snuffy
10-20-2008, 06:43 AM
Pokes outdo predictions, an eighth victory now seems inevitable
Retooling preseason predictions
http://www.newsok.com/pokes-outdo-predictions-an-eighth-victory-now-seems-inevitable/article/3313377
By Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Published: October 20, 2008
STILLWATER — Back in August, I predicted an 8-4 finish from Oklahoma State.
The question I kept getting after what some considered a bold prediction was this: "Where is the eighth win going to come from?”
Most people could see seven wins on the OSU schedule, but No. 8 was going to be tricky.
Even if it can’t pull off the upset at No. 1 Texas on Saturday, 7-0 OSU could very easily have its eighth victory by Nov. 1, the day it hosts Iowa State.
Never in the school’s history — even in the unbeaten 1945 season — has OSU reached eight wins by the first week of November. Obviously, schedule timing has something to do with that. Prior to the 1970s, the college football season didn’t begin until the latter half of September. But in most of those seasons, OSU didn’t reach eight wins anyway.
So not only does it look like the Cowboys will reach eight wins sooner than anyone imagined, but a rethinking of their future is also needed.
Initially, I had predicted the eighth win to come at Colorado on Nov. 15, expecting OSU to be a slight favorite. But that game doesn’t look as scary as it once did. Neither does that trip to Texas Tech the previous week.
Bedlam was always viewed as a toss-up and still is, but the Cowboys have been dominant at home, winning by an average of 30 points per game.
Even this week at Texas has a different feel than it would have if the Cowboys hadn’t gone into Missouri and won.
With all that, OSU is building a stronger national reputation. According to www.pollspeak.com, a Web site which reports, among other things, the ballots of every voter in The Associated Press top 25, only one voter ranked OSU outside the top 10.
In his weekly bowl projections which were published Sunday, Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com listed the Cowboys in the Cotton Bowl against LSU.
The Cowboys haven’t earned the respect that the perennial top 10 teams carry, but they’ve made football fans and analysts alike take notice of what’s going on in Stillwater. And they’re making everyone rethink where they’ll end up this season.
Retooling preseason predictions
http://www.newsok.com/pokes-outdo-predictions-an-eighth-victory-now-seems-inevitable/article/3313377
By Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Published: October 20, 2008
STILLWATER — Back in August, I predicted an 8-4 finish from Oklahoma State.
The question I kept getting after what some considered a bold prediction was this: "Where is the eighth win going to come from?”
Most people could see seven wins on the OSU schedule, but No. 8 was going to be tricky.
Even if it can’t pull off the upset at No. 1 Texas on Saturday, 7-0 OSU could very easily have its eighth victory by Nov. 1, the day it hosts Iowa State.
Never in the school’s history — even in the unbeaten 1945 season — has OSU reached eight wins by the first week of November. Obviously, schedule timing has something to do with that. Prior to the 1970s, the college football season didn’t begin until the latter half of September. But in most of those seasons, OSU didn’t reach eight wins anyway.
So not only does it look like the Cowboys will reach eight wins sooner than anyone imagined, but a rethinking of their future is also needed.
Initially, I had predicted the eighth win to come at Colorado on Nov. 15, expecting OSU to be a slight favorite. But that game doesn’t look as scary as it once did. Neither does that trip to Texas Tech the previous week.
Bedlam was always viewed as a toss-up and still is, but the Cowboys have been dominant at home, winning by an average of 30 points per game.
Even this week at Texas has a different feel than it would have if the Cowboys hadn’t gone into Missouri and won.
With all that, OSU is building a stronger national reputation. According to www.pollspeak.com, a Web site which reports, among other things, the ballots of every voter in The Associated Press top 25, only one voter ranked OSU outside the top 10.
In his weekly bowl projections which were published Sunday, Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com listed the Cowboys in the Cotton Bowl against LSU.
The Cowboys haven’t earned the respect that the perennial top 10 teams carry, but they’ve made football fans and analysts alike take notice of what’s going on in Stillwater. And they’re making everyone rethink where they’ll end up this season.