sooners set a record for points scored in a season during the modern era with 678, besting the previous mark held by Hawaii in 2006 (656). The all-time mark is 765 posted by the 1886 Harvard team. The Sooners currently rank third on the all-time list with 702. (SoonerSports PR)
Quality competition: Oklahoma is the only team this season to record five wins over ranked opponents, topping TCU, Kansas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Missouri. (SoonerSports PR) In addition, Oklahoma defeated Cincinnati who is currently ranked 12th.
60 or more points consecutive games: The OU offense has scored 60 or more points in five straight games, an NCAA record. Overall, Sooner teams have scored 50 or more points in 134 games in school history. (SoonerSports PR)
Lewis surpasses Bosworth to set record: Travis Lewis recorded his 136th tackle of the season in the fourth quarter and set an OU freshman record held by Brian Bosworth. Bosworth had 133 tackles in 1984. (SoonerSports PR)
Oklahoma defeats Missouri 62-21: After a week of defending its reputation and fighting off the relentless Texas spin, Oklahoma had plenty of motivation entering Saturday night's Big 12 championship game. "We have to go out there and prove something to everyone," Sooners quarterback Sam Bradford told reporters during a Tuesday news conference.With its 62-21 trouncing of No. 19 Missouri on a frigid night before an announced crowd of 71,004 at Arrowhead Stadium, No. 4 Oklahoma proved plenty and probably clinched a berth in the national championship game Jan. 8 against No. 2 Florida (12-1) when the Bowl Championship Series standings are released Sunday evening, according to Jerry Palm, an independent B.C.S. analyst. (More at NYTimes.com)
Bradford to have surgery Sunday: Sam Bradford will have surgery on Sunday, but not before he leads No. 2 Oklahoma into battle against No. 20 Missouri on Saturday.OU coach Bob Stoops said during a press conference Friday afternoon that his star quarterback — a leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy — has been "working through it this week. We have a splint prepared for him that he's operated with through the week wonderfully. Haven't had any issues with it. He feels good with it and should be even better than a week ago, in that we have a plan for, and he has something to brace it. "He's able to operate under center and do everything that we normally do." (Tulsa World)
Mack Brown banner flown over Austin: Turnabout is fair play. A plane with this banner flew over the University of Texas' Royal-Memorial Stadium on Thursday: "Hey Mack Quit Whining U Knew The Rules." The message was in response to the events of the past few days. (The Oklahoman)
Sooners defeat Tigers with fake field goal: Oklahoma can now look forward to playing Texas, although it may be a while before the Sooners shake the memory of Brad Smith. Smith, Missouri's redshirt freshman quarterback, had the third-ranked Sooners on the run all game long. Oklahoma needed a touchdown on a fake field goal with 6:33 left to escape with a 31-24 victory Saturday night. Smith carried 26 times for 213 yards -- a record for Missouri quarterbacks -- and two touchdowns. He also threw for 178 yards and a score, accounting for 391 of the Tigers' 449 yards. "Brad Smith, just an incredible performance,'' Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. (ESPN.com)
Venables and UW officials in talks about coaching job? A Washington coaching search cloaked in secrecy grew only more intriguing Wednesday. Two sources told the Times that the Huskies may have talked with Brent Venables, who is the associate head coach and co-defensive coordinator for the Oklahoma Sooners. Venables also interviewed at Clemson. Venables has been the co-defensive coordinator at OU since 1999 and associate head coach since 2004. (Seattle Times)
Around the web: KETK in Tyler, TX. Sports Director, Danny Elzner's commentary on OU, Texas, and the BCS.
Shields leads Oklahoma past Missouri: Larry Shields, a sophomore, scored two touchdowns today, one on a 65-yard punt return, in leading Oklahoma to a 13-3 victory over Missouri. The victory, Oklahoma's fifth without defeat in the Big Eight Conference, set the stage for next week's championship meeting between Oklahoma and undefeated Nebraska. (NY Times)
Murray: I feel like my old self: The sophomore running back was badgered by questions of whether the offseason knee surgery he suffered was hampering him. He was adamant it wasn't. But his seven carries for 6 yards against Texas couldn't hide the truth. "I just didn't have it in me. Something wasn't right. I wasn't normal," he said. "I didn't have that pep in my step. The last couple weeks I've been feeling great," Murray said. "I feel like my old self." (Norman Transcript)
Gresham named Tight End of the Week: Jermaine Gresham was named the John Mackey Tight End of the Week by the Nassau County Sports Commission for the second consecutive week. Gresham is the only three-time recipient of the honor this season. (The Oklahoman)
Nine Sooners named to All-Big 12 team; Stoops earns coaches honor: Oklahoma produced the coach of the year, the offensive player of the year and a total of nine first-team honorees on the 2008 All-Big 12 Conference Football Team announced Tuesday. Bob Stoops shared coach of the year honors with Texas Tech's Mike Leach, while Sam Bradford was named the league's top offensive player. Center Jon Cooper earned lineman of the year honors and redshirt freshman linebacker Travis Lewis was the defensive freshman of the year. Joining Bradford on the first team offense from Oklahoma were running back DeMarco Murray, fullback Matt Clapp, tight end Jermaine Gresham, tackle Phil Loadholt, tackle Trent Williams and guard Duke Robinson. Sooners on the first team defense included tackle Gerald McCoy and safety Nic Harris. The second team offense included OU wide receiver Juaquin Iglesias and Cooper. The second team defense contained defensive end Jeremy Beal, Lewis, cornerback Dominique Franks and safety Lendy Holmes. OU's honorable mention picks were running back Chris Brown, linebacker Keenan Clayton and offensive guard Brandon Walker. (SoonerSports.com PR)
Did you know? Sam Bradford is the third Oklahoma player to be named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.
Sam Bradford among five Walter Camp finalist: The Oklahoma quarterback was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, and became one of five finalists for the Walter Camp Award, a version of college football's player of the year. Bradford made the cut along with fellow Big 12 quarterbacks Graham Harrell of Texas Tech and Colt McCoy of Texas. The other two finalists are Florida quarterback Tim Tebow and Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree. The winner will be announced Dec. 11 on ESPN's "SportsCenter" and presented by the Camp Foundation on Jan. 17. (Tulsa World)
Harris could move to outside linebacker: This week, Sooner defensive coordinator Brent Venables is entertaining two options to replace middle linebacker Austin Box, who suffered a sprained knee from a cut block at Oklahoma State. One option is to move strong safety Nic Harris to weak-side linebacker, and bump All-Big 12 linebacker Travis Lewis to the middle. The other is to plug Balogun into the starting lineup at middle linebacker. "When you're force-feeding him all the reps and getting him ready and figuring out what he can and can't do, you're able to formulate your game plan around that," defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. (The Oklahoman)
Big 12 Commissioner: Conference will re-examine tiebreakers: Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe said Tuesday that the conference will reassess the divisional championship tiebreaker that left Texas out of the conference title game but that rushing to the conclusion that it needs to be changed would be a mistake. "Any tiebreaker system is difficult and will leave teams disappointed," Beebe said. "When the tiebreaker was written I was not in the league but they wanted to put in the team that had the best chance to play in the national championship game." Despite identical records and a loss to Texas, Oklahoma advanced to the Big 12 championship game in Kansas City because the Sooners are ranked higher in the BCS standings. "I'm not so sure that this isn't the best way to do it," Beebe said. "I understand the argument about head-to-head and it is a strong point, but as a lot of voters looked at it, and as the committees that select basketball tournament participants look at it, 'What team would you least want to play now?'" (ESPN.com)
English returns to practice: Defensive coordinator Brent Venables said defensive end Auston English went through a full practice Monday and should be able to play in the Big 12 championship game Saturday. English missed the last three games with a knee sprain. (Norman Transcript)
Wilson named a Broyles Award finalist: Oklahoma offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson is among five finalists for the Frank Broyles Award, given annually to college football's top assistant coach. The winner will be announced Dec. 9 in Little Rock. Utah defensive coordinator Gary Andersen, TCU defensive coordinator Dick Bumpas, Ball State offensive coordinator Stan Parrish and Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong are the other finalists. (Tulsa World)
Sooners, Bradford adjust after injury: One reporter asked if it could make it tougher for Sam Bradford Saturday night at Arrowhead Stadium. "I don't know if it will be tougher," Stoops said. "It was awful painful (Saturday). Having it happen on the third series of the game you don't have a plan for it. You're only able to tape it and try to support it. We'll have a better support structure around his thumb now... "Hopefully it won't bother him. It sure bothered him the other night. You don't see a guy drop a snap in two years and then you see him drop two trying to take the snap from center. With his left hand it wasn't able to work it. But we'll be able to prepare for that through the week and he should be able to take the snap." (The Oklahoman)
Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops after BCS Announcement:
Texas head coach Mack Brown's reaction to BCS standings:
"Going into the last couple of weeks, we knew that a good team was going to be left out of the Big 12 Championship. Unfortunately, in this situation, it was us. It is what it is. We don't like it, we don't agree with it or think it's fair, but, like anything else, we'll handle it and move forward."
