Stoops seeks TRO against Notre Dame

Rumor has it this guy's parked outside Stoops house, playing this song.

The Chicago Sun Times is stalker-like in their reporting of Stoops to Notre Dame. Today they "reported" the coach could be named "as early as Sunday" and that Stoops remains the lead candidate.

The paper indicates Stoops has not told the school "No" and therefore is still a candidate.

Stoops issued a statement today. I'm not sure he said no, but it was at least "get the ###### away from me".

So, we're headed down one of two paths here:

1) Stoops is a soothsayer along the lines of Nick Saban or Dennis Franchione. It's possible.

2) Stoops is staying put.

Here's the official LandThieves theory: When Florida fired the Zooker a few years ago and the Florida job was in play, Stoops went strangely silent. I don't recall him issuing denials, I recall him disappearing and not returning calls or texts from media types until he made a decision. As a result, I think it's unlike Stoops to come out publicly and deny something if he's really contemplating the opportunity. In his statement he said, "There haven't been any plans for a meeting or negotiations with Notre Dame and there will not be. Any reporting to that fact is completely erroneous. I will not be the next coach at Notre Dame." I have no reason not to believe him.

Furthermore, I think the Sun Times are being played with misinformation. My theory is that Brian Kelly is going to be the next coach. Kelly has said he'd listen if Notre Dame calls. Conversely, if Nebraska beats Texas, there's a decent chance the Bearcats leap the Horned Frogs and play the SEC Champ for the BCS title. Brian Kelly is not going to leave Cincy for another job if he gets the chance to play for a national title. As a result, I believe the new coach could be named as soon as sunday, particularly if Cincy is playing in the Orange or Fiesta Bowl.

It's Pile on Stoops Week

It's easy writing this week to pile on Bob Stoops...doesn't win the big one, can't win a bowl game, etc. Here are a few rebuttals:

1. Conference championships: Stoops has won 7 conference championships in ten years. While Texas has gone 3-1 against OU in the past four years, that's translated into exactly ONE Big 12 South Division championship. Seems to me like there are other big games in the conference that lead to conference championships. In hindsight, those games against Kansas State, Texas A&M and Texas Tech are pretty important, too? Aren't they Mack? Stoops starts every year with the goals of a) win the Big 12 South; b) win the Big 12 Championship; c) play for National Championship; d) win National Championship. He's won the Big 12 South seven times, the Big 12 six times, played in four NCGs, and won one. It's an impressive resume.
2. Quality of Bowl Opponents, part 1: Winning conference championships leads you to playing in higher profile bowls, against better teams. For programs who have played more than 5 bowl games in the past ten years, here are the top 10 by winning percentage of the opponent prior to the bowl game: 1) Southern California: 87.4%; 2) Louisville: 86.6%; 3) Oklahoma: 86.55%; 4) LSU: 84.8%; 5) Ohio State: 81.5%; 6) Florida: 81.0%; 7) Miami (FL); 79.4%; 8) Michigan: 79.2%; 9) Virginia Tech: 78.8%; 10) Florida State: 78.6%. Of those schools, Miami, Southern Cal and LSU are the only schools to have a winning record in these bowl games. So, one of the things is that Stoops is playing some of the top teams in the country. For example, no one else beat USC in 2004, and no one else beat Boise in 2006. On another note, Louisville really snuck in there, didn't they? They've gone 3-5, losing to 10-3 Boise State, 10-2 Colorado State, 11-2 Marshall, 13-1 Miami (OH) and 11-2 Virginia Tech.
3. Quality of Bowl Opponents, part 2: following are the top 5 by Point Differential of the opponent: 1) Oklahoma: 20.18; 2) Southern Cal: 19.27; 3) Ohio State: 16.61; 4) Louisville: 16.44; 5) Florida: 16.24. This is another example of how the quality of opposition is at a higher level when you play for championships every year.
4. Record against ranked opponents: Stoops is 33-13 against ranked teams. That's 12-0 at home, 7-3 away and 14-10 on neutral territory. Neutral territory games include playing LSU in New Orleans and Florida and Florida State in Miami. I'm not making the "Dallas is in Texas" comment here, tickets are allotted evenly and the field is equidistant between the two schools.
5. Loyalty and Success don't go hand in hand: There are eight programs that have played in bowl games the past ten years: OU, BC, Florida, FSU, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Texas and Virginia Tech. That doesn't rebut anything, but FSU, OU, Texas and Virginia Tech are the only four that have had the same coach during that tenure. So Stoops is in rare air in terms of success and loyalty to a program.

So you can all pile on and say Stoops is no Pete Carroll or Mack Brown, or Urban Meyer, or Les Miles or Nick Saban or whoever else. The fact is that Stoops is not based in a recruiting hotbed like Florida, Southern Cal, Texas or Louisiana. Stoops takes home grown kids like Jason White or Sam Bradford and sprinkles in some Texas and Colorado and other state talent to compete with the big boys. He doesn't go on national TV and whine about the tie breaking system of his conference. Is he perfect? No. Would I fire him and hire anyone else? No.

Losses at Home

Stoops is now 58-2 in Norman during his almost ten year tenure, which began in 1999. To give you another view of where the program was at prior to his arrival, you have to go back to 1993 to find a season before Stoops where the Sooners did NOT lose two home games in a season.

Stoops as a No 1

Wondered today what Stoops record is while holding the #1 spot in the polls?

The research was made painfully easy by the folks behind www.soonerstats.com.

Stoops is 20-2 when leading the AP ranked #1 team in the land. Losses were to #13 ranked Kansas State in 2003, and to unranked Texas A&M in 2002. It was all downhill for Reggie McNeal from there. Stoops record against ranked foes while being #1 is 7-1, and basic math tells us he's 13-1 when playing unranked foes.

That is all. Nothing else to see here.

Top 10 Victories during the Blake Era

The Daily Oklahoman is doing a big "Bob Stoops @ 10" thing this week. To supplement their superb coverage, I thought I would provide a little different perspective. For you, the loyal reader, I submit the Top 10 Victories of the John Blake era.

1. Oct 12, 1996, Texas - This was JB's first victory. The Sooners were pathetic in the four games prior to this. They were coming off losses to TCU, San Diego State, Tulsa, and Kansas, and UT was ranked.
2. Oct 19, 1996, at Baylor - this victory was significant because it was a) Blake's first two game winning streak; b) kept the unbeaten streak alive over Baylor. The Sooners came from 10 points down in the seconf half to beat Baylor. Pause for a moment to let that sink in.
3. Sep 6, 1997, Syracuse - this game was an absolute thriller to watch. Demond Parker ran for 200+ yards. OU blocked a field goal at the end of the game to seal the victory. You woulda thought we won the national championship that day the way we reacted in the stands.
4. Oct 18, 1997 Baylor - the Sooners intercepted a two point conversion with 28 seconds left to secure a one point victory.
5. Nov 22, 1997, at Texas Tech - John Blake is undefeated in Lubbock as a head coach. I wish Stoops could say that.
6. Sep 5, 1998, North Texas - The largest margin of victory during the Blake era. The Sooners were down 6-0 after the first quarter. QB Patrick Flether went 5-5 for 84 yards and a score.
7. Sep 12, 1998 at TCU - I was actually at this game with TexPoes. I have never been more embarrassed about winning a football game. OU was 5-19 passing. The best pass play was an interception...the Sooners threw a pick and the TE, whose name escapes me, stripped the ball from the defender after the pick and the Sooners went on to win the game. The weather was horrible. This also concluded the only three game winning streak of the Blake era. LDT was held to 22 yards on 10 carries. The teams combined for 15 first downs.
8. Sep 27, 1997, Louisville - I remember two things about this game: a) I about got in a fight with a gent sitting in front of me over a chairback; and b) the Cardinals had a receiver named Arnold Jackson. He caught 3 balls for 16 yards.
9. Nov 9, 1996, at Boone State - this was Blake's only W against our intrastate rival. Of course, at that point, Tulsa was a rival as well, and ECU would have been if they were in Division I.
10. Nov 21, 1998, Texas Tech - Conspiracy theorists believe Spike Dykes was paid by fellow Big 12 coaches to lose the game in an effort to save Blake's job. Fortunately for all of us, it didn't work.

Honorable mention (hey there were only 12 wins to analyze):

i) Nov 14, 1998 over Baylor and ii) Oct 31, 1998 over Iowa State. I have blocked both these games from my memory. However, I would bet money that the Pride of Oklahoma dressed up in costumes and played La Bamba at halftime of the Cyclone W.

Coach, May I have your Timeshare?

Coach Stoops, I read today that you are interested in giving away a timeshare. Below are some compelling reasons I believe you should give it to me. If it’s not too much to ask though, things are a little tight in my household right now, and I read where you make over $3 million per year, so if you could continue to pick up the tab on the timeshare dues that would be great.

1. November 8, 1975. My first OU game. Sooners come in as heavy favorites, lose 23-3 to Kansas. The first loss for the program in 37 games. I’m still scarred.
2. Spring 1990 – I contact the OU Athletic Department inquiring about season tickets. I am put on the wait list. A few weeks later, I am contacted and get my first season tickets. The Sooners were coming off a record of 7-4, a mark they had not fallen to since 1981. Later that year I get to watch us lose to Iowa State for the first time since 1961.
3. October 29, 1994. I witness the first home loss to Kansas State since 1970.
4. September 28, 1996. We lose to Tulsa. Tulsa played the game with a SECOND STRING QB. It was the first time I’d seen a 99 yard TD pass. I would have rather seen us score it.
5. October 5, 1996. For some reason, I didn’t go to this game. I think it was because I didn’t want to watch us lose to Kansas. We outgained the Jayhawks 538-368, but they blocked a FG and returned it for a TD, returned a kickoff for a score and returned a punt for a TD. We also allowed two scores after keeping the drive alive on penalties, so we lost 52-28.
6. November 2, 1996. I watch the game in my seats. Section 36, I believe. Because of the confidence exuding from the program that year, the Sooners started selling seats in that section to all comers. I am surrounded by Husker fans. One gent in particular was wearing a robe, smoking a cigar. We lost the game 73-21, and the game was not as close as the score indicated. At the end of the season, I request a seat change, so I may sit next to Sooner fans.
7. September 6, 1997. We beat Syracuse 36-34. Fans storm the field. That should tell you where the program was at that point. We had opened the season on national TV against Northwestern, only to be shut out 23-0. Northwestern went on to a 5-7 record that year.
8. November 15, 1997. Texas A&M defeats us 51-7. We came back in the fourth quarter to close the gap to 51. This is the only OU game I’ve ever been to where I left at halftime. I would’ve left earlier (it was cold and rainy), but I wanted to see the Aggie bank. Had they not been there, I would’ve left in the first quarter. Good times.

Coach, I believe you will see that I have been a faithful season ticket holder since 1990, through good times and bad. Sure, many started before me, but few started when I did and stuck it out. It is my hope that you will pass over your interest in the time share to me. Maybe I can visit John Blake while I’m in North Carolina and we can talk about the old days.

Sincerely,

HeadThief

Sooners Announce Additional Infractions, Vacate Blake Era

By HeadThief, LandThief Press Editor-in-Charge

Norman, OK (LTP) - In a stunning development today, the University of Oklahoma reported additional violations and self imposed sanctions related to Michael Vick’s alleged involvement in a competitive dog fighting operation.

President David Boren announced that the “failure to monitor” appeal regarding JD Quinn and Rhett Bomar's work at Big Red Sports and Imports was dropped. In a new revelation, Boren admitted that the University had failed to monitor the Michael Vick dog fighting situation properly and announced additional self imposed sanctions. “During a standard internal review, we realized that we had just as much ability to monitor Michal Vick allegedly lying about dog fighting on his property as we did about finding out that J.D. Quinn and Rhett Bomar were lying to us about hours worked at Big Red Sports. We felt it was in our best interests to report the matter ourselves, take responsibility and impose additional penalties. We are hopeful that the NCAA will find that we’ve addressed the situation appropriately.”

In addition to the loss of scholarships and vacating 8 wins from 2005 previously announced, the Sooners have now vacated the entire Blake era. John Blake was employed as head coach during the 1996, 97 and 98 seasons, and the Sooners amassed a 12-22 record during Mr. Blake's tenure. "While it is unfair to discount the hard work of many players and staff during that time, the truth is many of our fan base have been trying to vacate those seasons from their memories for years now. Give me a break...we were beaten by TCU, Tulsa, San Diego State, Kansas and Northwestern, among others, during those years."

Joe Castiglione indicated he is hopeful that investigators will find something to link the university to either the Reggie Bush house rental scandal at USC or Barry Bonds’ alleged steroid use. “We are optimistic that we can shed ourselves of the Schnellenberger era as well, that was a disaster.”

OU’s all time football record, after considering the self imposed sanctions, improves to 745-273-53, a winning percentage of 72.04%. This launched the Sooners into the #3 spot for winningest college football programs by winning percentage, as the Sooners leapfrogged the Texas Longhorns and the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Boren, Stoops on Hunger Strike

Boren, Stoops protest NCAA sanctions
By HeadThief, LandThief Press Editor-in-Charge

Norman, OK (LTP) – In an odd development after the NCAA findings were announced Thursday, Oklahoma University President David Boren and Football Coach Bob Stoops simultaneously shouted “No Fair!” slammed their office doors and started listening to loud music. They have not responded to repeated requests to come to dinner or talk out their feelings.

Sources close to the athletic department have hinted that both gentlemen are listening to Twisted Sister’s “We’re not gonna take it” on an endless loop. “They will get eventually get hungry and come out,” said Joe Castiglione, Director of Athletics.

Kenny Mossman, Associate Athletics Director for Communications and author of the Mossman Prophecies, was unavailable to provide a more precise estimate for future public appearances of the duo.