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I ran into Daria Butler, The Oklahoman’s director of security, on Monday. Butler was a 1976 all-Big Eight linebacker on Oklahoma State’s conference championship team.Butler had made his first visit of the season to Boone Pickens Stadium on Saturday night for the Troy game. Me, too.

Butler’s thoughts on the bowled-in stadium that once was homely Lewis Field? Same as mine. Wow. Very impressive.

He had to think how great it would have been to play in such an environment. Those ‘76 Cowboys were very good but didn’t have the facilities the ‘08 Cowboys have.

The Saturday night crowd of 52,463 was an OSU record, and the Cowboys’ 55-24 rout of Troy made for a celebratory night.

The BooneDock has become a splendid stadium. But with it will come increased expectations. “One less excuse,” Butler said.

TEN BIGGEST LOSERS OF THE WEEK

10. Jake Locker: The Washington quarterback suffered a broken thumb in a 35-28 loss to Stanford and must now sit and watch his team struggle for its first victory, which might not come until Nov. 22 at Washington State.
9. Miami: The Hurricanes dominated North Carolina early but lost 28-24 in a game that cried out for an ACC contender.

8. Tommy Bowden: Clemson hasn’t won an ACC title since 1991, and after losing at home 20-17 to Maryland despite a 17-6 lead, the Tigers don’t figure to win the league this season. Clemson is stuck in a rut with Bobby’s boy.

7. Wake Forest: Just because you have the nation’s best coach doesn’t mean you can’t get snookered from time to time. Navy beat Wake 24-17, ending the Deacons’ unbeaten dreams.

6. High school coaches: North Texas thought it was a good idea to fire Darrell Dickey, who took the Mean Green to four straight Sun Belt titles from 2001-04, and hire ex-Texas QB Todd Dodge, who built a prep powerhouse at Southlake Carroll. But UNT is 2-14 under Dodge and trailed Rice 77-20 with three minutes left IN THE THIRD QUARTER. And then Rice called off the dogs.

5. Wisconsin: The Badgers were all set to make the Big Bowl. Their remaining road games were at Michigan, Iowa, Michigan State and Indiana. But Wisconsin didn’t survive the first one, losing a 19-0 lead and the game, 27-25, to Michigan.

4. Cincinnati: The snake-bitten Bearcats are quarterback-desperate. 2007 starter Ben Mauk lost numerous appeals to the NCAA for another of eligibility. 2006 starter Dustin Grutza looked salty, then suffered a broken leg against OU. Finally, Tony Pike suffered a broken shoulder Saturday against Akron. If this keeps up, UC might even have to turn to Notre Dame transfer Demetrius Jones.

3. Jonathan Crompton: The Tennessee quarterback seems unlikely to keep his job after an 8-of-23 performance against Auburn. Crompton has completed just 52 percent of his passes and has twice as many interceptions (four) as touchdowns (two). Don’t be surprised if Millwood’s Gerald Jones gets the call to move from receiver.

2. Matt Sanchez: Good-bye Heisman contention. The USC quarterback looked rather human in a 27-21 loss to Oregon tate.

1. SEC schools that don’t sit in Tuscaloosa: Halftime score,Alabama 31, Georgia 0. Uh-oh. Nick Saban and labama just might be a monster that even the mighty SEC can’t stand up to.

REALITY RANKINGS

Our rankings based not on what anyone thinks teams might do, but based on what team have done:

1.Alabama: Victory at Georgia impressive; way Bama won even more impressive.

2. South Florida: Bulls quietly building an impressive resume’.

3. Utah: Utes won where Wisconsin - Ann Arbor’s Big House.

4. Oklahoma: Sooners still waiting for signature win, but impressive while they wait.

5.Virginia Tech: Loss to East Carolina seems a distant memory.

6. LSU: Schedule will get much tougher.

7. Auburn: Tigers could climb back into national picture.

8.USC: Might not can recover from loss to Oregon State.

9. Penn State: Nittanys best bet to break Big 12/SEC stronghold.

10. Vanderbilt: Win at Ole Miss looks pretty good.

11. Florida: Loss to Ole Miss a head-scratcher.

12. Georgia: Ouch. Loss to Alabama stings.

13. East Carolina: Second straight loss offsets two big wins to open season.

14. Maryland: Second nice win, at Clemson, helps wipe out loss at Middle Tennessee.

15. Connecticut: Unbeaten Huskies have a soft path.GOOD EATS

Sometimes, you come across a jewel of a place you didn’t even know existed, and it makes you feel better about where you live. That’s what happened Friday.

We skipped our regular Friday night dinner on campus and went to downtown Oklahoma City with some friends to Cafe’ do Brasil, 440 NW 11th Street, which is at the corner of 11th and Walker, just east of St. Anthony Hospital.

It was an excellent night. Cafe’ do Brasil has great Casablanca-type atmosphere, with live music and bright colors and a unique menu. Pricier than your average restaurant, but well worth it. I had seafood stew for $24, and it was excellent. My wife had some chicken dish for $16, and it was superb, too. Both of us had side salads that were fantastic.

I have been to Brazilian steakhouses, which are very good and the height of gluttony, but Cafe’ do Brasil was not that. This was a straight Brazilian restaurant.

The place was hopping, in a grand old building that also houses a law firm. On the roof is an outdoor patio that also was full.

Cafe’ do Brasil made me realize that OKC is a bustling city with all kinds of joints that I’ve never tried but need to.

TEN BIGGEST WINNERS OF THE WEEK

10. State of Oklahoma quarterbacks.

Tulsa’s David Johnson ranks No. 1 nationally in quarterbacking rating. OU’s Sam Bradford is No. 3. OSU’s Zac Robinson is fifth That’s the biggest reason TU, OU and OSU rank 1-5-3 nationally in scoring.

9. David Cutcliffe: Ole Miss fired Cutcliffe after he 2004 season, despite a 44-29 record. Bad mistake; the Rebels went south quickly, and now Cutcliffe is back, coaching Duke to a 3-1 record after a 31-3 rout of Virginia. With Tennessee struggling, could the Vols ask Cutcliffe to replace his old boss, Phil Fulmer?

8. Jimmy Clausen: The beleaguered Notre Dame quarterback threw for a career high 275 yards and three touchdowns as the Irish matched their win total (three) of 2007 and beat a Big Ten foe for just the second time in their last seven matchups.

7. Virginia Tech: The Hokies lost to East Carolina in August but now have back-to-back road victories, at North Carolina and Nebraska, and must be considered the favorite to win the ACC.

6. Kevin Sumlin: The first-year Houston coach was off to a rough start, 1-3, but produced a big upset, winning 41-24 at 23rd-ranked East Carolina.

5. Nevada: UNLV had swiped the Nevada state spotlight, courtesy of its upset at Arizona State, and Vegas jumped to a 17-7 first-quarter lead on its arch rival. But the Wolf Pack roared back and beat the Rebels for the fourth straight year.

4. Derrick Williams: The Penn State flanker hasn’t done all that much since arriving three years ago as one of the nation’s most ballyhooed recruits. But in a 38-24 victory over Illinois that propelled the Nittany Lions into the national championship race, Williams ran for a touchdown, caught a TD pass and returned a kickoff for a score. No Joe Paterno player ever had done that, which you may note covers quite a few years.

3. Florida International: FIU football has been known for two things. That brawl with Miami a couple of years back, and losing - one win in its previous 27 games. But Florida International stunned Toledo 35-16 on the same field where Toledo took Fresno State to overtime earlier this season.

2. Thursday night football: Oregon State’s 27-21 upset of USC put the Beavers on a solo stage. Great crowd, great victory, great recruiting tool. More schools should clamor to get that television window, against a big-time foe.

1. Houston Nutt: In his last six games, Nutt has taken two schools on the road and upset teams ranked in the top five, Arkansas at LSU last November and Ole Miss at Florida on Saturday. And, as Pat Jones said, the Razorbacks didn’t like him because he ran off the fourth-string quarterback at USC (Mitch Mustain).

OU’s victory over TCU and the Sooners’ ascension to the No. 1 ranking is on the minds of readers in this week’s emails, along with other topics, including Mickey Mantle.

Randall is worried about OU’s poor kickoff coverage. “As James Carville would say, ‘it’s the kicker, stupid.’ Our poor coverage has always been when the kick is short and our players are not far enough downfield yet to converge on the returner. It will make a difference someday, and you can’t get better with weak kicking distance. We need to have open tryouts for ex-soccer players to find a strong kicker. Yeah, I know, in the big scheme of football and life this is no big deal.”

It will be a big deal if Alabama runs back a kickoff against OU in the Big Bowl.

Chuck is on the bash-the-offensive-coordinator-bandwagon. “Regarding the Sooners vs. TCU, was the problem with our run game poor performance on the part of the offensive line, good defense on the part of TCU, bad running on the part of the backs or all of the above? Kevin Wilson seems to playcall with the attitude of don’t lose once you get ahead as opposed to mixing up the play calling to show a little imagination. What’s your take?”

Sometimes this stuff is funny and sometimes it’s sad. I’m voting for sad this time. OU just scored 35 points on one of the best defenses in the nation, won 35-10, threw for 411 yards and three TDs over 55 yards. TCU stacked the line and didn’t want OU to run, so the Sooners made the Frogs pay elsewhere, and in the second half OU milked clock to ice the game. And what some fans take out of that performance is that Kevin Wilson is a bum.

John wrote, “You’ve mentioned in a couple articles on how this year’s Sooners remind you of the ‘03 Sooners. I remember that year how they racked up all those points and looked really great only to have their butt kicked in the Big 12 championship game. I hope this team is better. Until the season is totally over, I’m going to hold off on how ‘great’ this team is, unlike a lot of Sooner fans USC looks like the team.”

Turns out, John should have held off on how great USC is.

Randy wrote, “I have been waiting five years for this. When the AP poll comes out and OU is No. 1 this week, it will break a tie that has lasted since the 2003 season. OU will move ahead of Notre Dame as the school voted No. 1 in the AP poll for the most times in the history of the poll. OU and Notre Dame are currently tied. Since 1936, both schools have been voted No. 1 in 95 AP polls. Ohio State is a close third at 93 times. In fact, the top 10 schools voted No. 1 the most times in history looks the typical list of the all time great college football programs: OU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, USC, Nebraska, Miami, Florida State, Texas, Michigan and Alabama. OU fans can now chant ‘We’re No. 1 No. 1′ to go along with the chant of ‘we’re No. 1.’”

You know what’s most impressive about that list? Miami. The Hurricanes have been serious about football half as long as everyone else, yet there they are, on the list.

Bill liked my Mickey Mantle story. “It brought back some fond memories. My first real memories of Mickey came during the ‘57 World Series when the Yankees and Milwaukee Braves played. It was then that I first learned that Mickey was an Oklahoma boy and followed him as close as a kid raised in the pine trees and rocks of southeastern Oklahoma could. We could only get one TV station, and that was not all the time. It hurt my soul to listen to the boos that Mick had to endure in New York. But New York was Mickey’s town and he did forgive and the fans eventually accepted him as one of their own. I have wondered, however, how much more he could have done before an appreciative audience and good legs. Just look how much he accomplished in the absence of both.”

Yes, the Yankee fans booed Mantle for much of the ’50s, which was not their finest hour. Think about it for a minute. How more blessed could a baseball fan be than to be a Yankee fan in the ’50s?

Brent also wrote about Mantle: “I grew up watching Mickey and the Yankees play every Saturday afternoon on our black & white television. It was the highlight of my week each and every week. It’s easy to understand why Mickey means so much to me. But I have a-17 year-old son who loves Mickey, too, and he never saw him play. How can this be? How can a 17-year-old of today have a picture of Mickey in his bedroom and wear a Mantle jersey to school? How can a sports figure endear himself to youngsters that never saw him play? I can’t explain it, but I’m sure glad he picked Mickey rather than one of the gangster athletes of today’s era.”

The further an athlete is removed from his era, the less his faults are remembered. That’s probably not a bad thing.

Andy wrote about my list of families that had placed three brothers in the NFL. “Am I remiss in memory? Didn’t all three of the Selmons play in the NFL?”

Actually, no. Lucious did not.

Dale didn’t appreciate my Mick Cornett/Sarah Palin column. “I usually really like your nostalgic stories and am always interested in your human interest stories, but today, you crossed a line that too many people in the media, all forms, are crossing far too often. Politics and sports do not mix. As a friend of mine likes to say, they are a spectacularly bad combination. I know many sports figures have gone into politics and that’s all well and fine. But we don’t read the sports section to hear political views. As far as I can tell, Mayor Mick, as you have dubbed him, has about as much business on the bottom of the presidential ticket as that rapture-ready, tongue-speaking moonbat Palin has. And you know how much business that is? NONE! Hell, Mayor Mick runs about as big a city as Caribou Barbie has a state, so why not him? Look, you are a very talented writer, but please leave the politics in that section of the paper. I beg you!”

Here’s the problem with politics and the people who find it interesting. They take themselves way too seriously. I didn’t write a political column. I wrote a humorous column. If it wasn’t funny, fine. But get off your high horse. And if you don’t want Sarah Palin elected, you’d better quit saying anything about her, because you’re only making yourself look like a moron.

Eric asks, “Why does the Thunder website stink? You almost can’t read content or easily access roster. Is there any way to contact the web designer?

I think you just did.

Sometimes, a season is determined by the luck of the draw. Oklahoma State football, for example.

Do you realize where the Cowboys would be sitting in 2008 if you reversed their home and road games?

Now, OSU hosts Texas A&M, Baylor, Iowa State and OU. The Cowboys will be huge favorites against all but the Sooners.

OSU goes on the road to Missouri, Texas, Texas Tech and Colorado. The Cowboys will be underdogs, maybe big underdogs, to all but Colorado and maybe the Buffs, too.

But switch that around. Put OSU on the road against its 2008 home foes and at home against the road foes.

Then Missouri, Texas, Tech and Colorado would come to Stillwater, and while OSU would be underdogs to Mizzou and Texas, you figure the Cowboys would be good for one upset.

On the road, OSU still would be favored at Texas A&M, Baylor and Iowa State. The Cowboys would be big underdogs in Norman.

So look at it. Reverse the schedule, and it’s not stretching it to see the Cowboys go 6-2, which would be 10-2 overall. As is, OSU is looking at 3-5 or 4-4 without a big upset either way, and a decent 7-5 or 8-4 finish.

Big difference in those seasons, based only on the schedule.

Too bad for 2008. But there’s a tradeoff. OSU does get that schedule in 2009, when Zac Robinson and Spud Hunter and Dez Bryant return.

Beware the Cowboys in 2009.

ABC a couple of years ago came up with a new concept. A college football game of the week, set on Saturday night. It’s called Saturday Night College Football. Or is it College Football Saturday Night?

I don’t know, and that’s the point. It hasn’t taken hold as a franchise, and here’s why.

1. ABC has not gotten the best games in that time slot. Sometimes it does, but tonight is Nebraska-Virginia Tech or Penn State-Illinois, depending on where you live. Not bad games, but compared to Georgia-Alabama, which will run simultaneously on ESPN?

2. If Saturday Night Football is so special, why have regional games? If ABC made it a national telecast, that would make it different from the onslaught of regional games we see.

3. Saturday Night Football fails on the surface, because at any given time during the telecast, there are at least three other games available. Tonight, for example, you can also see Georgia-Alabama, OU-TCU and Mississippi State-LSU when Nebraska-VPI is staged, plus North Carolina State-South Florida, if you’ve got ESPNU. It’s just another football game.

Which brings us back to last Thursday night, when ESPN showed us Oregon State’s upset of USC. An epic upset, a dramatic game, Chris Fowler in the broadcast booth.

Thursday Night Football has become the sport’s marquee telecast of the week. That’s when all American college football fans watch. Saturdays are too packed with games; players, coaches and fans are needed elsewhere on Saturdays. But not on Thursday nights.

That’s what the NFL found with Monday Night Football. The whole danged league has watched on Monday night for almost 40 years, because that game has the attention all to itself.

Thursday Night Football doesn’t always have a super game, because a huge batch of schools don’t want to host games on Thursday, either for fan reasons or competitive reasons, or both. For instance, ESPN wanted OSU-Texas A&M to be played on Thursday, Oct. 2, and A&M agreed, but OSU declined, citing several reasons. Fans. The possibility that A&M might move its game against Army, which will be played today, up a week, giving the Aggies more time to prepare for the Cowboys. All of which are valid reasons.

But if schools want the spotlight, Thursday night is the ticket. It’s not likely that USC or OU or Alabama or Michigan will move a home game off Saturday. But some schools have found it to their benefit.

Think about the rewards Oregon State reaped Thursday night. The Beavers had a packed house, everyone wearing orange, and their students flooded the field after the upset. That had to be a great recruiting tool for the school. And what could be a better selling point for Oregon State football, in terms of attracting athletes, than knocking the snot out of Southern Cal?

Here are the Thursday night games this season:

Week 1: North Carolina State at South Carolina & Oregon State at Stanford (doubleheader). Steve Spurrier is a draw, but these weren’t great matchups.

Week 2: South Carolina at Vanderbilt. Not bad. Offers the chance of an upset, and Vandy produced.

Week 3: North Carolina at Rutgers. Limited appeal. The Friday night matchup — which is whole other story — was much better. Kansas at South Florida. But Friday nights are not as glamorous as Thursday night, because people are much busier on Friday night, and few schools want to be indicted for infringing on high schools’ night.

Week 4: West Virginia at Colorado. Model Friday night game. Big-time opponent at a solid school, with the possibility of an upset. Colorado is the kind of school that can embrace Thursday night, since the Buffs don’t draw 90,000 fans anyway. CU pulled the upset, and it made for a great, great telecast.

Week 5: USC at Oregon State. Perfect Thursday night game. Get one of the giants on, in a precarious spot. Examples of potential Thursday night matchups: Texas at OSU, Ohio State at Purdue, Virginia Tech at Wake Forest. Those kinds of games.

The rest of the year has these Thursday night matchups:

Pitt at South Florida (so-so);

Clemson at Wake Forest (great matchup);

Florida State at North Carolina State (would be better if Seminoles didn’t stink);

Auburn at West Virginia (excellent);

South Florida at Cincinnati (let’s not go overboard on USF);

Maryland at Virginia Tech (at Maryland would be better);

Virginia Tech at Miami (interesting game, but be careful of turning this into the Hokie Network);

Miami at Georgia Tech (not bad);

Texas A&M at Texas (Thanksgiving special; now we’re talking);

And Louisville at Rutgers (not a lot of games to choose from).

A decent menu of games. Could be better, and will be as the status of Thursday Night Football rises.

I came on the Sports Animal during drive-time Thursday, talking about my excitement for the ESPN game that night. USC at Oregon State.

Jim Traber and Al Eschbach scoffed at the notion that the game might be competitive, and for a half it wasn’t. Oregon State led by 21, and you know the rest. Beavers 27, USC 21, and the No. 1 team in America had fallen.

Here’s why I won that joust (not that I win all that many). Respect of the homefield.

We’ve talked for years about the road troubles for OU and OSU. Here’s why they struggle on the road. Because everyone struggles on the road. The mysteries of homefield advantage extend far beyond Middle America.

Here are the results of USC’s last three trips to Corvallis, Ore., a place where it had lost only nine times in 71 games before Thursday: 33-31 loss, 28-20 win, 31-21 loss.

What made anyone think USC would roll in that venue?

Consider last season, when USC went to Washington and escaped with a 27-24 win. UW stinks; did last year and does this year. Yet USC barely survived. USC was impressive at times on the road in 2007, routing Arizona State, Nebraska and Notre Dame, but the Trojans lost at Oregon and won just 24-17 at California.

This is a great lesson for college football analysts, which is most every fan. The road is difficult.

Twenty unbeatens remain among the cartel conferences. Here’s a ranking of their remaining road schedules, from toughest to easiest:

1. Oklahoma State: Missouri, Texas, Texas Tech, Colorado.

2. Kentucky: Alabama, Florida, Mississippi State, Tennessee.

3. Alabama: Georgia, Tennessee, LSU.

4. Minnesota: Ohio State, Purdue, Illinois, Wisconsin.

5. Georgia: LSU, Kentucky, Auburn (plays Florida in Jacksonville).

6. Penn State: Purdue, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Iowa.

7. Nebraska: Texas Tech, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Kansas State.

8. Vanderbilt: Mississippi State, Georgia, Kentucky, Wake Forest.

9. Texas Tech: Kansas State, Texas A&M, Kansas, Oklahoma.

10. Texas: Colorado, Texas Tech, Kansas (plays OU in Dallas).

11. Missouri: Nebraska, Texas, Baylor, Iowa State.

12. LSU: Florida, South Carolina, Arkansas.

13. Colorado: Florida State, Kansas, Missouri, Texas A&M, Nebraska.

14. Florida: Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Florida State (plays Georgia in Jacksonville).

15. South Florida: North Carolina State, Louisville, Cincinnati, West Virginia.

16. Oklahoma: Baylor, Kansas State, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State (plays Texas in Dallas).

17. Connecticut: Louisville, North Carolina, Rutgers, Syracuse, South Florida.

18. Wake Forest: Maryland, Miami, North Carolina State.

19. Wisconsin: Michigan, Iowa, Michigan State, Indiana.

20. Northwestern: Iowa, Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan.

Note: I did not include the OU-Texas game at Dallas or the Florida-Georgia game in Jacksonville in these rankings. They aren’t true road games, but they aren’t home games, either. If you want to include them, it’s certainly easy enough to adjust all four teams’ road schedules up a few notches.

The final game at Yankee Stadium last Sunday produced all kinds of memories and celebrations. The Stadium was home to some of America’s greatest sporting events, including dozens of World Serieses, the 1958 NFL title game epic and championship boxing bouts from Joe Louis to Muhammad Ali, not to mention repeated papal visits and concerts by the likes of Billy Joel.

Yankee Stadium also hosted the Sooners. In 1961, OU beat Army 14-8 at the Stadium. A lot of references list the 1946 OU-Army game as also being played at Yankee Stadium, but not so. That game was at West Point.

But in the same year that Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle staged their great home run derby, the Sooners played on the same Bronx grass.

On Nov. 18, 1961, OU played an Army team that retained high status in college football. The Cadets were 6-2; the Sooners were 2-5. That was the famous season in which OU lost its first five games, and coach Bud Wilkinson uncharacteristically predicted the Sooners would rebound and win their final five.

And they did, with that Army conquest right in the middle.

Thinking about that Army game made me wonder how many other baseball stadiums had hosted the OU football team. I found eight, counting Yankee Stadium. The others:

Braves Field, 1949: OU beat Boston College 46-0 with those legendary ‘49ers, perhaps the Sooners’ greatest team. Braves Field was home of the Boston Braves from 1915-52.

Metrodome, 1985: OU beat Minnesota 13-7 in the dome, on the same day, in fact, that the Twins played an afternoon baseball game.

Qualcomm Stadium, 1996 & 2005: In the home of the Padres, the Sooners lost 51-31 to San Diego State in 1996 but beat Oregon 17-14 in the Holiday Bowl.

Sportsman’s Park, 1909: Bennie Owen’s early-day Sooners beat Washington U. of St. Louis 11-5 at the home of the St. Louis Browns. That’s right, the Browns. The Cardinals didn’t move over to Sportsman’s Park until the ’20s, as tenants of the Browns, though the Redbirds eventually took over the stadium. OU played at Washington U. in St. Louis three times in the ’20s, but I can’t find documentation on where exactly those games were played.

Astrodome, 1968 & 1970: A modern wonder of the world when it was built in the late ’60s as home to the Astros and Oilers, the Astrodome hosted OU in two Bluebonnet Bowls. A 28-27 loss to SMU in 1968 and a 24-24 tie with Alabama in 1970.

Dolphins Stadium, 2001: OU beat Florida State 13-2 in the national-championship Orange Bowl on the field where the Marlins still play.

Griffith Stadium, 1932: OU tied George Washington U. 7-7 in 1932 at the home of the Washington Senators. OU also played at GWU in 1934, losing 3-0, but I can’t find for sure where that game was played. Griffith Stadium was home to the Senators from 1911-60.

A few weeks ago, I rated all the OU football books that I knew of but mentioned a novel, Walk-On, that I owned but had not read.

Well, during my vacation last week, I read it. D. Mikels’ book is not great but not awful.

It’s a fantasy, and I don’t mean fantasy football. I usually prefer my science fiction with time travel or spaceships, but by the end of Walk-On, the fantastic nature of the book makes a little more sense.

The plot centers around Justin Chastain, a Sooner walk-on who becomes a superstar. Frankly, the plot is a little too Hollywood; too many things happen that never would happen in a real game. You expect to see that in a theater, not read it in a 385-page novel.

Things like a 3.98 40-yard dash. Things like a player on the kickoff team reaching the kick returner just as the ball arrives inside the 10-yard line. Things like a player stabbing an opponent with a screwdriver during the game.

The book also fails to provide any insight about college football. The players and coaches largely are one-dimensional and stereotypical.

Also, for a novel about OU football, all kinds of things are off that won’t matter to some but will drive fans crazy. Like a player going in the NFL draft after two years of college and a bowl game that decides it doesn’t have to follow the BCS system of post-season matchups.

And it’s disappointing that for a novel set in Norman, not much of Norman’s flavor is captured. The athletic dorm, the practice field, the stadium, that’s about it, and you don’t ever really feel you’re on the inside of those.

However, the book does have its strengths. The main characters are interesting; this had the making of a good story even without football, which becomes 80 percent of the book. The main characters come from the fictional town of Plains, which obviously is Woodward; Mikels is from Woodward and clearly knows his hometown. The best parts of the book are set in Plains. Mikels knows a lot more about Woodward than he does OU, and it shows.

If you love Sooner football, you might enjoy this book. If you’re from Woodward, I think you most definitely would find this book interesting. Otherwise, you’re better off picking up something else.

My wife tells me there are 750 lighthouses in America. Well, we’ve now seen six of them.

We spent three days in Oregon last week, a little vacation during a dark week in Oklahoma. With both OU and OSU idle, I took some time off and we drove down the coast from Seattle after the Sooner-Washington game.

We had visited the Oregon coast two years ago and wanted to return. It’s spectacular. The scenery is unmatched, with high cliffs over the Pacific and clean beaches and charming coastal towns.

Oceans are awesome, in the true sense of the word. The sea’s sights and sounds and scents are intoxicating, especially for land-locked Oklahomans.

We stopped in at four lighthouses, to go with the two we saw last time. I don’t know why lighthouses attract so many Americans; I guess it’s a link to a more simple past.

The lighthouses are remote; you have to hike to most of them. The best was Heceta Head, south of Newport. They say Heceta Head is the most photographed lighthouse in America; its keepers house also overlooks the Pacific and is a bed-and-breakfast run by the parks service.

The weather was foggy most of the time we were in Oregon, which only adds to the ambiance. Foggy, 60-degree weather. Doesn’t get any better than that.

Eventually, we had to head back home, where a weekend of college football awaited.

TEN BIGGEST WINNERS OF THE WEEK

10. Kellen Moore: The redshirt freshman could be the next quarterback star at Boise State. Moore threw for 386 yards and three TDs in a 37-32 upset of Oregon.

9. New Mexico State: Hal Mumme’s Aggies won at arch-rival Texas-El Paso for the first time since 1994, a 34-33 thriller.

8. Big 12 quarterbacks: Sam Bradford and Zac Robinson were idle, and still five of the nation’s top 10 passing games were turned in by Big 12 throwers. No. 2 Chase Daniel of Missouri (439 yards), No. 5 Todd Reesing of Kansas (356), No. 7 Colt McCoy of Texas (329), No. 9 Graham Harrell of Texas Tech (322) and No. 10 Josh Freeman of Kansas State (313). The league’s 21st-century reputation is airborne.

7. Robert Marve: Remember when Miami was Quarterback U? Seems a long time since the days of Kelly, Kosar, Testaverde, Walsh, Erickson and Torretta. But maybe the Hurricanes finally have found a QB. Marve completed 16 of 22 for 212 yards and two TDs in a 41-23 thrashing of Texas A&M.

6. David Johnson: The No. 1 passing quarterback this week? Tulsa’s senior, who patiently waited his turn, threw for 469 yards in a 56-14 rout of New Mexico. Johnson’s season totals: 1,219 yards in three games, 72 percent completion percentage and 15 touchdowns. Who needs Paul Smith?

5. Virginia Tech: The Hokies never are flashy, but they’re always in ACC contention. VPI has won three division titles in its four years in the ACC, with two league championships. And after a 20-17 win at North Carolina, the Hokies are 2-0 in the ACC, with wins over their two chief rivals in the Coastal Division.

4. Mike Stoops: If Stoops is to keep his job at Arizona, a winning Pac-10 record is a must. Good start Saturday; the Wildcats slapped UCLA 31-10 in the Rose Bowl. With a down Pac-10, a solid season seems quite possible for ‘Zona.

3. Florida: The Gators lost 24-0 in their first game ever against Tennessee, on Oct. 28, 1916, and never have evened the series. Until Saturday, when Florida whipped the Vols 30-6. The Gators have won six of their last eight trips to Neyland Stadium.

2. Tailbacks: Don’t give the Heisman to a quarterback just yet. Georgia’s Knowshon Moreno put on a show with his flying touchdown at Arizona State, and Michigan State’s Javon Ringer carried 39 times for 201 yards in a victory over Notre Dame. Shades of Steve Owens; Ringer has averaged 36 carries a game this year.

1. Les Miles: Like it or not, the man is becoming a Louisiana legend. In the best win of the year by any team, LSU knocked off Auburn 26-21, and Miles’ riverboat gambler reputation only increased, with a successful onside kick and a halfback pass for a touchdown.

TIME ZONE TROUBLES

It’s hard to be a sports fan on the West Coast. NFL telecasts begin at 10 a.m. Sunday. Monday Night Football starts at 5:30 p.m.

We met an old friend, George Schroeder, for dinner Monday night in Newport, Ore. George covered OU football for The Oklahoman for many years but became the sports columnist for the Eugene (Ore.) Register-Guard in 2007. We hooked up at 6:30 for dinner, ate, talked and then left about 8:30 p.m. The Dallas-Philadelphia game was in its final two minutes.

I like watching late-night football. But that doesn’t exist in the Pacific time zone.

I once covered a Yankees-Rangers playoff game at Yankee Stadium, worked until almost 1 a.m. New York time, caught a taxi back to my Manhattan hotel room from the Bronx, crawled into bed about 1:45 - and caught the final four innings of the Mets-Diamondbacks playoff game on television.

Such pleasures never happen on the West Coast.

REALITY RANKINGS

Our records based not on what anyone thinks teams might do, but based on what team have done.

1. Florida: Rout at Tennessee proves Gators are to be reckoned with. They don’t play a rumdum until Citadel on Nov. 22.

2. Southern Cal: USC doesn’t play a rumdum all season.

3. Utah: Has won at Michigan and Air Force.

4. Alabama: Rout at Arkansas has Bama looking good.

5. East Carolina: Loss at N.C. State doesn’t wipe out wins over Virginia Tech and West Virginia.

6. Georgia: Wins at Arizona State and South Carolina.

7. Wake Forest: Win at Baylor looks better; win at Florida State puts Wake in ACC driver’s seat.

8. LSU: Best win of the season at Auburn, but other wins have meant nothing. Schedule will toughen.

9. Brigham Young: Schedule won’t be tough enough to keep Cougars this high.

10. Boise State: Not the Fiesta Bowl, but win at Oregon historic.

11. Vanderbilt: Commodores 2-0 in the SEC, and they haven’t even played Vanderbilt.

12. Oklahoma: Sooners poised to move up.

13. South Florida: The Big East’s last hope for something special.

14. Virginia Tech: Hokies 2-0 in the ACC, and they haven’t played Duke.

15. Wisconsin: Win at Fresno State carries Badgers.

DON”T PUMP THE GAS

Goofiest state law you’re likely to find: It’s illegal to pump your own gas in Oregon.

All kinds of Americans don’t even know what full-service gas stations are, and you won’t find them in Oregon, either. Attendants don’t do anything except pump the gas.

No checking oil. No washing windshields. No checking the tire pressure. Just pumping the gas.

Two years ago, I didn’t know about the law and started pumping my own gas. The guy came running out, not quite frantic but getting there, and said he could be fined some crazy amount if he was caught letting someone pump their own gas.

I can remember as a kid, the man at Sinclair or APCO coming out and taking care of your car. He was an honest worker, hired because his services were needed, not because the state legislature is trying to invent jobs.

TEN BIGGEST LOSERS OF THE WEEK

10. Army: Doesn’t seem so long ago that the Cadets were playing Auburn and Alabama to the wire in minor bowls. Now Army hasn’t won more than four games in a year since 1996, and after a 22-3 home loss to Akron, it looks like the Cadets could be 0-11 going into the Navy game.

9. Kirk Ferentz: After a 21-20 loss at Pitt, where the Panthers had gone 1-1 against Mid-American teams this season, the Iowa coach is 22-19 in the last three-plus seasons, and 2008 has mediocrity written all over it.

8. Texas Tech fans: The Red Raiders have hosted Eastern Washington, SMU and Massachusetts so far. Between now and November, Tech’s only home game is Nebraska. Whatever the cost of those season tickets, they’re over-priced.

7. Mike Teel: Not only is Rutgers 0-3, but its four-year starting quarterback took a swing at a teammate in the waning seconds of a 23-21 loss to Navy. Sounds like a leadership void.

6. Indiana: The Hoosiers’ bowl plan - win four games against lower-level foes, then scratch out two Big Ten victories - took a beating in a 42-20 loss to Ball State. IU coach Bill Lynch was fired by Ball State six years ago.

5. Casey Dick: The Arkansas quarterback, through no fault of his own, was at the eye of the storm two years ago with heralded freshman Mitch Mustain. Now a senior, Dick threw three interceptions in a 49-14 loss to Alabama.

4. Bill Stewart: The West Virginia coach was everyone’s darling when, as interim coach, his Mountaineers spanked OU in the Fiesta Bowl. But now West Virginia is 1-2, and Stewart’s game management and game planning both seemed lacking in a 17-14 loss at Colorado.

3. Tim Tebow: Florida routed Tennessee, but Tebow did little to enhance his Heisman Trophy candidacy. Tebow completed eight of 15 passes for 96 yards and rushed 12 times for 26 yards.

2. East Carolina: Last week, Fresno State’s BCS dream was dashed. This week, it was East Carolina’s, in a 30-24 overtime loss at North Carolina State. Next in line? Utah, TCU, BYU, Boise State, Ball State and Tulsa are the remaining unbeaten mid-majors.

1. Jimbo Fisher: The Florida State offensive coordinator and head-coach designate doesn’t seem to be the answer for the Seminoles’ troubles. Since that Orange Bowl against Oklahoma eight years ago, Florida State is 60-34, mostly due to an anemic offense. And Fisher, in his second year at Tallahassee, hasn’t improved things. In a 12-3 loss to Wake Forest, Florida State committed seven turnovers, completed just 12 of 36 passes and totaled just 220 yards.

THE BEACH, THE BEACH…

Long Beach State once qualified for the Women’s College World Series, and its fans had a nifty chant: “The Beach! The Beach! The Lonnnnnnnnng Beach.”

I thought of the chant when we drove over to Long Beach, Wash., just across the Columbia River bridge from Astoria, Ore.

Long Beach is aptly named. Its beach is billed as the longest in the world, and it’s a little different from the beaches in Oregon.

For one, you can drive out on the sand, after Labor Day. So we did, taking our Jeep rental onto the beach. I don’t know why driving on the beach is such a guilty pleasure, but it is.

The Long Beach sand is not quite as clean as the pristine beaches in Oregon, but that’s the price you pay for taking a Jeep to the tides.

An off week for the Sooners and Cowboys meant a week’s vacation for me, so the emails are a little light. But still interesting. Starting with the Thunder and the extracurricular activities in the OU-Washington game.

Roger writes, “I have been pondering what kind of graphics would work with the nickname Thunder. Suddenly it dawned on me: There is more to Thunder than meets the sky. What about the thunder of a cattle stampede? Or the thunder of a herd of buffalo rumbling over a ridge?”

I think Thor’s the frontrunner for mascot, but I’ve got no problem with a buffalo.

James wrote, “Well, Mr. Tramel, Thunderbirds has ‘Thunder’ in it, so it is not a total loss.”

Nothing against the Thunder name, but I vote total loss.

Gabe also has the Thunder on his mind. “I read the article where you wrote about the Ford Center and Thunderdome as the new nickname, which I thought was cool. What really struck me was the part about chanting ‘Two Men Enter, One Man Leaves.’ I was thinking how great this could be as a t-shirt and was looking into getting the copyright and cost of production. Was wondering, since you were the inspiration, if that’s something you’d want to be a part of or if you’d have a problem with that.”

Well, since it wasn’t my idea in the first place, I’d say full steam ahead.

Now, on to the Sooners. Jack wrote, “On a minor point that I have seen no reference to in print, the broadcast TV crews dutifully showed the OU team blocking the entrance ramp preventing the Washington team from coming on the field until they were finally able to force their way past them. I know trash talk is the norm now, but in my day (1943), I don’t remember any of that. To me, that was a bush league attempt at intimidation and can do no good for our state and my team’s reputation as the West Coast and Eastern writers love to promote anything that will denigrate Oklahomans as being Okies, hillbillies, farmers, or tobacco road characters. You may fill in your own descriptions.”

I really think we’d all be better off if we cared a little less about the coastal press. But I do think OU’s stunt at the ramp was bush league.

Dave was upset by the injury to OU’s DeMarcus Granger. “What is your take on the roughing up of Granger? Will the NCAA penalize the players involved or what? I mean, it was quite obvious that they were retaliating for the previous play. Will Stoop or the OU athletic department file an official complaint with the NCAA? Just curious. I know that if it were a pro game, suspensions, fines would be levied. How about in college? To me, at the very least, they should be disciplined by the Washington coach.”

What goes around comes around. Granger took a cheap shot at the UW lineman the previous play. Sometimes you have to live with frontier justice.

West Virginia’s loss to Colorado brought some dispatches. David wrote, “Rich Rodriguez may be hated in West Virginia, but his game tactical skills are missed. Bill Stewart may be a good guy and a good coach, but his game management skills are LIMITED.”

I thought Stewart was a little shaky myself, but seems to me they miss Rodriguez’s game planning more than his game management.

Jo, that constant critic of Bob Stoops, asks, “Besides a victory over West Virginia, what do you think Colorado has that is missing on OU?”

Thin air.

Southern Cal is on the mind of a couple of readers. Jason writes, “When USC started the season with a 52-7 whipping of Virginia, it seemed that a lot of talking heads were thoroughly impressed. In fact, they vaulted USC to No. 1 after that game. Well, UConn just whipped Virginia 45-10 and the statistics were close to the same for both games. UConn got a big boost to 34th and 35th in the polls. I know you can’t judge by head-to-head-to-head, but don’t you think there should at least be some mention that the Virginia win was no big deal.”

No. I don’t think that. USC won at Virginia. Winning on the road - dominating on the road - is a big deal. Just like OU’s rout of Washington.

Shannon, always a thinking man, offered this conspiracy theory. “Jim Tressel secretly knew he wasn’t going to win at USC, so if at all possible it would be best to keep out Beanie Wells. Now if they can run through the Big 10, they will have that ‘we were without our best player’ card in their back pocket.”

Sometimes you can do a little too much thinking. Jim Tressel is fighting for his life in big games. It’s all hands on deck.

Bill lamented all the attention given to the last game at Yankee Stadium. “I guess I am too old. I just don’t get how the passing of Yankee Stadium brings teardrops. For me, they came about 30 years ago, when the Yankee Stadium of The Babe, Lou, Joe, Yogi and Mickey was redone. It simply did not look like the old ballyard that the Damn Yankees played in. They even decreased The Stadium’s seating capacity, from about 62,000 down to about 56,000. How was that an improvement? The Bronx will not be the same without old Yankees ghost somewhere. Coogan’s Bluff is not without the Polo Grounds and Brooklyn will never be Brooklyn without Ebbets Field. Times change. That does not mean they improve, necessarily.”

Well, I’ll say this for the Yankees. They didn’t desert the Bronx. The new Yankee Stadium is right next to the old Yankee Stadium. And so far, Yankee Stadium hasn’t been called Microsoft Field or some such thing.

And finally, Andy addressed a totally different subject. Cheerleading. “I am writing to point out an inequity in sports journalism. This week is the regional competition for high school cheer. Now before you dismiss this, I want you to understand where I am coming from. I have two daughters; one was a softball player and one is a cheerleader. I believe the cheerleader has had to work just as hard as the softball player did. The softball player will tell you the same thing. Competitive cheer is a real sport; it isn’t the stand on the sidelines and look pretty kind of thing that it used to be. Why doesn’t the Oklahoman cover the cheer regional competition and the state competition. They are a sport just like everyone else.”

Andy, you have some good points. The hard work argument doesn’t wash, though. Everyone works hard. High school musicals. Homecoming committees. Trig students. It all comes down to this for me. I recognize cheerleading as a difficult and laudable activity. I just don’t see it as a sport. The OSSAA sponsors cheerleading competition, but it also regulates music, acting and speech.

Here’s what I did Saturday. I watched college football and took care of a sick wife and watched college football and played with my granddaughter and watched college football. I missed a little of the 12-hour marathon of games, due to domestic duties, but not much.

So I’m an expert on the entertainment value of Saturday. And here’s what I say. The Big 12 offered none.

The prime-time TV slot offered three intriguing and competitive games. LSU-Auburn. Florida State-Wake Forest. Georgia-Arizona State. Meanwhile, Fox Sports Net had Texas-Rice. Only Orangebloods could have been watching UT-Rice, and maybe not even all of them.

In the 2:30 time slot, at least the Big 12 offering, Miami at Texas A&M, had a chance to be competitive. It wasn’t — A&M rolled – but at least it had a chance to be. Still, except for Aggie fans, even this part of the country migrated to Florida-Tennessee or Michigan State-Notre Dame or Arizona-UCLA.

Now, in fairness to the Big 12, three decent games were moved to earlier in the week and shown on ESPN: Kansas State at Louisville, West Virginia at Colorado and Baylor at Connecticut.

But there were two clear lessons Saturday. The Big 12, like every other league this side of the Pac-10, needs to improve its non-conference scheduling. And until then, the Big 12 needs to schedule conference games in September.

It’s happened on occasion. The OSU-Texas Tech barnburner, won 49-45 by the Cowboys, came last September. OSU-Nebraska opened the season in 2003. OSU-Kansas opened the season in 1998. There have been others.

But not consistently. Not weekly. And it needs to happen. Coaches won’t like it. Athletic directors won’t push for it. And the historically weak Big 12 office won’t demand it.

But what the conference needs is leadership that will stand up to the individual schools and therefore stand up for the schools as a whole. Leadership that requires better schedules and moves conference games into September.

The Big 12 has set its conference schedule through 2015, and the only September games are on Sept. 29, 2012, when three league games are set.

Many of us have been critical of the Big 12’s football television package over the years, decrying the lack of ESPN coverage, a problem partially rectified, and the lack of a national TV slot.

But in defense of the conference office, it’s been negotiating with a short stick. Compared to the Big Ten, SEC and Pac-10, the Big 12 already has a shortage of television sets in its territory.

But in the month of September, while the SEC, Pac-10 and ACC schedule conference games that break up the litany of mismatches, the Big 12 often surrenders the spotlight.