A Rant on Week One

September 8th, 2005

By Justin Waganer
Senior Sports Writer

The first weekend of college football is over and the madness has already begun. Oklahoma fans are perched on ledges, Oklahoma State fans are waiting for them to jump so they’ll have room on Friday, and the college football world has already crowned several teams champions.

For those who didn’t get the memo, teams in the Pac 10 and Big 12 don’t need to finish their schedules, it’s already over. Texas and USC, as we’re told, are actually made up of indestructible cyborgs. There is no need to even watch the rest of the season until the Rose Bowl where these two will play in a 27 overtime classic that will end in the BCS actually giving up and declaring two champions. Could someone please let someone in the national media know that these teams beat Hawaii and Louisiana-Lafayette in Week 1? They’re both good, but they also have weaknesses.

Following Oklahoma’s season opening loss to TCU the word of the week seems to be “mystique“. Everyone in the know claims that the Sooners have lost their “mystique” after this loss. It seems to me that “mystique” is something given, and taken away, by the media. Does anyone even know what this means anymore? Mystique was something Notre Dame had in the days when they were the only game on every week. Mystique was something Oklahoma had when they didn’t lose for about four years in the 1950s. Mystique is not a September win streak or a team who had won a National Championship four years ago.

If OU had this “mystique” wouldn’t it have been lost with back-to-back losses to Oklahoma State in 2001 and 2002? Or with losses in the Big 12 and National Title games in 2003? Or with a 55-19 loss in last year’s Orange Bowl? How many times can people beat this dead horse for a story? Oklahoma lost a season opener to TCU. It was bad and it was ugly, it was not the end of a mystical time.

It’s not just Oklahoma having struggles at the elite level finding a quarterback, Florida State is a Nate Hybl away from National Championship contention. With a dominating defense and two all-conference running backs the ‘Noles beat a solid Miami team with two quarterbacks who couldn’t hit water while standing on the bridge. On the other hand, Miami may be the one to go further this season. They have a tremendous defense as well, a big runner in Moss, and a quarterback in Kyle Wright who just needs a couple more games to find a groove and become Mr. Big Time.

Mike Stoops and Company are on the track for big time success. They were one questionable coaching decision from having a fourth quarter attempt at a shot to tie or take the lead at Utah. Arizona looked like a team about to realize its offensive potential with a defense ready to remove the head of any receiver daring to catch a pass anywhere on the field.

Charlie Weis and Steve Spurrier are on the verge of once again showing the college football world that a turnaround takes no time this day in college football. Spurrier wasn’t as impressive as Weis in week one, but make no mistake that his team will score and they have a defense to win ball games.

In a closing statement, it is once again safe to turn your television on in the pregame or at halftime of your ESPN telecast. Trev Alberts has been fired. I repeat, Trev Alberts has been fired. He claims to be tired of playing “second fiddle” to Chris Fowler, Lee Corso, and Kirk Herbstreit, the Game Day Crew. It’s understandable to want to be the best and be upset when you’re not, but somebody might want to ask Trev where he is going to go from here? Being second fiddle on ESPN in college football is a lot better than being first fiddle at CBS or ABC, plus, Trev sucked.

Entry Filed under: Oklahoma Sports