FanPost

When your players aren't required to attend class...

...why would you expect the head coach to have any?

Let's take a gander at the results for the season, shall we?

[Full disclosure: I am and will always be a Mizzou football fan first, but I also have a place for Texas]

8/30 Chattanooga 1-0 (0-0) W 57-2
9/06 Cincinnati 2-0 (0-0) W 52-26
9/13 @ Washington 3-0 (0-0) W 55-14
9/27 No. 24 TCU 4-0 (0-0) W 35-10
10/04 @ Baylor 5-0 (1-0) W 49-17
10/11 vs. No. 5 Texas 5-1 (1-1) L 45-35
10/18 No. 16 Kansas 6-1 (2-1) W 45-31
10/25 @ Kansas State 7-1 (3-1) W 58-35
11/01 Nebraska 8-1 (4-1) W 62-28
11/08 @ Texas A&M 9-1 (5-1) W 66-28
11/22 No. 2 Texas Tech 10-1 (6-1) W 65-21
11/29 @ No. 12 Oklahoma State 11-1 (7-1) W 61-41
12/06 vs. No. 20 Missouri 12-1 (7-1)

W 62-21

 

So, we see an obvious pattern emerge.  Which of these are actually running up the score (RUTS)?  Quickly, rule out TCU, KU, and UT, look more closely at the others.

Chattanooga: Up 50 at half, wins by 43.  Bradford removed in first half.  Verdict:  No.

Cincinnati: Up 8 at half, wins by 26.  Bradford comes out when they go up by 32 at one point in the 4th.  Verdict: Probably not.

Washington: Up 34 at half, win by 41.  Led by 48 at one point.  Bradford no passes after 3rd Q to go up 48-7 (after throwing a 64 yd TD).  Verdict:  Possibly RUTS.

Baylor: Up 21 at half, score 14 in 2nd half, win by 32.  Bradford in for all 49 points, last TD scored with 5:00 left up 42-17.  Verdict: Last TD was RUTS.

KSU: Scored 3 pts in 2nd half.  Verdict: No.

Nebraska: Up 35 at half, win by 34.  Bradford throws 2 TDs in 3rd qtr (first when up 56-21) before being removed.  Verdict:  Yes.

And now the stretch run (i.e. from the week after UT lost to TTU and Stoops saw his opening)

aTm: Up 24 at half, win by 38.  Bradford throws TD pass up 52-21 in late 3rd.  Verdict:  Yes.

Tech:  We all saw that.  Verdict:  Yes.

Okie St: Okie St's cookin' the books style timeout allows OU to score last TD.  WTF was that about?  Seriously, WTF was that?  Verdict: Actually, not really.  OSU was complicit.

Missouri:  We all saw that.  Verdict:  Yes.

 

So we see that once Stoops eyed a chance to slide in on what that bandwagoning whore Brent Musburger insists are "style points," OU took every opportunity to RUTS. 

 

Of course, the media is very much complicit in this:  overlooking Texas's strong defense, vaulting Florida after OMG SHIRTLESS IN JORTS and crew put up 70 on the Citadel (holy shit!  Citadel, NO WA!), saying USC didn't do enough today just beating UCLA by 21 and allowing only 7 (I mean, they haven't played a really great conference schedule, but the defensive numbers are astonishing).  But today's cheerleading by Musburger, wishing, hoping, eagerly begging aloud that OU would put up 60 to set some non-existent record, and not pointing the blatant RUTS out when Bradford was still throwing TDs late in the 4th was inexcusable.  No, the AP voters shouldn't give UT a split of the title (if they win) just to continue some attempt to blow up the BCS, but if that scenario does come to pass it will be a point in the column for sportsmanship, considering the BCS MNC game will match two of the worst RUTS offenders (who either OH BY THE WAY LOST TO MISSISSIPPI... AND SOME OTHER TEAM I CANNOT RECALL EXACTLY).

For those of you too young to remember, the BCS made the CPU models give up MOV because people like Spurrier would go out and embarrass kids.  And that is who they are:  kids.  99% of them won't play in the NFL.  They've got enough to deal with without multimillionaire middle aged men trying to embarrass them for their own egos and bank accounts.  But the experts* who vote in these polls are wowed by big flashy numbers and not the bulk of a season, while at the same time they scream for a playoff.

 

Missouri's year wasn't what we hoped for, but for Stoops to try to embarrass us was an insult.  If Mack Brown taking out McCoy before hitting 50 vs. aTm means no MNC game for UT, then so be it.

I won't watch the BCS MNC game this year.  And I will be quite content with that decision.

 

*Not actually experts

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