Oklahoma football: Former Sooner stars critical in wake of Cotton Bowl loss

Davis said he's not ready to declare that there's a serious foundational problem with Stoops' program, but that there has been a clear lack of the talent required to win national titles.

“I think this is clearly a time when recruiting has not maybe been as efficient and effective as you might think or might hope,” Davis said. “I think this is clearly a wake-up call. I think coaches recognize, and anyone close to the program that understands football has to understand that we go through these recessions and you have to bear down. There may need to be some casualties, either players or coaches, but those are things that happen across the college landscape on a regular basis.”

Brown won the Outland Trophy as the college football's best lineman, and played in the 2003 and 2004 national championship games. He joined his former OU teammates Dusty Dvoracek and Teddy Lehman last week on their KREF radio show and expressed his disgust.

“To me, it's a whole mental thing with the team,” Brown said. “I played there. I know Coach Stoops and those guys can get it done. But the whole mental aspect of our team is gone.

“We don't got those guys that will play physical. Guys are soft. All of that, it's just a horrible thing to watch. It don't even look like OU out there. It looks like a bunch of guys running around.”

During a session with reporters Friday, Stoops declined to respond to the former players' criticism, but did admit being disappointed by it.

“I don't know what it is, so I don't know how to speak to it,” Stoops said. “In the end, it's not surprising in today's world. Everybody's got something to say and a venue to do it.”