For the first time since 1998, the Oklahoma football program will have a coaching search.

According to multiple reports, Oklahoma Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley is leaving Norman to accept the same role with the USC Trojans.

In five years as the head coach at OU, Riley amassed a record of 55-10 and led the Sooners to four Big 12 Championships as well as three appearances in the College Football Playoff. He also coached two Heisman Trophy winners — Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray — during his time in Norman. Since arriving in 2015 as offensive coordinator, the program his been the face of offensive football, regularly leading the nation in a number of statistical categories.

According to Dusty Dvoracek, we can look for Bob Stoops to serve as the interim head coach for OU’s bowl game.

There’s an awful lot to unpack today and in the days to come, and we’ll be sure to do just that. For now, the focus immediately shifts to a coaching search, and it’ll be fun to put together a preliminary list of potential candidates. At the moment, Dave Aranda should be at the top of the list, and I think OU needs to make him tell them ‘no’. He might do just that, but they have to try. At any rate, OU will keep the move the SEC in mind as far as a fit is concerned, so it’ll be interesting to see which names begin to pop up.

To say that this is shocking is an understatement, and this absolutely stings from a recruiting perspective. Having said that, this program has been elite for decades upon decades, and that won’t change due to the departure of one coach. We truly are entering into a new era for this program, and I’m choosing to be optimistic.

Some highly questionable no-calls tainted an otherwise entertaining game of college football.

On a cool Saturday night, the No. 10 Oklahoma Sooners were bested the No. 7 Oklahoma State Cowboys (11-1, 8-1) in Bedlam, 37-33. With the loss, OU falls to 10-2 on the season, finishes 7-2 in conference play and misses out on a chance to rematch OSU in the 2021 Big 12 Championship Game.

Despite a relatively strong overall performance from the Oklahoma State defense, Caleb Williams had himself a solid showing in front of an ultra-hostile environment. On the night, the true freshman dual threat accounted for 252 passing yards and three touchdowns on 20 of 39 attempts. He also added 36 rushing yards on 19 carries.

In the first half, things looked like they were shaping up into another classic Bedlam shootout, with OSU and OU trading scores back and forth. The Cowboys started things off with a 30-yard touchdown connection between Spencer Sanders and Tay Martin. Then the Sooners answered with a TD of their own from Williams to Brian Darby. Martin would score again before ‘Superman’ found Austin Stogner for a beautiful 29-yard reception in the end zone.

At 14 all in the second quarter, OSU quickly responded with a 100-yard kickoff return. After the teams traded field goals, Woodi Washington showed why he’s one of Oklahoma’s top defensive backs with two picks on the night, including one right before the break to set up the offense. Soon thereafter, Williams dropped a beauty of a pass to Brayden Willis to tie up the game going into the half.

The third quarter couldn’t have started much better for the Crimson & Cream. A Michael Turk punt pinned Oklahoma State near their own goal line, then Perrion Winfrey forced a fumble that was recovered for a safety. Then when it seemed like OU was about to give the ball right back on another punt, the Cowboys return man muffed the catch that would be picked up in the end zone by Justin Broiles for a special teams score.

Going into the fourth quarter, Oklahoma held a nine-point lead and all the momentum, but Sanders put his team on his back as he scampered for a 37-yard touchdown run. As another OU offensive possession was squandered immediately afterward, the Cowboys capitalized once again to retake the lead behind a Jaylen Warren run. Down the stretch, there were several chances for Lincoln Riley’s group to overcome the challenge of taking down the Pokes inside Boone Pickens Stadium, but ultimately, too many mistakes were made on offense, defense and special teams to get the job done.

Perhaps the greatest takeaway for most OU fans is the incredible lack of calls that would normally seem blatantly obvious to even the most casual of spectators. There were a multitude that drastically affected the game, including a would-be drive extending personal foul penalty that was eventually picked up inexplicably and this uncalled defensive pass interference that would have set the Sooners up with a first and goal opportunity on the final meaningful possession of the game. Every fanbase cries about the officiating in a loss, but the timing and selection of when to throw a flag in this contest seemed to be more than a little convenient if not peculiar.

Next, Oklahoma will stay home during conference championship weekend for the first time in years as it awaits its bowl destination. It’s not a position the Sooners thought they’d be in coming into the month of November, but the season-long inconsistency issues on both sides of the ball directly led to both losses that leave OU in an unfamiliar spot this postseason.

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, Lincoln Riley is not going to LSU, so that’s that.

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We talk about Spencer Sanders, Jim Knowles’ defense and more!

With the high-stakes Bedlam matchup between the Oklahoma Sooners and Oklahoma State Cowboys just hours away, we welcome Micah Allen of Cowboys Ride for Free. We discuss Spencer Sanders, Jim Knowles’ defense, places to go in Stillwater and more!

The most of the attention pertaining to the Oklahoma State Cowboys involves the defense, and for good reason. What has been the biggest key to success for Jim Knowles’ group?

I think it all has to do with age. This defense is full of experienced veterans. In addition to that, I think we’re seeing the payoff of hiring Jim Knowles a few years ago. He’s got a defense that is pretty much his guys that he brought in and he’s able to run that system exactly how he wants.

Speaking of the defense, Malcolm Rodriguez being snubbed from the list of Butkus finalists seemed exceedingly odd. Do you think he has been the best linebacker in the country this year?

Oh, 100%. There is not a doubt in my mind that at the very least Rodriguez should have made that watch list. He is without a doubt good enough to be. He has been an offense’s worst nightmare. He’s just such a great athlete and I hate that he got snubbed.

Offensively, the Cowboys have improved substantially. Has it simply been a matter of Spencer Sanders taking better care of the football, or does it go a bit deeper than that?

I think Spencer Sanders taking care of the football has been a huge part of the improvement that has been shown. But it goes deeper than that I think. They have found what works for this team. Jaylen Warren has stepped up in a big way and I think that has made a difference as well. Tay Martin being out at the beginning of the year hurt this offense more than I think would have been expected so getting him back has been big as well. I think Dunn has got it mostly figured out when it comes to running this offense too. There were definitely some growing pains there. A healthy offensive line has helped as well.

Of Spencer Sanders’ targets, who should OU fans be most aware of entering Saturday?

Running back Jaylen Warren. He got dinged up a little in the Texas Tech game but I think he’s had time to get 100% and I fully expect they use him quite a bit in the game. He’s just so talented at making guys miss and getting those yards after the carry.

Is there a particular personnel matchup where you envision OSU struggling in this one?

Spencer Sanders vs himself. We need good Sanders in this game. He’s going to have to be on his A-game and the OU defense is not gonna make things easy for him. But he’s on the ball and he can play to his potential I think the Pokes are in good shape. This is also gonna sound funny with how I answered the last question but this OU run defense vs Warren. If I remember correctly they held Breece Hall fairly well. I’m curious to see how they contain Jaylen.

Where should OU fans eat and drink when they go to Stillwater?

Ya have to go to Eskimo Joe’s for some cheese fries, then head on over across the street to George’s Stable for some pre-game adult beverages.

Who is your favorite OSU alum outside of sports?

I’m not entirely sure if he graduated, but Jason Boland.

What’s your score prediction?

24-17 Cowboys.