OU Club of Collin County

In with OU, but out with the tiebreaker

by Tim Cowlishaw from DallasNews.com

Oklahoma needed its fair share of good luck to take command of a football game with Oklahoma State on Saturday night.

The Sooners might need even more luck to win a beauty contest with Texas this afternoon.

After watching the Sooners' 61-41 victory over the Cowboys in a wild game at Boone Pickens Stadium, I think the Sooners should jump past Texas in the BCS rankings, a development that would put Oklahoma into the Big 12 championship game against Missouri.

I also think the Longhorns and their fans are right to think they are getting hosed in this process.

That's because Texas has a good gripe, not with the BCS system, but with the Big 12. The conference uses a three-way tiebreaker that is unimaginative and leaves everything in the hands of voters and computers.

With the Sooners, Longhorns and Texas Tech all tied at 7-1 in the Big 12 South, today's BCS rankings are used to break the tie.

It doesn't have to be that way.

It isn't that way in some other major conferences.

In the SEC and ACC, which also have two divisions within a conference, the tiebreaker actually uses game results to make the ultimate choice. They still use the BCS rankings to drop the lowest team (in this case, Texas Tech).

Then the head-to-head matchup between the two higher-ranked teams can determine who goes to the championship game.

In this case, that would make Texas' 45-35 win over Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl the deciding factor.

And I understand why Longhorns fans think that should be the case. But it's not the case, not yet in the Big 12. And it's not fair in a three-way tie to simply say that Tech's victory over Texas doesn't exist. Or that Oklahoma's 44-point win over Tech shouldn't matter.

Until the Big 12 changes the rule – and we can only hope the conference will do it this off-season – you have to look at all the factors that can be considered.

And plenty of those factors favor the Sooners.

They finished the regular season by scoring more than 60 points against two strong, ranked teams – Tech and Oklahoma State.

The Sooners played the toughest schedule of the three tied teams. Cincinnati won the Big East and will be a top-15 team this week. TCU already is a top-15 team. The best nonconference team Texas played was Rice.

For what it's worth, the Sooners had the most impressive victory in the matchups of the three tied teams (65-21 over Tech). And on Saturday night, they scored the most impressive road win in the Big 12 this season.

The Sooners, Red Raiders and Longhorns did not lose at home this season. Neither did 12th-ranked Oklahoma State ... until Saturday night.

Read more here.

Sooners Now on iTunes!

How many of you have listened to a podcast?

Ok, let's step back. How many of you know what a podcast is?

Really? Just three? A Podcast is much like a radio program for news, entertainment, sports, music or whatever you can think of. There are Podcasts to teach you a language, to talk about the latest politics, to recap television shows, to speculate on books, to introduce you to new music. There are Podcasts on just about anything.

And the Sooners have jumped on the bandwagon. The Sooner Sports Weekly has started a regular Podcast that you can listen to on your computer or on your MP3 device (like an iPod).

Get the latest Podcast here or log onto iTunes and search the Store for Sooner Sports.

OU Alumni Store - Holiday Sale!

Fresh from an OU Alumni E-mail Blast:

It's time to get jolly with a HOLIDAY GIFT from your
OU ALUMNI STORE!

	Custom Christmas Stocking Make their Holiday even more special with a monogrammed, ultra-plush, OU Christmas stocking. The stocking is trimmed in white and features the OU logo on the toe area. Don't miss the "Sooner Santa" hat also available on the holiday items page.		2009 Vintage Oklahoma Football Calendar This is a collector’s premium edition with 12 frame-ready reproductions of classic game day program covers. 11” x 15” large format calendar that opens to 11” x 30”.
	Custom OU Robe Unisex micro chenille spa robe with OU embroidered on the left chest. It also has the option for personalized embroidery on the right chest. This robe is incredibly comfortable. Great for both men and women!! Available in unisex sizes S/M and L/XL.		Ladies Nailhead Shirt Long-sleeve crimson ladies 100 percent cotton shirt with nailhead design. Available in sizes S-2XL.
	Universal OU Remote Universal OU Remote replaces 4 remotes!! This remote can be programmed with your TV, DVD, VCR/PVR and CBL/SAT. Easy Setup. Digital ready. Requires 2 AAA batteries (not included)		Crimson Alumni Button-Up Dress Shirt At last! A wrinkle and stain resistant no-fuss button-up shirt. This men's crimson long sleeve 100% cotton shirt features an embroidered OU logo with the word Alumni, crisp button-down collar, single chest pocket and shirt-tail hem. Available in sizes S-3XL.

The gift that keeps on giving!
Proceeds help to support scholarship initiatives as well as student and alumni outreach programs.

This message is being sent to you because of your affiliation with the
OU Alumni Association Online Community.

College presidents request funds to avoid tuition hike

From the OU Daily

OU President David L. Boren and eight other college presidents said Friday they will freeze tuition and fees for the next school year if the legislature appropriates $80.4 million in new funding for higher education.

The proposal came after years of low or nonexistent levels of new higher education funding, which university presidents say has forced them to raise tuition and fees year after year.

Last year, the legislature didn’t appropriate any new funds to higher education. Tuition and fees at OU went up by 9.9 percent the following semester.

Boren said he and Regents Chancellor Glen Johnson began working on the plan at the end of the last legislative session. Their goal was to determine how much the entire state higher education system needed to cover an increase in operating costs and other necessary expenses without raising tuition or fees.

Their request for $80.4 million in new funding is part of an overall appropriation request of $1.13 billion, an 8.35 percent increase over 2009’s budget.

State officials said the chances of the request being fulfilled by the legislature are uncertain.

It comes in the midst of a national recession that could impact state revenues in the future.

Although the nation’s economic crisis hasn’t hit the Sooner state as hard as it has other places, energy prices are falling, and some are worried that higher-than-expected revenue collections of the first quarter may give way to declining revenues as the year progresses.

The state will not receive its first revenue estimate until December, according to Paul Sund, spokesman for Gov. Brad Henry.

“Gov. Henry is certainly supportive of any effort to head off a tuition hike,” Sund wrote in an e-mail. “Until we receive a concrete revenue forecast, it is difficult to say whether or not the regents’ proposal is feasible.”

Regents spokesman Ben Hardcastle said the regents think their proposal “is an appropriate request.”

“We will work with the governor and the legislature on this,” he said. “And we believe we’ll get a fair hearing.”

On the AP Poll

From SoonerSports.com and the AP

Oklahoma has a long and illustrious history with the Associated Press Poll since the service began in 1936. The Sooners have been ranked No. 1 more than any team in college football (97 weeks). The Sooners also own the most weeks in the Top 2 and Top 5. OU has finished No. 1 in the final poll and crowned national champions by the wire service seven times.

Oklahoma has been ranked in 68 percent of all weekly AP polls -- more than half the time in the top 10 and one-third of the time in the top five. OU has been ranked among the top two teams in the nation in nearly 20 percent of the polls and ranked the No. 1 team in the nation in 10 percent of the polls.

OU in the AP	982 polls since 1936	%
Weeks OU Ranked:	672	.684
Weeks Ranked No. 1:	97 - No. 1 Nationally	.098
Weeks Ranked in Top 2:	193 - No. 1 Nationally	.196
Weeks Ranked in Top 5:	363 - No. 1 Nationally	.369
Weeks Ranked in Top 10:	500 - No. 1 Nationally	.509
Years Ranked in Preseason Poll:	50 (of 58 polls - preseason poll began in 1950)	.862
Years Ranked in Final Poll:	49 (of 72 polls) - No. 3 Nationally	.681
Seasons Ranked:	61 (of 73 seasons since 1936)	.836
Seasons with No. 1 Ranking:	18 (with at least one week at No. 1)
Average Rank in Final Poll:	7.39 (No. 1 Nationally)
Years Ranked No. 1 in Preseason:	9 (last in 2003, first in 1956)
Years Ranked No. 1 in Final Poll:	7 (last in 2000, first in 1950) - No. 2 Nationally
Current Streak of Weeks Ranked:	45 Weeks (final poll of 2005 - week 11 of 2008)
Longest Streak of Weeks Ranked:	158 Weeks (12th week of 1970 - 5th week of 1981)

Sooners Raise More Than $30K

From SoonerSports.com

More than $30,000, a record for the event, was raised last Saturday for Josh Heupel's 14 Foundation Thanksgiving Food Drive. The drive was held prior to last Saturday's Oklahoma-Nebraska football game in Norman.

As a result, some 34,000 meals will be provided for families throughout the state of Oklahoma.

The food drive's success is a result of a long-standing partnership with the University of Oklahoma, OU Football, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.

The 200-person volunteer effort was the greatest in the eight years since the drive's inception and included students, faculty and administrators from the Norman North High School, Norman High School, Moore-Norman Technology Center, University of Oklahoma, FCA, Community Action Ministries (CAM), Norman Public Schools, Western Heights School District as well as other individuals and groups from across the state.

The amount donated has increased in each year of the drive. Members of the OU Football team will assist with the food distribution later this month.

In partnership with U.S. Foods, The 14 Foundation also provided more than 5,000 meals for children throughout Oklahoma last summer.

Women's Tennis to Championship!

Three Sooner women's tennis players advance in San Diego to compete in Sunday's Championship Rounds.

From SoonerSports.com

Three Sooners win big Saturday to advance to the championship rounds in doubles and singles at the San Diego State University Fall Classic II.  Senior Brittany Baldy advances to the Singles Flight C Championship while newcomer duo, Kristina Radan and Peta Maree Lancaster, move to the Doubles Flight B Championship.

Baldy defeated Vanja Radunovic from the University of Washington to advance to Sunday’s championship.  Baldy recorded a straight set victory in the match, 6-2, 6-2. In doubles action, Radan and Lancaster defeated Justine Perl and Marite Raygada of San Diego; 8-6. 

In other singles action sophomores Ana-Maria Constantinescu and Maria Kalashnikova were both defeated Saturday afternoon after qualifying for their respective semifinals.  Kalashnikova faced Venise Chan of Washington, ranked No. 28 nationally, and was defeated 6-3, 6-4. Constantinescu fell to Denise Dy, also from Washington, after a hard-fought match; 5-7, 6-2, 6-0. 

The rest of the Sooners broke even in Saturday’s consolation rounds with a combined 3-3 singles record and 1-1 doubles record. 

The Sooner tennis players hope to capture their first fall tournament championship of the season Sunday as the SDSU Fall Class II concludes.

Stoops says he's on board for college football playoff

From NewsOk.com

If Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops had his way, college football would have a playoff.

"I’ve come full circle,” Stoops said Tuesday. "I’m for it.”

OU competes in the Big 12 South, the toughest division in college football. Four teams, including the Sooners, are ranked in the BCS Top 10.

Undefeated Penn State, meanwhile, has only two opponents currently ranked in the BCS Top 25, and none in the Top 10, which makes Penn State’s road to the BCS national title easier than OU’s.

Stoops said a playoff would level the playing field for schools with more difficult schedules against schools with softer competition.

"With the differences in non-conference scheduling, some people have some difficult games, some people don’t,” Stoops said. "And some conferences don’t have a championship game, others do.”

Stoops, however, isn’t optimistic about a playoff happening anytime soon.

"That’s something I still see, timing-wise, with the schedule and number of games, it’s going to be difficult to put together,” he said. "Whether we’ll ever get to it or not, I don’t know.”

Researcher discovers new technique for artifact analysis

From the OU Daily

An OU researcher has won a $50,000 grant to test a new technique that may unlock secrets of how some ancient societies around the world lived.

The technique uses automated software to analyze high-resolution photos of pottery shards to yield data in minutes while current techniques require hours of tedious work from highly trained specialists.

Anthropologist Patrick Livingood, the researcher who designed the process, said scientists study ancient pottery because it is usually the most abundant artifact prehistoric people leave behind.

“Before people made pottery, stone tools were usually the most abundant artifact we have,” he said. “Later on, when people start making pottery, the pottery preserves really well. ... We are able to use it to say a great deal about people.”

Livingood said the system will allow archaeologists to more cheaply and efficiently study certain aspects of ancient life in more detail than current technology allows. With tens of millions of pieces of ancient ceramic pottery around the world, Livingood’s technique could allow scientists to re-examine cataloged artifacts from previous archaeological discoveries.

“Essentially this will just lower the cost of something archaeologists have been doing for a long time,” he said. “You’ve got this huge pile of pottery [and with] the techniques that archaeologists use, there’s not much more that we can say about them, and so what this does is let us look at another dimension of ancient behavior.”

Specifically, he said, archaeologists may be able to learn about details as varying as tribal lineage, trade relations or ritual practices.

But the technique is still unproven, so Livingood applied for the grant from a division of the National Park Service to fund a year-long test run on artifacts from a site in northern Arkansas that was inhabited about 1,200 years ago by the ancestors of the Quapaw Tribe.

His proposal beat out 60 others for one of only a handful of awards. The money will go toward purchasing equipment and paying researchers.

Livingood’s team will study a site known as the Moon Site, which holds as many as 25,000 pieces of pottery. Livingood said he plans to conduct his testing with a small group of student researchers.

To check the quality of the results, random samples from the collection will be tested using the traditional method.

“There’s a potential that applying this to the Moon Site could say something very interesting,” he said. “There’s simply things that you can’t answer in any other way.”

Bedlam Tickets for Sale - sort of

From NewsOK.com

Oklahoma State will not be changing its ticket policy for the Bedlam football game on Nov. 29. The school posted a message on its Web site on Wednesday addressing the situation.

The message was a response to concern about empty seats at the Bedlam game and outside speculation about whether or not the school would hold to the ticket policy it established in the off-season.

The policy requiring fans to purchase season tickets to get a ticket for the Nov. 29 game against Oklahoma at Boone Pickens Stadium will remain intact, according to OSU Associate Athletic Director Craig Clemons. "The strategy isn’t about the short-term consequences of empty seats for the 2008 Bedlam game but the long term success of athletics at OSU,” Clemons wrote. "If we are to compete for championships in the Big 12 Conference we must sell more season tickets.”

The policy could result in approximately 15,000 empty seats for the Bedlam game, but also helped OSU set a season-ticket sales record of more than 39,000.

There are two ways to purchase Bedlam tickets through OSU.

Buy season tickets, which are available for prices ranging from $245 (purchase of four required) to $419, or use the okstate.com ticket exchange to buy them from season ticket holders who are not going to use them.

Number 5

More than just a movie reference...from SoonerSports.com

OU No. 5 in Latest BCS Standings

Oklahoma was No. 5 in the latest BCS standings released Sunday evening (November 9). The Sooners were rated No. 5 in the Harris poll, No. 4 in the USA Today poll and tied for No. 5 by the computers.

The BCS standings formula consists of three components, each weighted equally: the USA Today Coaches Poll, the Harris Interactive College Football Poll and an average of six computer rankings (Anderson & Hester, Richard Billingsley, Colley Matrix, Kenneth Massey, Jeff Sagarin and Peter Wolfe).

Oklahoma has been ranked in the top five of the BCS more weeks than any other team (40) and No. 1 more weeks than any other team (18). Oklahoma is one of five Big 12 teams ranked in top 13 of BCS standings.

OU was also ranked No. 5 in the latest AP poll, extending its record for weeks in the top five to 363. No team has spent more time at No. 1 or in the Top 5 than Oklahoma. For a complete history of the Sooners in the AP poll, please visit:
OU All-Time in the AP Poll | Oklahoma Football History & Tradition.

Plan Ahead - OU vs. Tech Game Set for 7 pm

From SoonerSports.com

ABC will televise game nationally from under the lights at Owen Field on November 22.

ABC announced today that it will televise nationally the Oklahoma-Texas Tech football game from Norman on Nov. 22. The network has set kickoff time for 7 p.m.

The visiting Red Raiders are No. 2 in the current BCS standings, while Oklahoma is No. 5. This will mark the first time since 2000 when Nebraska visited that a team ranked in the top five and a team ranked higher than OU played at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The Huskers were No. 1 and the Sooners No. 3 heading into that game, which OU won, 31-14.

The last time Texas Tech visited Oklahoma for a game of significant post-season implications was the 2002 game when the two were battling for shares of the Big 12 South Division crown. Oklahoma prevailed, 60-15, and went on to win the conference title with a 29-7 victory over Colorado in the Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship Game at Houston.

The OU-Tech game will mark the 81st consecutive Sooner game on television.

Also on Nov. 22, the nationally ranked OU men's basketball team will host Gardner-Webb at 1 p.m. at Lloyd Noble Center.

Game Day Central

Follow along on SoonerSports.com

Here are some of the highlights.

Oklahoma at Texas A&M

Date	Saturday, Nov. 8 at 2:30 p.m. CT
Location	College Station, Texas | Weather | Radar
Stadium	Kyle Field (82,600) | Seating Chart
TV	ABC
Radio	Sooner Sports Radio Network
Satellite	Sirius Satellite Channel 123
Internet	Live Blog | Live Stats | Live Audio
Rankings	AP | Coaches | Harris | BCS Standings
History	OU Football Tradition | Quick Facts

Stats (per game)	OU	A&M
Rushing Offense	179.44 (35)	110.67 (102)
Passing Offense	358.89 (3)	251.56 (27)
Total Offense	538.33 (3)	362.22 (65)
Scoring Offense	49.78 (2)	26.89 (55)
Rushing Defense	116.56 (35)	202.00 (104)
Pass Eff. Defense	113.34 (34)	132.72 (84)
Total Defense	353.11 (59)	427.11 (104)
Scoring Defense	23.11 (51)	32.56 (102)
Net Punting	32.43 (100)	34.89 (64)
Punt Returns	9.13 (60)	6.20 (98)
Kickoff Returns	26.55 (6)	20.52 (80)
Turnover Margin	1.33 (5)	0.00 (59)
Pass Defense	236.56 (90)	225.11 (79)
Passing Eff.	182.97 (4)	146.69 (21)
Sacks	3.33 (5)	1.33 (94)
Tackles for Loss	8.22 (7)	4.89 (T-91)
Sacks Allowed	0.89 (9)	3.00 (111)

Watch Party: OU @ A&M SATURDAY at 2:30

Howdy all you Sooner Fans!

Wasn't last Saturday crazy?! There was so much exciting football on. I think we cheered the entire night for just about every game. Thanks to all of you who came out. We had some great new faces and it was good to see some not-so-new faces again. And it was definitely a night to remember.

So, what better way to go into our bye week than to have one more big, fat, blow out of a watch party? OU-A&M is this SATURDAY! And it's in College Station, so there's no reason not to come out and show those Aggie fans exactly how much Sooner Magic trumps the 12th Man. Whether you're an official OU Club member or just a local alumni who is looking for other Sooners to hang out with, we want you to join us THIS Saturday!

Join us at Coach Joe's in Frisco (www.coachjoes.com )for the extravaganza! Kick off for the game is at 2:30 pm. (The game will be broadcast on ABC.) Ask for the OU Club at the hostess stand and remember you don't have to be a member to come hang out! Coach Joe's has plenty of televisions to watch all the games, $1.50 Bud Light draft specials until 8 and video games for the kids. Come out and meet fellow Sooners and cheer our boys on to victory!

Be sure to wear your crimson and cream!

By the Numbers

Big 12 as of 11/5

North Division
Missouri (13)  7-2
Kansas  6-3 
Nebraska  5-4 
Colorado  4-5 
Kansas State  4-5 
Iowa State  2-7  
 
South Division
Texas Tech (2)  9-0 
Texas (5)  8-1 
Oklahoma (6)  8-1 
Oklahoma State (8)  8-1 
Texas A&M  4-5 
Baylor  3-6

AP Top 25
1.Alabama (46)
2.Texas Tech (12)
3.Penn St. (6)
4.Florida (1)
5.Texas
6.Oklahoma
7.USC
8.Oklahoma St.
9.Boise St.
10.Utah
11.TCU
12.Ohio St.
13.Missouri
14.Georgia
15.LSU
16.Ball St.
17.BYU
18.Michigan St.
19.North Carolina
20.West Virginia
21.California
22.Georgia Tech
23.Maryland
24.Florida St.
25.Pittsburgh

USA Today
1.Alabama (40)
2.Penn St. (14)
3.Texas Tech (6)
4.Oklahoma (1)
5.Florida
6.USC
7.Texas
8.Oklahoma St.
9.Utah
10.Boise St.
11.TCU
12.Ohio St.
13.Missouri
14.Georgia
15.LSU
16.BYU
17.Michigan St.
18.Ball St.
19.North Carolina
20.Georgia Tech
21.Maryland
22.California
23.West Virginia
24.Florida St.
25.Northwestern

Bowl Champ. Series
1.Alabama
2.Texas Tech
3.Penn St.
4.Texas
5.Florida
6.Oklahoma
7.USC
8.Utah
9.Oklahoma St.
10.Boise St.
11.Ohio St.
12.TCU
13.Georgia
14.Missouri
15.BYU
16.LSU
17.Ball St.
18.Michigan St.
19.North Carolina
20.Georgia Tech
21.California
22.Florida St.
23.Maryland
24.Northwestern
25.West Virginia