Linked Up: Are The Sooners On The Eve Of Destruction?

Otherwise known as Exercises in Schadenfreude, the loss over the weekend by the Oklahoma Sooners to the Kansas State Wildcats put a smile on the face of more than one Texas fan, even those who would probably prefer Oklahoma enter the Red River Rivalry undefeated.

More evidence that OU truly does suck is never met with that much opposition from the burnt orange faithful, right?

While there has been talk in some corners of the Longhorn interwebs about systemic problems in the Sooner program over the last year or so as the team collapsed late in the season after losing wide receiver Ryan Broyles and then went through what can only be termed a tumultuous offseason, Oklahoma fans in the past were quick to deny such rumblings.

Maybe their seismographs just needed a little further calibration.

When the season mercifully did arrive, it brought along three quarters of struggle under the eyes of those watching from nearby Handjob Hill at the Sun Bowl, though the Sooners eventually eased past UTEP. It wasn't a loss, but it wasn't a feel-good win either.

Longhorn fans immediately started feeling better about that date in the Cotton Bowl, while the Sooner faithful started to feel some pangs of worry banging out their insides.

Then Purple Merlin happened last weekend, a game aptly summed up, as usual, by the inimitable LSUFreek:

Those gut fears turned, essentially, into full-fledged panic after the loss to Kansas State on Saturday.

Perhaps wondering if all those rumors so disparaged when they were passed around the Longhorn side of the internet had some truth, Sooners started to see a worrisome trend. Or at least had a ton of trouble dealing with a rare loss at Owen Field -- the fourth in the Bob Stoops era, but second in the last year.

As a result, our friend Jordan Esco over at Crimson and Cream Machine started wondering aloud if the Sooners are right on the eve of destruction, that growing feeling of impeding doom that Texas fans started to feel around this time two years ago following the loss to UCLA.

Esco actually recognized his own feelings in the aftermath of the Kansas State loss as similar to those experienced by Texas fans two years ago, and associated them with the issues he feels are facing the Oklahoma program, albeit with a cruel twist:

The one glaring difference however, and one that should scare the you know what out of OU fans, is the fact that Bob Stoops has given no indication whatsoever that he's willing to make the kind of program re-defining changes Brown did.

In fact, he's never given anything but the impression that he is much too stubborn to ever make any kind of substantial change let alone those kind of drastic changes. And when you don't have anyone to hold your feet to the fire and/or apply the necessary pressure (which we'll get to in a minute) when those changes are needed, it's hard to envision them ever happening. And make no mistake, those changes are needed.

If nothing is done and serious changes are not made, what OU fans witnessed Texas go through will seem like a vacation compared to where I believe this program is teetering on the edge of, which is potentially a complete disaster.

If Oklahoma fans are somewhat terrified right now of the current goings on, Spencer Hall has a slightly different take. It's one that should scare Texas fans as if it were Mack Brown driving that car that got run through by the log spinning in a mesmerizing loop right up this page. Because it has been Brown run through by logs bearing the face of Purple Merlin in the past.

Or, to be more precise, a two-headed log featuring the gleaming dome of Ron Prince as well, originator of the ridiculous #hireRonP internet meme. A meme birthed by his incompetency, which somehow didn't extend to games against Texas. More like #fearRonP, for Texas fans.

Speaking of which, why doesn't a school like Texas Tech, that could use some success against Texas, just hire Ron P to ensure yearly victories? Surely this sounds like a good idea to someone in the Big 12. Kansas? The list could keep going, but all those other teams that have played the Longhorns in the last two years have a victory to show for the efforts. Scary thought, no?

Anyway, the take from Spencer is that a loss to Snyder isn't anything to freak out about -- it's happened to every team that was in the Big 12 last season since Snyder re-entered coaching in 2008 -- it's just a natural byproduct of Purple Merlin being a sneaky old man with a number of cunning tricks that can lead to poisoning by cookie, for instance.

And if Snyder offers you his special apple pie moonshine? You better make sure he poured it from the same mason jar he poured his from. If he did, better to be safe and let him have the first sip.

Wow. From Sooner schadenfreude to fear of death at the hands of Purple Merlin. Drinking some tasty booze, no less.

This started out as a happy post and ended in a bad place. A bad, bad bad bad badbadbad place. Apologies for that, but such is the road to Purple Merlin's palace. A road the Longhorns are on, regardless of the outcome of the three season-defining contests.

I'm a Longhorn fan, and all I want for Christmas is to beat the Purple Merlin. Please, Santa, please.

P.S. Please remember to deliver the gift on December 1st. Consider it an early present.

P.P.S. If you're late, Santa, you may well not end up having a gift to deliver. Thanks.