Comments on: Oklahoma State football: Scheduling cost Cowboys

By: Wondering...

Wondering... — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 16:27:57 +0000

We are not “soft” on defense… please get it correct..
We do not have a defense…. big difference.

A great high tempo offense is great but a defense is an absolute necessity.. If we can operate a successful high tempo offense then we should certainly know how to stop one as well…

By: John in Tulsa

John in Tulsa — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 15:57:23 +0000

Okie State = WIMPS

By: RaiderRedleg

RaiderRedleg — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 12:59:49 +0000

OSU has all the tools to become a consistent top 10-15 team, but their future success lies in scheduling. I can see it both ways…I was a great admirer of Pat Hill’s Fresno State team’s “Any team, anywhere” mentality to scheduling, but eventually it proved to be Hill’s downfall. However for Coach Gundy to complain about Arizona is a bit over the top. It has to be a smart mixture, and as much as I dislike OU, you have to admire their AD for helping OU stay on top for over a decade now, by coming up with the right mixture of “good” and ”less good” non-conference scheduling. However, this season’s failure for OSU boiled down to Coach Gundy’s inability to pick the right starting QB for 2012. While there is no doubt that Lunt is the future of the program in 2013 and beyond, asking him to come in as a true freshman and lead the defending Big 12 Champions was the wrong call. I have noticed Coach Gundy seems to have trouble sometimes with his QB decisions. While Zac Robinson went on to have a great career, I think he gave up on Bobby Reid too quickly for that season and I will never forget during Zac’s final season, when Zac was dinged up and Gundy didn’t seem to want to give Weeden a chance to gain some experience (especially the OU game where Robinson was obviously not at 100%). Of course he is the head coach and thusly has the final call, but I find it interesting he has made such a public show of his displeasure with AD Holder and the scheduling for 2012. Lunt was ready to beat the Savannah States of the world, but to asking him to win on the road at Arizona as a true freshman with a rebuilt defense was a head scratcher for me. With a stable of QB’s like Walsh and Chelf, he should have given the starting nod to one of them for 2012 and see what would have happened. He could have always brought Lunt in at any point during the season if one of the other QB got hurt or played terribly. The additional time and practice would have only helped Lunt’s transition from High School to big time BCS type College Football. Regardless, the losses to OU and Baylor should make Coach Gundy look more inwards than outwards IMHO. Both games were there for the taking, but the OSU coaching staff couldn’t get the team over the top in either. The Baylor loss especially was a tough one, because great programs can’t win all the time (reference Notre Dame beating OU and A&M beating Alabama), but they sure as heck can “circle the wagons” and rebound. Last year OSU did it after losing to ISU, but this year they faltered badly. However the bowl game goes, I would be more worried about tightening up the program internally for 2013, then running around the SEC interviewing for jobs and publicly locking horns with the AD. OSU has the potential with the revamped Big 12 to compete year in and year out for Big 12 Championships (Coach Stoop’s favorite war cry), but worrying about getting cream puff non-conference schedules is the wrong way to go about it.

By: James

James — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 06:50:01 +0000

Losing to Arizona didn’t cost the cowboys a better bowl, losing to OU and Baylor to end the season did! Both BU and WVU finished the season on 2 game winning streaks as opposed to how OSU finished. Beat Baylor and they would have gone to the holiday, beat both and they would have gone to the cotton.
It’s that simple.

By: R

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 15:41:35 +0000

Very interesting article. Holder (and the major contributor to the program) want to increase the difficulty of scheduling. (Probably to increase revenue for the athletic budget.) Gundy wants to continue the trend of a less difficult non-conference schedule. Gundy out interviewing after a 7-5 season. Appears rather than separation from the middle tier of the Big 12, OSU has experienced slippage in 2012. Translation: Gundy’s stock on the open market has taken a downturn. Presently, if you believe printed articles, he was one of the higher paid coaches in college football with his contract extension after last season. Business sense tells me there might be more to this disagreement.

By: Don Whitfill

Don Whitfill — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 13:54:26 +0000

The last time I checked my bank account I am paying for my OU tickets. As a fan I want it all: a good schdule against quality teams and a national championship. Since winning a national championship is akin to hitting a slot machine jackpot, I will vote for a good schdule each year. I would like to see OU play one of the service academies each year, plus good intersectional rivalries. Let’s take on the dreaded SE conference if they have the nerve- they are not all giant killers.

By: Daily Bullets | Pistols Firing

Daily Bullets | Pistols Firing — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 04:57:57 +0000

[...] Interesting argument here. Berry says better scheduling, Gundy wants cupcakes. What say you? (NewsOK) [...]

By: Dan

Dan — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 01:29:55 +0000

Big 12 should invite BYU and play a 10-game round-robin schedule.

By: Galileo, Houston

Galileo, Houston — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 01:23:49 +0000

Jed is absolutely right. A 10-game round robin conference schedule would constitute a murder’s row and nobody, even great teams, would navigate that undefeated. You’d kiss the conference’s chance for a National Championship goodbye.

Instead, best to follow the SEC model which practically guarantees a NC representative almost every year: schedule 4 automatic wins non-conference, play 8 conference games. And with the new 14-team divisional format, you can even avoid playing half the tough teams in the opposite division. Make sure at least one of your non-con patsies is in late November (rest your starters), then pull off a good performance in the conference title game and…. presto BCS NC game here we come!!

By: Warren Applegate

Warren Applegate — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 00:12:12 +0000

OU has had a tradition of scheduling tough non-conference games because it was felt that playing a top team from the western US preferably the west coast, then the east the next year would give the program national exposure that was needed to get a high ranking. The opening game was usually a regional guaranteed win to get the “bugs” out. Texas at that was that time always a tough non-conference game. Ken Farris long time assistent AD did the scheduling for Bud Wilkinson, which he explains in detail in his book. OSU has a chance to be one of the “haves” instead of a “have not”. It is time to always have a schedule that will draw viewers and get the attention for the polls.