Venables: Cincy ranks with OU’s best non-conference foes
When I asked Brent Venables if Cincinnati was in the Fresno State/UCLA range of quality opponents, he surprised me by saying no. The Bearcats were better.
OU routed Fresno State and UCLA in 2003 and took care of Cincinnati on Saturday. All by similar scores. Fresno 52-24, UCLA 59-24 and Cincy 52-26.
Venables said the staff believes this Cincinnati team ranks with 2002 Alabama as OU’s best non-conference opponent of the Bob Stoops era.
Interesting. And maybe right. OU has played some big names in the last 10 years, but those big names often have been big duds in the years they landed on the Sooner schedule.
Remarkable, really, how the Sooners have, through no fault of their own, met traditional powers in some of their worst seasons in decades.
1999 Notre Dame finished 5-7. 2003 Alabama went 4-9. Oregon finished 5-6 in 2004 and 7-6 in 2006, the latter even with the gift victory over the Sooners. 2006 Washington and 2007 Miami both finished 5-7.
Even the next level of foe hasn’t caught OU in a good year. 2001 Air Force finished 6-6. ’99 Louisville was 7-5. ’03 Fresno State finished 9-5, including a Silicon Valley bowl victory over another OU foe, UCLA, which finished 6-7.
Venables is right. That 2002 Alabama was very good; it finished 10-3 in Dennis Franchione’s final year in Tuscaloosa.
The 2005 UCLA team that beat OU in the Rose Bowl finished 10-2. People didn’t think too highly of that team and apparently still don’t; but go 10-2 with a Pac-10 schedule and a decent non-conference slate, that’s saying something.
2002 South Florida finished 9-2 but was just building its program.
Maybe the most underrated team OU has played in the Stoops era is 2005 TCU, which upset the Sooners at Owen Field and finished 11-1, with an inexplicable loss to SMU. That was a solid Horned Frog team.
So here’s my ranking, taking Venables’ thoughts into account, of the best non-conference foes of the Stoops era, discounting bowls:
1. Alabama 2002
2. UCLA 2005
3. TCU 2005
4. Cincinnati 2008
5. Oregon 2006
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
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Hi Berry – I’m glad to be back blogging after a long off season. I told everyone that would listen that Cincy was very good football team. They don’t have a sexy name, but do have a great coach, fast athletes and veterans. It was one of those games that had the potential for an upset.
As you may remember from last year, I’ve been a life long Sooner fan living in Lincoln, NE. I was able to bring my son and daugther to their first game in Norman yesterday. It was perfect. Great day, a game with some intrigue, a convincing win and lifelong memories. I’m hesitant to put this team in the same class as the 03 squad, mainly because I think our defense is vulnerable. Lewis and Clayton are smallish as linebackers go, and I think Jackson and Franks have a tendency to lose focus on the corners. I’m also concerned about depth at the defensive end spot. The offense is top shelf – clicking on every single cylinder. The no-huddle will give everyone major headaches. Let’s see how it all develops – should be fun.