Mr. P

Someone is losing their job.

But you're one of the good guys on here, so I'll take your question seriously. First... yeah, the competition isn't as, shall we say, rigorous? Kansas State and Texas Tech are two programs that will absolutely stink all year long, then suddenly go crazy when they play us. But y'all don't know what that's like, do ya? Wink wink, nudge nudge. And B.) last season even though we won our first three, they were stress-inducing, nip-and-tuck affairs that only appeared to be clear wins because of a coupla late scores... at least that's my perception of them. It felt like we were better lucky than good to start out. Lastly, the offense has *occasionally* shown the ability to be explosive, but only when Lebby isn't handicapping it with unnecessary tempo and bizarre personnel tactics (see my sentiments above). However, if he follows his better angels and actually plays complimentary football, man... look out! But also, as Val said, the defense has more depth and another year in the Venables system. We're still seeing blown plays, but nowhere near the frequency at this point last year. Stutsman and others are bigger and better. Depth is getting there, but still quite young. Realistically, I think we can manage an improved season... I dunno, maybe like 9-3 or something?

Val is Mr. Glass-half-full, I'm Mr. Glass-half-empty... There is no difference. It's the same thing as last year. We feast on cupcakes. Then spend the rest of the season devouring each other. Cincy is going to be a "shocking" "upset" and the experts are gonna praise their "moxie" for defeating "heavily favored" OU. Some unknown backup QB will come in and roll up 400 yards of offense. Bearcat fans will rush the field. Kirk Herbstreit will openly weep for joy. Then the following week Matt Campbell will call his greatest game as a coach, holding OU to 100 total yards. Dillon Gabriel will get a concussion and Jackson Arnold will have both ACLs blown out. UT will again blank the Sooners, but this time scoring 49 points before halftime. On the sidelines, OU Athletic Director Joe Castiglione will step in a pile of Bevo's excrement. A losing streak ensues. OU is not bowl-eligible. Brent Venables is fired. OU cancels its football program. The state of Oklahoma is returned to the Cherokee. Lincoln Riley is named Emperor of the Western Hemisphere. The earth shifts orbit on its axis. The solar system hurtles off course into a supernova. Entropy completes it's process ten billion years ahead of schedule. But the combined fury of millions of irate Sooner fans lasts a thousand years after the heat death of the Universe.

Don't leave it to the refs. Just. Don't.

Respect.

Lobos.

We're just better at burying the bodies. EDIT: Kidding! Don't FOIA me, bro!

Agreed. Preseason + early season picks are almost always pointless. Other than to stoke up interest and conversation... like this. XD

Same for me, but inverted.

^^^ This. Right now they're averaging 2 yard per rush, and 61 yards per game. Shedeur is talented enough to keep them in it against so-so competition. But the first physical, well-coached team they play they're gonna get routed.

So, based on the numbers, the board's perceptions are something like: 1. Georgia 2. Michigan 3. Texas 4. Ohio State 5. Florida State Everyone else.

Yeah, they'll keep it close/back-and-forth early on, but Oregon's depth will wear them out down the stretch.

Oh for sure. The Colorado State game showed some glaring weaknesses. It's still a remarkable turnaround for year one, especially coming off a 1-11 season. No, they won't win out. And they're probably gonna get boatraced by a couple deeper, more physical and disciplined squads. All I want is for CU to win a shootout over USC. The rest of the games are gravy.

But he's got a helluva strong arm. That's something you can't coach: kid either has it or not. Footwork can be fixed. Mechanics are coachable.

Forney looks damned formidable on film. They're for real. Teams overlook them at their peril.

Because of the hype. Same reason as USC, Georgia, and, hell, even Texas right now. Shoot, OU has two blowout wins over a coupla junior colleges. Ain't proved nuthin' yet! The fact is that no one deserves to be number one at this point. We're all just guessing and following whoever looks "dominant" from week to week. This is part of the fun. Trying to figure out who's the best, and the reacting/overreacting to every win and loss.

Statistically, the defense is comparable (if slightly better) to where we were at this point last season... before the wheels fell off. Harrington looks to be out for a while. Lebby is still a problem. Cincy played possum this week. I think this is a trap loss.

Who's the maniac giving the Buffs a number 1 vote?

This is true. It's not like blowing out top-ranked Wyoming at home, but we're just happy to still be allowed to play football.

Gabriel completes 5 lucky TD passes, as No. 19 Oklahoma squeaks past Tulsa 66-17 TULSA — In a game that redefined the concept of "evenly matched," No. 19 Oklahoma faced off against Tulsa, and the result was nothing short of a masterpiece in football futility. Dillon Gabriel, with his modest 421 yards and five touchdowns, must have felt like he was in a closely contested battle against a team of equally talented players. His receivers, who apparently had a bet on who could accumulate the most yards, put up impressive numbers, with one even settling for a mere 126 yards and a single touchdown. Nic Anderson, the overachiever of the day, managed to score three times, just to prove that this game was all about equality. Andrel Anthony decided that 112 yards on four receptions was enough to keep things "even." Drake Stoops, perhaps feeling the need to maintain the illusion of parity, contributed eight catches for 53 yards with two touchdowns. Because, why not? Tulsa, not to be outdone in the "evenly matched" department, decided to play quarterback roulette. Cardell Williams, a man of mystery who didn't start but graced us with his presence later, threw for 196 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. It was as if they were trying to prove that inconsistency is the key to success. The Sooners' defense, clearly feeling left out of the evenly matched festivities, pitched in with five interceptions, just to show that they too can participate in the madness. As Oklahoma heads to face Cincinnati, and Tulsa takes on Northern Illinois, one can only hope for more evenly matched clashes that leave us all scratching our heads in disbelief.

Longview wins by +1.

@Waggle? Is that you, John Wayne? Is this me?

Well, it was about that time that I noticed that @JohnnyFootball was eight stories tall and a crustacean from the protozoic era!

Louisiana State Kansas State Rutgers Louisiana Tech North Carolina Tennessee Ole Miss Pittsburgh Texas Christian Fresno State *Tiebreaker = 47