Problems for Venables and Sooners in the SEC

[harveycmd]

Recently a couple of media sources said they've heard the Sooners are going to can Venables if they don't win at least eight games this season. That seems like a predetermined sacrifice given their offensive line, RB and QB problems. That being the case, they must be blaming those situations on Venables' roster management. I wonder who they think they can get that will be much better.

[GetHooked]

2 hours ago, harveycmd said:

Recently a couple of media sources said they've heard the Sooners are going to can Venables if they don't win at least eight games this season. That seems like a predetermined sacrifice given their offensive line, RB and QB problems. That being the case, they must be blaming those situations on Venables' roster management. I wonder who they think they can get that will be much better.

Tom Herman

[CoachBobbyFinstock]

I’m ready for a downturn era of OU football and this is the time for it.

[Leveller]

Can you tell us the media sources who are saying this?   I mean the guy won 10 games last year and they seem to be recruiting well. 

[KJon]

1 hour ago, Leveller said:

Can you tell us the media sources who are saying this?   I mean the guy won 10 games last year and they seem to be recruiting well. 

Weed dealer in Southlake.

[harveycmd]

14 hours ago, Leveller said:

Can you tell us the media sources who are saying this?   I mean the guy won 10 games last year and they seem to be recruiting well. 

Finebaum alluded to it talking to Michael Bratton on That SEC Podcast. A couple of weeks ago, Ikard said he didn't think the administration would be willing to stick with the current situation if the Zeros won less than eight.

 

Venables has recruited well, but he's losing the portal. Apparently, he allowed himself to get buffaloed by Arnold, which sent Gabriel to Oregon. That and the O-line portal over NIL stuff seems to have the criminal interlopers from north of the Red River thinking Venables has too much Dabo in him when it comes to the way rosters must be managed now. I'd say it comes down to this: Venables allowed Gabriel to walk so he could keep Arnold, thinking he'd be better off in two years. Some linemen wanted to be cut in on the Arnold type deal, but Venables told them no. Administrators are saying that's all well and good, but you don't have two-three more years. We can't lose five to six games in the SEC the next couple of years while the Longhorns are making the playoff. That's a hole we might not climb out of for a long time. 

 

Truth is changing coaches won't pull them out of that hole quicker. If they do pull the plug on Venables, they're saying they don't think he can do it over the long haul.

Edited April 7 by harveycmd

[GetHooked]

Anything bad that befalls the sooners is fine with me. Afterall, they DO indeed suck!

[UTFanatic1981]

On 4/7/2024 at 3:22 PM, GetHooked said:

Anything bad that befalls the sooners is fine with me. Afterall, they DO indeed suck!

It's 4:18 and ou still sucks 

[Bobby Burton]

I don't see them going away from Venables so quickly. He had a good year overall last year.

Perhaps they'll have a quick trigger but I kind of doubt it.

[harveycmd]

Barring a complete collapse, I think it would be a mistake to can Venables. That said, I am experiencing some schadenfreude with the problems the criminal interlopers have. Soonerscoop admitted they have no offensive line, and Jackson Arnold isn't exactly looking like a world beater this spring. They then said they still think something like nine wins. That's code for they know their looking at six or seven wins. 

[Jimmy Two Times]

7 hours ago, harveycmd said:

Barring a complete collapse, I think it would be a mistake to can Venables. That said, I am experiencing some schadenfreude with the problems the criminal interlopers have. Soonerscoop admitted they have no offensive line, and Jackson Arnold isn't exactly looking like a world beater this spring. They then said they still think something like nine wins. That's code for they know their looking at six or seven wins. 

Outside of their  4 OOC games, South Carolina (H) and Auburn (A) are the only games that should be bona fide wins. 3 additional wins against Tenn (H), our game, Ole Miss (A), Mizzou (A), Bama (H) and LSU (A) will be pretty tough with a leaky OL and unproven QB. 

[Noozak]

On 4/10/2024 at 5:40 PM, Bobby Burton said:

I don't see them going away from Venables so quickly. He had a good year overall last year.

Perhaps they'll have a quick trigger but I kind of doubt it.

I guess it depends on how the administration looks at it. In the + column they beat a good Texas team which earns him points, and a ranked SMU. They lost to OSU, Kansas, and Arizona for ranked teams. Everyone else they beat wasn't all that good. They ran the score up on people so it would inflate their numbers, but if you look under the hood the results were pretty poor. Had they lost to Texas I think the dialogue about this OU team would have been MUCH worse for Venables

[Sirhornsalot]

This thread should be pinned. lol

 

 

[BubbaJacques]

Last time I saw the Sooners, they were getting dominated by the Arizona Wildcats. The Arizona Wildcats. Let that sink in.

[harveycmd]

6 hours ago, BubbaJacques said:

Last time I saw the Sooners, they were getting dominated by the Arizona Wildcats. The Arizona Wildcats. Let that sink in.

Having a completely new offensive line and an inexperienced QB that was a turnover machine in his only start doesn't seem like a recipe for success or optimism entering the SEC. Some of the criminal interloper fans think their defense will be elite, but that doesn't seem likely either. Statistically, their defense wasn't that great last season. Even if the defense is a good bit better (a big "if" since Venables will have a much more difficult time stealing signs now), it may not show on the field or statistically because of the improved competition they will be facing.  Maybe it all comes together and they are actually pretty good, but that would likely come down to luck, which isn't what you want to count on. 

 

Realistically, seven wins seems about right, which is what Vegas has for them. If that plays out and Venables is pushed out, they'll be worse off than they were when Venables was hired. If that happens, as I said before, the administration will essentially be saying he's just not the guy.

[Dread-headed Texan]

Sooners have bigger problems than Venables, lol, they used to known as THE softball school and now they're getting smoked by(checks notes) BY freaking U😅

[harveycmd]

Listening to the SoonerScoop post spring game wrap, you could definitely tell there is some frustration with Venables. They basically called him out for lying about why they didn't see some guys. They indicated they would rather him just not comment than lie to them. More good news is that Arnold still hasn't shown he can consistently perform. Only 50% completions, and almost all of his passing yards were to one guy. Looking like "OU sucks" may be truer than it's been since the 90s.

[Burnt Orange Horn]

On 4/10/2024 at 4:40 PM, Bobby Burton said:

I don't see them going away from Venables so quickly. He had a good year overall last year.

Perhaps they'll have a quick trigger but I kind of doubt it.

10 wins included their in season bowl game win over Texas and about 5 directional schools.

I expect pools of blood on the RRR field this year.  Texas will be cutting them deeply.

Edited April 21 by Burnt Orange Horn

[TexasDynasty3]

On 4/12/2024 at 10:59 PM, BubbaJacques said:

Last time I saw the Sooners, they were getting dominated by the Arizona Wildcats. The Arizona Wildcats. Let that sink in.

Hey man! The Arizona Wildcats won 10 games last year and beat 3 ranked teams before Oklahoma. They were a good team.

[Blake Munroe]

Curious to see if they get off to a rocky start… just how much patience there is in Norman. Especially after the bowl loss. 
 

Their schedule isn’t as favorable as Texas’ is. 

[goattalk100]

Their current roster is bottom tier in the SEC. If Arnold doesn’t go absolutely crazy, I don’t see how they get to 8 wins. I think Burks will be a stud for them but I don’t think they will be able to consistently score against physical teams & won’t be able to be physical enough on defense to counteract it. Let’s hope they have a 4 win season, including a curb stomping in red river.

[qaertyisthatdude]

2 hours ago, goattalk100 said:

Their current roster is bottom tier in the SEC. If Arnold doesn’t go absolutely crazy, I don’t see how they get to 8 wins. I think Burks will be a stud for them but I don’t think they will be able to consistently score against physical teams & won’t be able to be physical enough on defense to counteract it. Let’s hope they have a 4 win season, including a curb stomping in red river.

I hate OU, but I’m also a realist.  I see an 8-4 or 9-3 team out of them, depending on what happens in Dallas.

Temple, Houston, and Tulane should be auto wins.  Tennessee is their toughest game before Dallas, but it’s at home.  They go to Auburn.  Not high on them next season if Thorne is their starting QB again.  So at worst they’re 4-1 heading into Dallas.

After Dallas, they play a home game against South Carolina and a home game against Maine.  That's 6 wins right there.  They have 3 tough road games @ Mississippi, @ Missouri, and @ LSU.  Maybe they can steal one of those 3 but will probably drop at least 2 of them, so three losses now.

Bama will be tough but OU gets them at home.  If DeBoer really is that dude, it may not matter and he beats them anyway.

So I say 8-4 if they lose to Texas and 9-3 if they don’t.  Could also go 7-5 because of that road schedule.

[horns96]

27 minutes ago, qaertyisthatdude said:

I hate OU, but I’m also a realist.  I see an 8-4 or 9-3 team out of them, depending on what happens in Dallas.

Temple, Houston, and Tulane should be auto wins.  Tennessee is their toughest game before Dallas, but it’s at home.  They go to Auburn.  Not high on them next season if Thorne is their starting QB again.  So at worst they’re 4-1 heading into Dallas.

After Dallas, they play a home game against South Carolina and a home game against Maine.  That's 6 wins right there.  They have 3 tough road games @ Mississippi, @ Missouri, and @ LSU.  Maybe they can steal one of those 3 but will probably drop at least 2 of them, so three losses now.

Bama will be tough but OU gets them at home.  If DeBoer really is that dude, it may not matter and he beats them anyway.

So I say 8-4 if they lose to Texas and 9-3 if they don’t.  Could also go 7-5 because of that road schedule.

Good points. I think Josh Heupel is going to have a little something extra for that game in Norman.

[goattalk100]

24 minutes ago, horns96 said:

Good points. I think Josh Heupel is going to have a little something extra for that game in Norman.

Yea I get that but I just don’t see the 8 wins. I think they’re lacking at several positions & qb looks ehh. So that’s why I’m not putting them up at 8-10 wins. Really hope Arnold doesn’t make me look dumb for this tho 😅

[CJ Vogel]

The offensive line gives me pause, but I am as big a fan of Bill Bedenbaugh as you will find. 

OU, similarly to Texas, is finding capable bodies via the portal in the defensive line area as well. They have the fewest 300+ pound iDL of any team in the country at the moment. Though they are trending for Louisville portal DT Jermayne Lole.