EC FOOTBALL

Berry Tramel: Be forewarned, OU & Texas: SEC football is not a one-possession league​

• Aug 20, 2024 Updated 5 hrs ago

Berry Tramel​

Sports Columnist

NORMAN — Brent Venables made an off-handed comment down in Dallas during SEC Media Days last month. Seemed to pass the smell test when Venables said it. Venables called the Southeastern Conference a “one-possession league.”

Made sense on the surface. The SEC is a deep and tough league. Lots of good teams. Really only one traditional pushover (sorry, Vanderbilt). No reason the SEC wouldn’t be a conference of close games.

Except I had this nagging thought. The teams at the top seemed to dominate. I don’t mean dominate year to year to year, though Alabama certainly has done that. I mean, they seem to dominate games.

I filed that under check-it-out-at-some-point. Then ESPN’s Bill Connelly produced some interesting figures. In the last six seasons, in conference play, 46.5% of Big 12 games have been decided by eight points or less. That’s the highest of any major conference. But only 33% of SEC games have been decided by eight points or less. That’s the lowest of any major conference.

Turns out, the SEC is not a one-possession league. The Sooners have left the one-possession league.

Here was Venables’ take. The SEC is “a one-possession league, as we’ve looked at it outside-in. You’ve got incredibly challenging venues. Every member of this conference, top to bottom, is committed to the excellence that this conference represents.

“And so as a football program, being in our first year, we are really looking forward to the challenge.”

Venables’ assertion seemed intuitive for good reason. The SEC, while dominated by Alabama and Georgia these last several seasons, is a league of similarly-resourced football programs.

Sure, Alabama’s got the jump on tradition, but in terms of resources — financial wherewithal, recruiting grounds, fan bases, etc. — Bama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Louisiana State, Texas A&M, Auburn, they’re all about the same. OU fits in with that crowd quite well. Well, except A&M. Texas A&M and Texas spend significantly more than the rest of the SEC schools.

Meanwhile, Texas and OU spent significantly more than the rest of the Big 12 members lo these many years.

Yet the Big 12 had much more parity, both in overall success and quality of individual-game competition.

Simply put, the SEC had more blowouts than did the Big 12. Many of them courtesy of Georgia and Alabama.

In the last six years, Georgia is 6-3 in close SEC games. Alabama is 11-5. Three of those games were against each other.

Texas over that span was 18-16 in close Big 12 games. The Sooners were 17-10. OU played three times as many close games as did Georgia; Texas played almost four times as many as Georgia.

And this isn’t just a Georgia/Alabama thing. LSU was 14-7 in SEC close games over those six years. Texas A&M was 10-12. Florida was 6-12.

The data is clear. The SEC is anything but a one-possession league, at least compared to the Big 12.

Even among the programs chasing Georgia and Alabama, close games were not the norm. I can’t explain it, but SEC games tend to get away from teams more easily than in the Big 12.

OSU, for example, is 16-12 in close Big 12 games over those six years. The Cowboys have dipped in and out of conference title contention, but the tight games have remained steady. Exactly half of OSU’s conference games (28 of 56) have been one-possession finishes.

That’s not life in the SEC. Not for the elite, not for those trying to be elite.

So a word of warning to the Sooners and Longhorns. The SEC is not won by eking out a litany of close wins. The SEC is won by swinging hammers and taking names.

The SEC is won by doing what Georgia and Alabama have done; beating up on all comers, including really good Deep South programs that have been held down by the Nick Saban and Kirby Smart nightmares.

If OU wants to be in the SEC what it was for much of its Big 12 run, if Texas wants to be in the SEC what it should have been in the Big 12, the pathway is clear.

It’s nice to win a bunch of white-knuckled games that keep you holding your breath, but the way to win big is to avoid white-knuckled games that keep you in suspense. In the SEC, champions dominate. They don’t sneak through the door; they kick it in.

The Gazan death count is much higher than the official numbers. Israeli supporters must be delerious with joy! Kill those terrorist bastards! Kill ‘em all! What’s taking so damned long? They’re like cockroaches, refuse to die in enough numbers. Maybe try poison gas. That’s what you do with bugs, am I right? Still, let’s rejoice that more of them are dead than we’ve been told. Whatever it takes!

So say 65% of Israeli citizens. What a deeply sick society Israel is and always has been.

blows.

He got cut unfortunately. Hope he gets a shot with another team.

You knew this was coming.

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If you don't get the horse reference, you'll want to.

Why are the heathens still protesting (Rioting) in Ferguson? Because Woke Dim Leaders let them thats why. Meanwhile one of his officers is in the Hospital with a head injury. The Chief asks the same question.

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….. pioneer of the “Karen on her soap box” talk show format. Used to watch him during the summer in HS when it was too hot to go outside. In fact, it was him who taught me to despise liberals when he collaborated with Vladimir Posner to peddle Soviet propaganda in the USA. May he rest in a neutral emotional state. 😐😐😐

Of Israel’s drive for genocide.

The Trump faithful will eat this up.

Projected Oklahoma State football 2024 depth chart: Two weeks from kickoff update​

With Oklahoma State beginning its 2024 season in two weeks, we take a swing at what the Cowboys' 2024 depth chart will look like when the season rolls around.​

McClain BaxleyAug 17th, 8:00 AM

STILLWATER, Okla. — It feels good to say that college football will return to Stillwater in two weeks as Oklahoma State kicks off the 2024 season.

The Cowboys are more than halfway through fall camp and in 14 days they'll host two-time defending FCS National Champion South Dakota State to begin what they hope is a successful season.

Many of the players that contributed last season return and with just a few weeks until the season begins, there aren't too many position battles as coaches know what to expect with their roster.

The first depth chart from the program should come out in a week or so, but until then we're left to speculate. It's educated speculation though as media members were able to see about 30 minutes of practice the first week of August and have been talking with head coach Mike Gundy and several players multiple times this month.

Here's how we see the depth chart on Aug. 17, updated from the first edition earlier this month:

Quarterback​

(Photo: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports, USA TODAY Sports)
Starter: Alan Bowman
Backup: Zane Flores
Third String: Garret Rangel
Depth: Maealiuaki Smith, Garret Wilson
No change. With Bowman as the expected starter, the more interesting battle is at backup quarterback between Flores and Rangel. Rangel, now a redshirt sophomore, has game experience, but Gundy still feels like he hasn't been able to get into much of a rhythm in-game. Flores hasn't played at all in a game. I'm interested to see that should Oklahoma State build a comfortable enough lead in any of their nonconference games, which quarterback will take the ball from Bowman. Right now, I think that would be the redshirt freshman.

Running Back​

(Photo: Icon Sportswire, Getty)
Starter: Ollie Gordon II
Rotation: Trent Howland and Sesi Vailahi
Depth: AJ Green, Rodney Fields, CJ Williams, Hudson Devins, Jaden Allen-Hendrix, Holden Thompson, Seth Swirczynski
No change. Gundy and his staff did a good job of finding another experienced running back to take reps from Gordon after AJ Green went down with an injury that will keep him sidelined for most of 2024. Howland is big, bruising back. Vailahi plays more similarly to Gordon with his vision and shiftiness. The true freshmen of Field and Allen-Hendrix have also looked good in the early stages of practice and could be called upon later in the season.

Wide Receiver​

(Photo: NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN-USA TODAY NETWORK, USA TODAY Sports)
Starters: Brennan Presley, Rashod Owens, De'Zhaun Stribling
Rotation: Da'Wain Lofton, Camron Heard, Jalen Pope, Talyn Shettron, Ayo Shotomide-King
Depth: Tre Griffiths, Gavin Freeman, Kyler Pearson, Jaxon Deason, Braden Baize, Ty Walls, Cale Cabbiness, Mason Gilkey, Tykie Andrews, Cutter Greene, Heston Thompson, Marcus Dockins Jr.
I continue to say it, but Oklahoma State's receiver room is such a wealth of talent. The three starters do things differently and Stribling told me this weekend he's really excited to see what some of the younger guys do when given the opportunity. We continue to hear good things about Snow College transfer Ayo Shotomide-King and he could be an impact player, similar to Leon Johnson from a year ago. How much will Lofton play outside of the return game and can Shettron finally work his way up the depth chart after showing promising signs between injuries? I'm eager to see.

​

I have 2 tickets for SDSU and Arky I can’t use. South side 40 yard line halfway up. Want a fair price but don’t want to gouge anyone. Mostly want to sure they are used by a good OSU fan. Let me know if you are interested in either or both. Go Pokes.

I examined the photo to see if anything Chicago was identifiable. I found nothing. This guy claims that these are Wile E. Coyote's go to bricks.

Watch and imagine Michael Scott giving the same speech.

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Has the link to the survey been posted yet? I've really enjoyed responding to it and reading the results every year. Thanks to the poster who has been putting it together.

Would like to separate this out as it’s the next step.

I’m sure we’ve all heard the same names by now including Kennedy, Gilman, Perry OR Caldwell, Dake, Snyder, Fix.

Excited for the continued improvement in the RTC as it’s vital to attracting the top guys.

Oklahoma State treating South Dakota State as 'Power Four' opponent. 'They don't know how to lose.'​

• Aug 15, 2024 Updated 18 hrs ago

Tyler Waldrep​

OSU Sports Writer

STILLWATER — Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy has visited all 50 states, but his only memories of South Dakota involve passing through. Once to go pheasant hunting and another time driving through to fish in Canada.

Unlike the state they live in, the South Dakota State Jackrabbits are anything but a fleeting thought to the Oklahoma State coach.
Gundy has warned his guys about this team, which opens the season in Stillwater on Aug. 31, since the end of last season.

“I started telling them in January and then told them again in the spring and then told them again before we started practice,” Gundy said. “They are very aware of who this team is, and they are very aware of the success they’ve had, and they’ve watched tape on them.”

South Dakota State claimed back-to-back FCS national championships and went 29-1 over the last two seasons with the lone defeat, a 7-3 loss at Iowa in 2022.

The Jackrabbits haven’t played an FBS opponent since then, but that doesn’t matter to Gundy.

“They’re very capable of playing a Power Four conference schedule, I’ll put it that way,” Gundy said. “And as I said earlier, teams who haven’t lost a game in a long time are difficult to play because they don’t know how to lose. All they’ve ever done is won. So you have to take the game away from them. They are not going to give you the game.”
During their 29-game winning streak, the Jackrabbits have beaten opponents by an average of 24.1 points. They were even more dominant in 2023, beating six opponents by at least 34 points while only allowing three teams to finish within 10 points.

It’s not like South Dakota State just beats up on regular-season opponents. The Jackrabbits have beaten their last eight playoff opponents by 28.9 points on average and won both championship games by at least 20 points.

“The good news for us and me as coaches is when they watch them on video, they can see that yeah, coach Gundy is not BS-ing us,” Gundy said. “This feels legit. They have enough players, they are physical enough in the box to play at this level, okay. They have a very experienced quarterback as a playmaker. So that is a dangerous challenge for us.”

Senior SDST quarterback Mark Gronowski is 37-3 as a starter. Last season he completed 68.1% of his 307 attempts to finish with 3,058 yards, 29 touchdowns and only five interceptions.

He also averaged 4.3 yards per carry and finished with 402 rushing yards and eight rushing scores.

Oklahoma State receiver De’Zhaun Stribling said the players talk about the opener every single day both because they look forward to starting the season and as they prepare a specific game plan for the Jackrabbits.

“We talk about how some routes will hit on this, some routes will hit on that,” Stribling said. “What if we run this formation on them. Just stuff like that inside of our team.”
Oklahoma State center Joe Michalski has also been impressed with South Dakota State.
“They just don’t make a lot of mistakes… They’re really good at what they do,” Michalski said. “They know their job. They’re high-effort, there’s no lazy guys on that team, and they’re just really good at knowing their assignment. That’s what they’re good at and that’s how they beat people. They don’t make mistakes. They wait for other people to make mistakes.”

A look right here:

I did not see that coming...