One Week

One week.

One week from now I will be frantically combing the room for the remote so I can turn on the tv and soak in the inane ramblings of Lee Corso and the immaculately coiffed hair of one Kirk Herbstreit in the noisy, frenetic circus that is ESPN College Gameday.

One week from now I will watch all two hours delicately blended with heartwarming stories, egregious game predictions, and masterful signs bearing vulgar insults veiled only slightly enough to get past the words police.

One week from now I will not give a crap which mascot head Lee Corso puts on, which, as like a groundhog's shadow, is a completely useless predictor of anything. But I will make sure I don't miss it anyway.

One week from now I will watch the games that come on at 11 am, which will no doubt be either Major School vs. Cupcake or ACC vs. Big East (not sure which is less entertaining), but it will not matter one bit.

One week from now I will sort through an array of crimson garments, analyzing them for their previous luck history to luck needed ratio, conduciveness to pre-game and game-time weather conditions, and general appearance.

One week from now I will take my seat hours early in "The House that Bud Built" (shoutout 2007 intro vid) . My face will likely turn as crimson as my aforementioned apparel, and I will probably look like some rabid, sweat-covered creature. But I won't care at all, and as the blistering heat gives way to refreshing night air (which I won't fully be ably to enjoy packed in standing room only with 85k of my bffs) I won't even notice.

One week from now I will inspect the team as they sit in their warm-up formation... do they look excited? Fresh? Ready to dominate? I will feel that rush of thrill, and the ever-closeness of the game as they get pumped up and exit the field to Ozzy's Crazy Train.

One week from now I will scream like crazy when the pride takes the field and the drumline gives their one little dun da-dun and I will stare in amazement as the drum major struts so impossibly low (and trust me I have made attempts). I will get pseudo-annoyed when the crowd gets off the clapping beat of that time-honored rendition of "You're a Grand Ole Flag," but by this point, it has essentially become part of the pre-game experience.

One week from now I will literally get goosebumps as the new intro video plays for the first time. I will scream my brains out when my favorite players say the things that purposely pander to a loyal crowd. I will cheer extra loud for any mentions of Bob Stoops, Sam Bradford, National Championships or Heisman trophies, because that is what Sooner fans do.

I will try to match my pitch (or maybe attempt to harmonize) with the crowd as I proudly hold my "one" up in the air and chant the "OooooooooooooooooU" and pray in that opening instant that our special teams will be good this year. But moreso, I will feel the thrill of the realization that it's finally Football Tiiiiiiime in Ok-la-homaaaaaa.

I will stand the entire game. I will yell "Oooooo" when we are on defense. I will try to help quiet the clueless while we are on offense. I will cherish every touchdown and accompanying fanfare (firework, Sooner Schooner run, and playing of Boomer Sooner). I will half-heartedly listen to any non-football related words being spoken to me while the game is in play, and if the game is close, I will zero-heartedly listen.

I will end my night satisfied in a Sooner victory in the chasefor8, or (heaven forbid) I will be completely morose and crestfallen in the agony of defeat. Either way, I will want to analyze the big plays and the details and the new players and everything else in between. I will talk about how that night's play may bode for the rest of the season. I will run to the nearest TV to see highlights from the other big games around the country that I missed. I will want to catch ESPN's highlights of our game, even though I have just witnessed it in person.

In one week all of the pre-season speculation and polls and hypothesizing go out the window. In one week football is here and back and for four precious months, Saturdays are a most magnificent experience. One week.

Frenzied Football

One would assume that the wealth of controversy in the realm of college football would have provided me with a plethora of blogspiration. So, you may be wondering, where has that sharp, insightful insight been? Honestly, it has all been a lot to process. The maxim of the day seems to be, "if you ain't cheatin', you ain't tryin." See also: looking out for #1. It's really kind of distressing to see the sport I love reduced to dollars and nonsense. But in spite of all this, the nearness of college football season brings a palpable excitement and I fully intend to enjoy every freakin' second of it. Let's go!

I'd like to first start by talking about the Big 12. Ok, what the hell. If you want to talk about a "lack of institutional control" (another trendy buzzphrase), this is one fine example. You've got one burnt orange mess of a network that is ticking off just about everyone by trying to flex its muscle, but ironically seems to have little actual power. I mean, getting to broadcast one whole game is super intimidating and all, but it's really not. Then there's that super j little brother, who thinks they are gonna show everyone by bolting to go get picked on by an even bigger, badder kid. Where does this all leave the rest of us if this inevitably comes to fruition? I honestly do not believe the Big 12 can survive the loss of Texas A&M, pains me though it does to say it. I don't care who we bring in, this league has shown its feeble leadership and total inability to negotiate and act as a power conference. I hope D.Bo and Joe Castig are being proactive rather than reactive in looking at other options (Pac 16 por favor). Although I've been a proponent of "do as the Texas does," the writing's on the wall and if everyone is going to buck all regional sensibilities, we have to position ourselves for success and not get left in the dust.

Speaking of those Big 12 "two percenters" (to use Aggiespeak), I am very perplexed by their posturing. At first I thought it was really like a sellout move for them to get a nice big paycheck, but then, as I spoke to more Aggies, I realized a couple of things: 1. They REALLY hate Texas. I thought we hated Texas, but no. We do not hold a candle to the firey abhorrence they have for the T-sips (I still don't get that term). 2. They truly believe they can win in that conference. True, their recruiting will get a big lift, but they have to go play the 'Bamas and the LSUs and the Floridas, etc., etc. How well did that work out in the Cotton Bowl? Not to mention, they keep failing to beat Arkansas. Houston Nutt, we have a problem.

Now a little follow-up business: Terelle Pryor. Yesterday this gentleman was taken in the supplemental draft by the Oakland Raiders. First of all, they WOULD! Secondly, I am so irritated that Goodell, "Mr. Enforcer," did not take this opportunity to send a message to collegiate football players by holding Pryor out of the draft. Suspending him for 5 games is as irrelevent as his original suspension. Allowing him to enter the league continues to promote the notion that regardless of how you behave in college, you can enter the pros and be rewarded with millions of dollars regardless. And it cheapens both leagues in the process. Really disappointing.

Speaking of the NFL, can we talk about the fact that the Broncos have like the worst trio of quarterbacks, like, pretty much ever? Ok, it's not really worth talking about but it is kind of funny. And Tim Tebow is all the way back at 3rd string...in the words of ET..."ouuuuuuuch".

Ok, one last word about controversial stuff and then I can start drinkin the kool-aid. Is anyone reallllly all that surprised about Miami's ethical scruples. They haven't been known as "thug-U" for the past 30-some odd years on a whim. I guess the lesson here is to take care of your seedy, back-alley financier, lest he turn in your program for decades of scandalous behavior?? Yoikes.

Sooooo...who is excited about Oklahoma All-Access airing tonight!?! Yeah...I'm pretty pumped. Hopefully all of this early attention, i.e. USA Today and AP preseason #1, will help us block out distractions later on down the road. It's a long season when you start out on top, and everyone is just waiting for you to get knocked out of that spot. I hope to see our boys primed, pumped, and prepared.

I'd like to give a "get well soon" note to Travis Lewis. I know he will still be a huge emotional leader for the team, but we sure could use him out there quarterbacking our D. Here's to a speedy recovery!

Has anyone else been watching the panel segments on ESPN about change in college football? I think Stoops has, as always, been a great representative for our university. I love that he truly wants to protect the game, even if he's not giving the popular or glamorous answer. Props!

Speaking of great representatives in the sports media, Landry and Broyles have been nothing short of amazing. Humble, even-keel, focused and determined, these boys have been very upstanding models in a clearly tumultuous college football landscape. Truly we are blessed to have them as leadership for our team. And to see how much Broyles has matured is impressive...a couple of years ago he had a very cocky, showy air to him that has now been replaced with a selfless and quiet confidence. I hope it pays dividends for him, a little bit selfishly on my end, of course. As Tony Jefferson says, "gotta get that Natty, hehe."

Well that was a little bit (a lot) all over the place, but I'll delve into more of the nitty gridiron soon. I'm super excited for season to get underway so we can talk about actual outcomes instead of hypotheticals.