Emails: The people have spoken; Tramel is an idiot

The emails are in, and let’s just say the BCS dominates play, particularly my theory that while OU has the stronger resume’ than Texas, Texas has the strongest three-way tie argument because the Longhorns didn’t get a home game within the triangle of OU, Texas and Texas Tech..

Jason wrote, “Your argument regarding the triangle is just flat ridiculous. I realize that the same amount of fans fill the stadium in the Cotton Bowl, and the stadium is closer to Norman than Austin, but to say that it’s a neutral field is a farce. It’s almost as ludicrous as saying that playing LSU in the Sugar Bowl or playing Miami in the Orange Bowl or playing USC in the Rose Bowl provides a neutral playing field. The simple fact is that the game is played in an environment built for Texans. No Oklahoman would travel to the Texas State Fair if it weren’t for the game. Going to the game itself is almost like being on the campus of UT, as they probably outnumber OU fans at least 4-1. No matter how you stack it, in the event of a 3-way tie, OU should get the nod over UT.”

See, here’s the problem in society. When people can’t see the other argument in a non-win debate, all civility breaks down. To declare that “no matter how you stack it” OU should get the nod? Please. As for the Cotton Bowl environment built for Texans, what does that mean? We’re breathing Texas air? Big Tex intimidates Okies? So what if no Oklahoman would go to the fair if it weren’t for the game? They do play the game, and OU revels in the tradition because of its neutrality, and to now claim it’s not neutral just proves you’re grasping at straws. Which you don’t have to do. OU has a very strong argument as well.

Jeff wrote, “I agree that Texas might still have a slight edge in the Big 12 Championship race. However, if the Sooners go up to Stillwater and win handily, I’m not sure things are that clear anymore. Remember: Oklahoma State played Texas close in Austin. If the Sooners end the year by winning two marquee games on the national stage, the Longhorns have little room to complain if the Sooners are sent to Kansas City. Question: Do you think that Texas’ shameless, somewhat pathetic lobbying (signs at the A&M game, a flyover at Bedlam) will have much effect? Do you think it might even backfire and annoy some of the East Coast voters?”

I think it won’t affect the coaches, who generally live in a cocoon. I think it will affect the bad Harris voters and not affect the good Harris voters. Which might not be good news for OU.

Randall wrote, “I struggle with the OU loss to Texas because of the loss of Ryan Reynolds. OU was not the same team defensively after Reynold left the game. So to try to make something out of the fact that Texas beat OU at a neutral location, I struggle to place any stock in that. Had Reynolds not gotten injured, Texas would have been one-dimensional. The location of the field would not have mattered. OU would have won easily. I place this loss in the same category as I do the Tech loss last year in Lubbock. If Bradford doesn’t get hurt, it’s an OU victory.”

And had Colt McCoy played like Todd Dodge, OU would have won. Talking about injuries is an losers excuse. Quarterback, maybe. Linebacker, no way. If you don’t have a decent backup linebacker, that’s no one’s fault but your own. To bring up injuries hurts OU’s cause; the Sooners have a solid case. Emphasize the solid case. Don’t make excuses.

Todd wrote, “One thing your missing in your logic: a solid road win. Among the triange teams, none of them will have won a tough game on the road. UT played Missouri and OSU at home and lost to Tech. OU’s loss was a neutral field with a hurt Murray and a bunch of bad calls/KO returns that was the difference. If (a big if) OU wins at Stillwater, then they will be really the only Big 12 team with a good road win outside of OSU winning at Missouri. The reason to jump UT is simple. The fans want and deserve the best national championship game they can get. They need the two best teams to play. Anything less and you get the blowouts of recent memory. Voters have to vote who they think is the best THAT WEEK in time. Period.”

First of all, no they don’t have to vote that way. They can vote who they think is the best THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. And the tough road win was not missing from my argument. I wrote that OU would have the better BCS resume’ with a win, and that win is a big part of it. But when you start bringing up bad calls and kickoff coverage as some sort of excuse for losing, again, you hurt the Sooner cause. That’s really saying you don’t have much to stand on.

Richard wrote, “In a three-way tie, we are trying to send the best team. If it was OU and just UT and not Tech, that’s one thing. You can say OU should have taken care of business in the Red River. Well, UT shouldn’t have dropped that key interception late. It is not fair for either team. OU is clearly the stronger team and should be rewarded if they handle OSU and not squeak by. If OU throttles OSU, who came within four points of UT in Austin, they prove themselves worthy of the best of the three and should go. The BCS is a way of allowing season long factors to help determine the best team. By the same token, according to your reasoning of only head to head, what if Texas had played Tech before us and now was beating the other Big 12 teams barely because of injuries to Orapko and Shipley, ala English/Reynolds? That is why head to head doesn’t always work.”

Head to head always works. If there’s a tie, like this, then you move on. But head to head always works. And who says OU is clearly the stronger team? How do we know that? The teams played, and Texas was better that day.

Richie wrote, “In this season’s games between the three teams, Oklahoma led in 104 minutes, 13 seconds. Texas Tech led for 53 minutes, 9 seconds. Texas led for 9 minutes, 6 seconds.

So what? This isn’t NASCAR. You don’t get any credit for leading laps.

Kevin wrote, “I think your arbitrary ‘confines of the triangle’ analysis is not conducive to Big 12 South football. First, Oklahoma has a tough road game this weekend. Can you really argue that beating the Cowboys in Stillwater is not an incredibly tough task? If OU wins with style, they will have won their tough road game unlike the Longhorns and Raiders. Granted, Texas lost on the last play, but the Cowboys played them tough in Austin.”

Why does everyone keep saying I’m not counting the OSU game. I wrote it straight: OU has the better body of work, with a win. But if you’re a voter, looking for a way to break the three-way tie, looking at the home/road/neutral question is very valid.

Marc, a Texas fan, wrote, “OU just played a top 10 team for the first time this season. Texas played three top-10 teams  and the No. 11 team in a row. I’ll take that any time over Cincy and TCU that play in weak conferences. Bottom line, head to head should decide if records are the same.

If head to head decides it and records are the same, then Tech goes over Texas. Glad we got that settled.

Tom wrote, “Only in college football could the BCS be used in the formula for the tiebreaker. Your idea that the BCS looks at the full body of work is suspect. How can Sagarin and Wolfe have Texas Tech in front of OU after a 65-21 shelling? The coaches don’t watch other games, some don’t vote, they have crazy biased votes. Who really knows who votes in the Harris poll? Personally, I believe that if Texas gets left out, we may move to a playoff pretty quick because of their political clout. If OU gets left out, it will be poor Sooners.

More paranoia about Texas’ political clout. Man, that gets old. Anyway, OU got no margin of victory credit for the rout of Tech. Same as winning 7-6. In the real Sagarin ratings, OU is No. 2 and Tech No. 4.

Onder wrote, “Are you serious? I know writers must be opinionated and raze up the people, but not right now, Berry. Use some judgement in your job setting. How can you possibly use head-to-head if the Big 12 tiebreaker system itself skipped it in the process? Are you trying to override the tiebreaker system to slant towards your arguement? Berry, please put the liquor down when you are writing articles. Please grow up a little.”

Grow up and say your team deserves to be in the title game. Is that what you mean?

Greg wrote, “Let’s not forget that if OU beats OSU on Saturday, OU would have done something that none of the other two teams in question had done. Beat a highly-ranked conference foe on the road (same one that UT very nearly lost to at home). In a final game of the season primetime match-up no less.”

No one is forgetting that. Winning at Stillwater is what likely will push OU ahead of Texas, which is what I pointed out about four weeks ago.

Thomas wrote, “I totally disagree with the definition of a ‘neutral field’ for the annual Oklahoma-Texas game. Arkansas is a ‘neutral field.’ Missouri is a ‘neutral field.’ Playing a game which is half-way between Norman and Austin and still in Texas does NOT make it a neutral field. How about a neutral field somewhere in Oklahoma?”

OK. So tell me how the Cotton Bowl is tilted in Texas’ favor. The OU team hotel sets off the fire alarm on Friday night? The cops don’t create a path for the OU team bus? No hot water in the locker room? Tell me exactly how the Cotton Bowl isn’t neutral. No one does, because they can’t. Truth is, OU has the slight edge in the Cotton Bowl, because OU has the south end, with the tunnel, where the teams enter and exit.

Roy wrote, “Inside-out triangle analysis brilliantly insightful. And better irony than UT arguing head-to-head score.”

Does my heart good to know some people can think rationally.

Lou wrote, “Dallas is just as neutral as OKC would be! Do the preachings of E.Z. Million mean nothing to you? Why shouldn’t the team conqueroring the tougher non-conference schedule be rewarded with the conference championship game if all else is equal?

The truth is out. The preachings of E.Z. Million mean nothing to me. When you’ve trotted out E.Z. as your prime witness, your case is in trouble.

John wrote, “Get the hell out of Oklahoma! You are a disgrace to the state!”

What? And leave the land that I love to the crazies? I don’t think so.

Patton wrote, “Come on, Berry. Lets find a way to make Oklahoma the pick and put that out, just in case some voters read your paper. Looks like you like Texas.”

I certainly hope some voters read the paper. We want them informed. But your email is priceless, because it’s so honest. It’s what everyone else is saying but without so much clarity. Figure out an argument for OU, then declare that the best way to break the tie.

Cody wrote, “Anywhere but home is away.”

So that means Texas had two road games in the triangle.

Bill wrote, “Did you consider who had the most impressive win in the triangle? Or that OU was handling Texas before Reynolds went out? There are more than one way to skin a triangle.”

And yes, impressiveness of victory is one way. Crying about injuries is not.

Terry wrote, “A road win in Stillwater should count for OU. That won’t be easy, if it happens. UT lost on the road, Tech lost on the road, our game with Texas was a neutral site — advantage neither side. So, the biggest road win and biggest challenge for OU will come at Stillwater (since the Texas game). Why should OU be punished if it shows it can win in Stillwater? OSU’s only losses have been on the road to UT and Tech. It wasn’t that long ago that OSU was in the top 10. Maybe we should be giving OSU more credit for their losses under the consideration of losses on the road. That is Texas’ argument! I know it comes down to the triangle. But playing in Dallas is not a home game for OU. Yes, the stands are split, but it doesn’t create the atmosphere that existed last night in Norman. That crowd was intimidating.”

You wrote about the great atmosphere. Texas didn’t have that against OU or Tech. The OSU game will count for something. There is no right or wrong answer. But if OU gets left out, it has no one to blame but itself. It’s not bias. It’s not the system. OU had its chance and didn’t get it done.

Bob is the reader of the week. He’s the only person who admitted he was wrong about OU’s defense. “I have to eat crow about Bobby Jack Wright. At least for this last game. I was at the game and I’ve been going to the games since 1966 and I’ve never seen a crowd like that. We have had loud crowds before but never for a whole game that was a blowout. The music helps motivate also. The rap music that they played and everyone in the stadium started to jump and raise the roof was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen at a game. Back to Wright. It has been a long time since I’ve seen a pass defense like that. It was perfect.”

OK. Bob has faced the truth. Now what about the rest of you?

David wrote, “Wow! OK, that defensive performance against Tech was awesome! Venables did a great job against a really good team. Hope it can continue through the rest of the season! The offense was pretty darned impressive too. I was glad to see them play with a fire and enthusiasm which I haven’t seen in a long time.”

Now we’re building up some love for Venables.

Jim wrote, “Do you agree that OU’s defense made a lot of money for Venable last week. He has to be a leading candidate for a head coach now. I was a doubter, but he really had them playing at their best.”

Hey, there’s another one. But yes, Venables I think moved up a lot on the coaching carousel.

Wayne wrote, “I normally do not have much to say. I am a retired school teacher. But I must say Sam Bradford is the best quarterback ever from the state of Oklahoma. I compare him to Troy Aikman of UCLA. Austin Box is certainly gaining in recognition from this game. He stuffed them in the middle. His first game, he was just a little out of line. The throws over the middle were just a little out of his reach, but not know. The defensive line played great, (McCoy) was outstanding and the offensive line was superb. That, as you well know, opens up the running game. DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown had a field day. Our receivers (Johnson and Iglesias) definitely went out in style. THE BEST OKLAHOMA TEAM EVER.

Sorry, I can’t buy it. The best OU teams ever didn’t wilt in the fourth quarter against Texas. The best OU teams ever stood toe-to-toe with the toughest foes and prevailed.

Shannon had four thoughts: “1. I am excited about the OU men’s team this year as I have seen Capel do much with little. 2. I cannot get excited about the OU women’s team this year as I have seen Coale do less with much. 3. If I’m Sam Bradford, I am 80-100% sure I am leaving after this year. The 20% in question will be determined by Trent Williams’ decision to stay or leave. 4. If I am a Texas Tech fan and I don’t go to the title game, I am frustrated. If I am an OU fan and I don’t go to the title game, I am frustrated. If I am a Texas fan and I don’t go to the title game, I am mad. Maybe that tells us what we need to know.”