Red River Rivalry Win Over o.u. Continues Trend.

by bravobevo on Oct 16, 2008 9:31 PM CDT

I did a little research into o.u.'s record in its "biggest" games (BCS games and annual Red River games against our Longhorns) since Bob Stoops took over as the head coach there and observed some interesting statistics.

Note: The W (wins) and L (losses) listed below are from o.u.'s perspective.

season    Texas game       BCS game
1999             L                             Did not play (DNP).
2000          W                            W over Florida St in Orange Bowl
2001          W                            DNP
2002          W                            W over Washington St in Rose Bowl
2003         W                            L to LSU in Sugar Bowl
2004          W                            L to USC in Orange Bowl
2005                L                             DNP
2006          L                             L to Boise State in Fiesta Bowl
2007          W                            L to West Virginia in Fiesta Bowl
2008          L                             Not yet played.

From the time that Bob became head coach through the 2003 regular season, his record in o.u.'s "big games" (Red River Rivalry games against the Longhorns and BCS games) was a combined 6-1. During that time o.u. was a monster, practically unbeatable.

Then, beginning with the 2004 Sugar Bowl (concluding the 2003 season) through last weekend, Bob's record is a combined 2-7 against Texas and in BCS games. Did Bob Stoops suddenly become "stoopid"?

In hindsight we see that something transpired during the 2003 season to change the o.u. football landscape. Recall that when Bob joined o.u. in 1999, he hired his baby brother, Mike, to be o.u.'s defensive coordinator. What happened was that Mike became the Arizona Wildcats' head coach in November 2003. When Mike left for Tucson, so did the "brains" behind o.u.'s defense.

Still, o.u. is no slouch as it has been able to post gaudy win/loss records at the expense of the annual beatdowns against the likes of Tulsa, A&M, Baylor and Big XII North teams, but in the season-defining games that really matter . . . games against the Longhorns and the occasional BCS game . . . it is obvious that Bob misses his brother Mike.

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Comments

I wouldn't say Stoops only beats weak teams...

Last year he did beat MiZZOU twice. OU has scheduled Miami, Oregon, Washington (terrible now, but a traditional power), TCU (Patterson always has them at or near the Top 25), and Tulsa (The best of C-USA year in and year out). His scheduling hasn’t been that terrible (look at ours).

And, he plays the Big 12 South too. He lost to Tech once, and to UT 3 of the last 4 games, but has gotten over his struggles with the Pokes.

It is stunning that OU is 1-6 in RRS and BCS games sine that 2004 Orange Bowl undressing against USC. Still, until someone else can consistently win Big 12 titles, I can’t knock his program too much.

by the1austin on Oct 17, 2008 11:02 AM CDT reply actions