Also, Paul Finebaum likes… the Sooners???

Happy Tuesday, friends and fans!

When the Oklahoma Sooners take on the Texas Longhorns on Oct. 9 and the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Nov. 27 this upcoming college football season, both rivalry games will be televised by the ESPN family of networks.

The last time an ESPN network covered the Red River Showdown was in 2017, when Baker Mayfield and Mark Andrews connected on a game-winning 59-yard touchdown pass. For Bedlam, this will mark the second consecutive year in which the worldwide leader in sports carried the contentious in-state rivalry, and the third time in the last four seasons.

Specific channels for each rivalry game are still to be determined, but my money is on ABC for OU-Texas. Kick-off times have also yet to be announced, though an 11 a.m. start in Dallas wouldn’t surprise most Sooner fans. Interestingly enough, when Oklahoma played the Longhorns on ESPN in 2017, that game kicked off at 2:30 p.m. CT. However it all shakes out, it’ll just be nice to watch Oklahoma back on the field with stadiums seated at full capacity.

Now onto today’s Hot Links! Paul Finebaum picks Oklahoma as his early favorite, OU Softball tickets sell out faster than you can say Nattys for Patty, KU hoops adds a decorated transfer from the Pac-12 and more!

OU Links

• SEC mouthpiece Paul Finebaum recently gave his reasons why he believes Oklahoma should be considered the top team heading into the 2021 season. With other top programs dealing with major questions, the Sooners look to have the least amount of uncertainty from top to bottom.
• USA Today recently ranked OU as its No. 2 team behind Alabama — the reigning national champions — in its latest preseason poll.
• Sooner Scoop’s Bob Przybylo examined the very real possibility that former Tennessee Volunteers RB Eric Gray is the top transfer player from this latest cycle. If anything, he figures to at least be a key contributor for Oklahoma, if not a flat-out game changer.
• Sooners Wire’s Brianna Dix recently broke down OU’s defensive line depth along with its potential for greatness. It’s been a long time since the team boasted this much talent and experience across the board.
• The field is prepped and the stage is set at Marita Hynes Field. Patty Gasso and her No. 1 seeded Oklahoma softball team is ready to begin another journey toward the Women’s College World Series. Boomer!

• Speaking of which, tickets for this weekend’s Norman Regional sold out in less than 15 minutes. What can we say, Sooner fans love this softball team.

Around the Sports World

• Bill Self and his Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball team have landed grad transfer guard Remy Martin who previously starred for the Arizona State Sun Devils.
• The Sacramento Kings are reportedly retaining head coach Luke Walton for at least one more season. In two years under Walton, the Kings have posted a combined 62-82 record while missing the postseason each year.
• On Monday night, New York Mets outfielder Kevin pillar suffered multiple nasal fractures after being hit in the face by a 94 mph pitch from Atlanta Braves’ pitcher Jacob Webb.
• In other Braves news, Atlanta pitcher Huascar Ynoa apparently broke his pitching hand after punching a bench in the dugout in an act of frustration. C’mon, my guy.
• Firefighters in Fort Lauderdale recently rescued a cat from the undercarriage of a vehicle owned by New York Giants cornerback Isaac Yiadom. Well done, everyone.

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