Sooner Fantasy

I've teased an OU pigskin preview for weeks. It's not as if the Sooners are not a worthy subject. They are the cream (and crimson) of the pack.

The problem faced when breaking down the season is what's left to say? We could spend the next 1,000 words dissecting the offense and defense, but is it necessary?

Bob Stoops continues to field some of the biggest, strongest and fastest athletes in the country. His coaching resume speaks for itself. There is a ton to like about the team year in and year out.

The Sooners face two or three difficult contests per season. We know the Big 12 opponents inside and out.

Because the Sooners consistently find themselves in the mix for a national title, let's zoom out and look at the big picture. Of course, the Sooners need a strong campaign. That's a given. What of the other top contenders for the BCS title? Let's break them down.

Pundits have big, puffy hearts for the Georgia Bulldogs this year. The SEC powerhouse wiped the Superdome clean with Hawaii to end the past season. Apparently this impressed the voters enough to rank them no. 1 in the AP and USA Today's preseason polls.

The Bulldogs have the nation's best running back with Knowshon Moreno. Tell me if this sounds like an easy road to the BCS title game.

At Arizona State, at LSU and at Auburn. They get Alabama, Tennessee and Florida at home. Unless the scenario plays out like a year ago (a two-loss team playing for the title) expect the Bulldogs to fall in the rankings by seasons end.

Sitting at no. 2 or 3 in the preseason polls is everybody's McDreamy coach Pete Carroll. I would hate to be Pete Carroll and run into a drunken, frisky ESPN crew late at night.

The Trojans were unbeatable with Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush leading the way. This season they battle Ohio State in week two. Besides, USC will falter against a lesser opponent at some point (see Stanford last year).

Ohio State University takes no. 2 or 3 in the preseason polls. Buckeye fans are begging the football gods to match them up with a team outside of the SEC in postseason play.

At this point, it's safe to say the Big Ten is the weakest conference in America top to bottom. You know it's ugly when the season comes down to a winner-takes-all affair against an overrated Michigan squad.

Oklahoma is pulling the strong preseason ranking of no. 4 in both polls. We'll come back to the team from Norman in four paragraphs.

Number 5 is the Florida Gators. Three years ago I would have told you a one-man team cannot win the BCS championship. But then Vince Young did just that for the Texas Longhorns.

The Gators are lead by Timmy Tebow. Love him or hate him, you better be ready to play him. His combination of size, strength and adequate passing is what college football is made of. A murderous schedule of Tennessee, Georgia, LSU and a much improved Florida State looms over the Tebow show.

The next two, Missouri and LSU, shouldn't factor into title contention this season. So that brings us back to OU.

Set the Record Straight

There are a million reasons to pick OU for another BCS bowl berth. The question is will it be the BCS title tilt in Miami on January 8 or another trip to the Fiesta Bowl.

OU is at home against Cincinnati on September 6th in a televised affair on ABC. The following week they travel to Pac 10 country and battle the replay officials... errr... the Washington Huskies in another ABC telecast.

We'd be remiss if we talked OU football without a quick mention of Sam Bradford. He's a physical specimen for sure. However, everyone seems to forget one small item. He's just a sophomore. He's started only 14 games.

It may be a tad early to anoint him the greatest Sooner of all time. However, he may rewrite the record books before his career is complete.

Wide receivers Quentin Chaney, Juaquin Iglesias and Manuel Johnson provide viable treats from sideline to sideline. However, a healthy DeMarco Murray with a side order of Chris Brown is just what the doctor ordered for Sam I Am.

There are zero reasons this Sooner squad should not contend for a BCS championship. And once again, for those college football knuckleheads who so desire a playoff system, it's underway. It lasts all season long.

A final word on Fantasy Football. For many, the draft has come and gone. The fate of your season is pretty much sealed. Second guessing is commonplace at this juncture.

We know the rules for our respective leagues. What we may need to add is a centralized drafting etiquette. I don't mean setting a standard beer drinking time. If the draft commences at 10am then I say pop one open at 9:50.

The guidelines should constitute acceptable trash talk. Mother jokes are always funny. Challenging a draftees manhood earns hardy laughs throughout the room. Here is a "funny" that still doesn't fly.

This recycled line should be laid to rest effective immediately. "I drafted that guy last year and he sucked. Good luck with him." Not only is this unoriginal but it's not funny. At all.

Another tried and true method of draft annoyism is asking about an injury status for every player you draft. Unless your wife was in the hospital, giving birth to your second child two days before the draft, you should find out about players yourself.

My final pet peeve is a relatively new nuisance. Laptops make everyday life much easier. No doubt about it. I use one daily. Hell, I'm using one right now.

Laptops at FF drafts are dreadful. Making a pick in 30 to 60 seconds only to watch others spend five minutes clicking and starring at their screens is abysmal. It really kills the flow and camaraderie of the draft process.

Why not just send the laptop to the draft and let the web site make all the selections for you?

The only thing worse than wasting time with a laptop would be drafting Peyton Manning and Brett Favre back-to-back in the first and second round. Keep in mind you can only start one quarterback in this league. I've only got four letters for someone of this ilk: FAIL.

Whether your passion is OU football or the fantasy variety, good luck this season.