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This week’s slate includes Texas-Kansas State, Ohio State-Michigan and the Egg Bowl.

Blatant Homerism host Allen Kenney is joined by The Skinny for a Thanksgiving edition of their weekly college football gambling podcast. This week’s slate of games includes Texas-Kansas State, Ohio State-Michigan and the Egg Bowl between Ole Miss and Mississippi State. They close talking about the annual Bedlam game in which the Sooners enter the game as clear underdogs.

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OU is learning to balance the brilliant creativity of a freshman phenom against the mistakes of youth.

A week after the Oklahoma Sooners looked like a disjointed mess on offense in a disappointing loss to Baylor, they showed signs of cohesion in a 28-21 win over the Iowa State Cyclones. Unfortunately, that alone won’t be good enough this week as OU travels to Stillwater for the annual Bedlam rivalry game against Oklahoma State.

A few thoughts on the state of the OU offense ahead of the upcoming showdown with the Cowboys:

Why Caleb Williams is OU’s quarterback

You don’t make the switch from Spencer Rattler to Caleb Williams at quarterback with the intention of putting the freshman in a straitjacket. Williams’ running and ability to throw in scramble mode set him apart.

Williams offered a glimpse of what makes him such a special prospect on OU’s second play of the game. With the left side of the offensive line pulling right to block GT counter, Williams made what looked like a pseudo play fake to running back Kennedy Brooks. Williams pulled the ball from Brooks and glanced left at receiver Mike Woods, who had come in orbit motion across the formation to the wide side of the field. Williams then tucked the ball and ran through a hole in the original B gap between right guard Chris Murray and right tackle Tyrese Robinson. He hit pay dirt 74 yards later with Brooks acting as a lead blocker.

The spectacular play showcased Williams’ explosiveness. Forcing defenses to play “11-on-11” football is always a plus, but doubly so when an athlete of that caliber is your 11th.

Learning on the job

Ironically, it looks like the aforementioned touchdown run by Williams came on a busted play. According to OU radio reporter Gabe Ikard, the play was supposed to be an RPO. It called for Williams to throw a bubble screen to Woods or hand it off to Brooks based on how the QB read the run box.

Why did Williams tuck and run? Who knows, but everything worked out this time.

On the other hand, a similar lapse against Baylor ended in disaster. On the Sooners’ first possession of the second half, OU was facing second down and a yard to go from its own 44 yard line. The offense lined up in an empty formation with Williams in shotgun. Brooks was supposed to motion into the backfield from his spot out wide to take a play fake from the QB, but Williams never sent him in motion before calling for the snap. (Again, per Ikard.) Williams tried to throw the ball away once he realized what happened, but his attempt landed in the arms of a Baylor defensive back about 20 yards downfield.

You have to live with those kinds of mistakes when you roll with a freshman QB. The same goes for habits such as Williams’ propensity to hold the ball too long in passing situations. Expecting Williams to play like a veteran simply isn’t realistic. No doubt Lincoln Riley understands that, but it seems fair to say OU’s head coach is still learning how to “let Caleb cook” and work around Williams’ inexperience.

Riley has to figure out a plan of attack this week because OSU’s salty defense will punish Williams for making youthful mistakes.

A new option?

So what might that plan entail?

If that’s a roundabout way of asking about the Cowboys’ weaknesses on defense, they don’t seem to have any. The Pokes play with physicality and decisiveness, and they can cover ground quickly. Moreover, the unit has built up chemistry over time and works well as a cohesive whole. It embodies the idea of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts.

Texas found modest success against OSU by working laterally. The Longhorns frequently sent players in motion and used them on sweeps and flip passes going around end. Their primary run plays included a standard off-tackle call for Bijan Robinson. By testing the Cowboys on the edges, UT was able to create some openings in the middle of the field in the passing game.

TCU used similar misdirection tactics to work the edges. The Horned Frogs also used the Cowboys’ aggressiveness against them at opportune times with screens and leak plays through the air.

With all of that in mind, it’s easy to envision OU rolling out a spread option scheme on Saturday to take advantage of Williams’ legs and the elusiveness of players like receiver Mario Williams when he builds up a head of steam. Running back Eric Gray also seems well-suited to operating out of that kind of scheme.

However, making an overly dramatic scheme shift at this point in the season sounds like asking a lot, especially when a young QB is involved. Riley will likely use some of the same general misdirection and motion concepts, but don’t expect OU to debut a brand new offense on Saturday.

Lincoln Riley’s team moved up in the College Football Playoff rankings for the first time this season.

After rebounding from their first loss in more than a year, the Oklahoma Sooners (10-1, 7-1) are back among the top 10 of the College Football Playoff rankings and find themselves at No. 10 going into the final weekend of the regular season. Up next for OU comes a highly anticipated trip to Stillwater where the No. 7 Oklahoma State Cowboys await what could very well be the first of back-to-back Bedlam contests for all the Big 12 Championship marbles.

Full CFP Top 25 Poll

1. Georgia Bulldogs
2. Ohio State Buckeyes
3. Alabama Crimson Tide
4. Cincinnati Bearcats
5. Michigan Wolverines
6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
7. Oklahoma State Cowboys
8. Baylor Bears
9. Ole Miss Rebels
10. Oklahoma Sooners
11. Oregon Ducks
12. Michigan State Spartans
13. BYU Cougars
14. Wisconsin Badgers
15. Texas A&M Aggies
16. Iowa Hawkeyes
17. Pittsburgh Panthers
18. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
19. Utah Utes
20. NC State Wolfpack
21. San Diego State Aztecs
22. UTSA Roadrunners
23. Clemson Tigers
24. Houston Cougars
25. Arkansas Razorbacks

Notes:

• As far as the playoffs are concerned, Oklahoma must beat Oklahoma State (twice) for any shot at a top four spot. When it comes to reaching the Big 12 Championship game, Lincoln Riley’s group controls its own destiny, but they could also punch their ticket to Arlington if the Texas Tech Red Raiders pull off an upset over Baylor in Waco prior to kick-off in Bedlam.
• Ohio State travels to Michigan for their annual rivalry game this Saturday. If you’re an OU fan looking for a path to the playoffs, your best bet would be to root for the Buckeyes to defeat the Wolverines, otherwise, a two-loss OSU team could remain ahead of the Sooners come Selection Day.
• This Friday, Cincinnati will try to wrap up its bid for an undefeated regular season on the road against an already bowl eligible East Carolina squad. The Bearcats have shown a tendency to allow teams to stay close in a number of games this year, so keep an eye out for how this contest plays out down the stretch.
• With Oregon and Wake Forest both losing this past weekend, the Pac-12 and ACC are unofficially out of the running for this season’s College Football Playoff. That helps Cincy’s case for becoming the first Group of Five program to make the CFP, but Luke Fickell’s team probably needs a bit more help to secure a semifinal berth despite finally cracking the committee’s top four.
• Both Alabama and Notre Dame will be on the road this week — at Auburn and Stanford, respectively — and in this sport, something unexpected seemingly always happens when it’s least expected to. That said, should either the Tide or the Irish falter in their regular season finales, that would potentially go a long way toward clearing an even wider path for Oklahoma’s playoff hopes. All I’m saying is buckle up, folks.

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NORMAN — University of Oklahoma head baseball coach Skip Johnson announced the Sooners’ full 2022 schedule Monday, a 53-game slate highlighted by premier early-season tournaments and 31 home games at L. Dale Mitchell Park. The Sooners will also play a home contest against Oklahoma State at ONEOK Field in Tulsa on March 29.

The Sooners look to take the crown in the Myrtle Beach Invitational, but they’ll have to stop Oklahoma native Justin Bean in the process.

After an impressive performance against the Indiana State Sycamores, the Oklahoma Sooners look to go for a sweep of the Myrtle Beach Invitational as they face the Utah State Aggies in the championship game.

Oklahoma (4-0) vs. Utah State (3-1): Sunday, 2 p.m. CT at The HTC Center (Conway, S.C.)

TV: ESPN2

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Commentary: Dane Bradshaw and Kevin Fitzgerald

Radio: Sooner Sports Radio Network (KRXO 107.7 FM The Franchise in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa; Varsity Radio App) with Chad McKee and Kevin Henry announcing

Line: Oklahoma -4.5 (as of 11:30 a.m. CT Sunday)

About Utah State

• The Aggies are led by Moore, Okla. native Justin Bean, who is averaging 24 points and 12.5 rebounds per game. The 6’7” forward has broken out as a senior, connecting on 64.9 percent of his field goal attempts and 53.8 percent of this three-point attempts through four games.
• Utah State is 3-1 in the season, with its lone loss coming to UC Davis by a score of 72-69 in its season opener. After picking up an 85-74 win over Richmond, the Aggies have opened the Myrtle Beach Invitational with wins over Penn (87-79, 2OT) and New Mexico State (85-58).
• The Aggies are led by first-year head coach Ryan Odom, who previously led the program at UMBC. As you might recall, Odom’s Retrievers pulled off the first and only 16 vs. 1 upset in NCAA Tournament history when they topped the Virginia Cavaliers in 2018.
• USU made NCAA Tournament appearances in 2019 and 2021. However, they have essentially fielded three consecutive tournament teams entering this season, as the 2020 Aggies were champions of the Mountain West Conference Tournament. Those teams were led by Craig Smith, who is now in his first season as the head coach of the Utah Utes.

Three Things

• Groves standing out – Porter Moser aka Portal Moser’s biggest offseason win came in the form of securing Eastern Washington transfer Tanner Groves, who opened the 2021-22 season by being honored as the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week. After a so-so performance against East Carolina, he regained his stride in a big way against Indiana State, scoring 24 on 10-15 shooting while adding eight rebounds. OU hasn’t had a post presence like Groves in years, and his ability to stretch the floor makes it exponentially easier for OU’s guards to attack the bucket.
• Sloppy starts – In the first halves of the first two games of the tournament, Oklahoma turned it over 10 times against East Carolina and 9 times against Indiana State. The Sooners have been able to separate from their opponents whenever they’ve taken care of the ball, so a smooth start should equal a fast start for OU.
• A perimeter alpha? – Late in the game against East Carolina, Oklahoma sorely needed one of Jordan Goldwire, Elijah Harkless or Umoja Gibson to step up and seize the moment of Groves had fouled out. While the Sooners did indeed survive with great defense, OU didn’t really find that guy in that situation. This is a team with a lot of new faces, it’s not particularly odd that this role hasn’t been defined, but it’s something to keep an eye on in the coming weeks.

Prediction

Oklahoma 81, Utah State 72