Power Lunch Chat with Jenni Carlson transcript, Jan. 31, 2013

The Oklahoman's Jenni Carlson took questions from readers in today's Power Lunch Chat. Participate in our Power Lunch Chats Monday-Friday at 11 a.m. on NewsOK.com/Sports. Below is an unedited transcript of the chat.

By Jenni Carlson | Published: January 31, 2013 Comment on this article

The Oklahoman's Jenni Carlson took questions from readers in today's Power Lunch Chat. Participate in our Power Lunch Chats Monday-Friday at 11 a.m. on NewsOK.com/Sports. Below is an unedited transcript of the chat.

Jenni Carlson 10:14 a.m. Hey, everyone! Feel free to send in your questions early, and I'll start answering at 11 a.m. Talk to you then!

Jenni Carlson 10:48 a.m. About 10 more minutes to get your questions in early! Be one of the first. :)

Jenni Carlson 11:00 a.m. All right, folks, it's time to get going. Are we going to talk Thunder, Sooners, Cowboys or something else entirely? You get to decide by sending in your questions, so keep 'em coming.

Jay 11:01 a.m. Big 12 seeking a title game? What do you think the coaches think about that, specifcally Gundy and Stoops? It would have given OU a chance to win it outright this past year in a rematch vs KSU. Given the schedule we have now, when would the game be held? Eliminate a bye week and play it at the same time as the other conferences?

Jenni Carlson 11:02 a.m. First of all, I'm not surprised that the Big 12 wants a football championship game. Those things are a total cash cow. The networks pay handsomely for the broadcast rights. The only surprise is that the Big 12 didn't push for an exemption to get a title game earlier. ...

Jenni Carlson 11:03 a.m. As for what the coaches will think, I don't pretend to have any great insight into their thinking. But I believe Bob Stoops has said in the past that he doesn't mind a title game as long as other conferences have them. Most conferences do now. ...

Jenni Carlson 11:04 a.m. Your questions, Jay, about how this game would fit into the schedule is a good one. Clearly, the Big 12 wants the game on the same weekend as every other conferences title game. That would mean an elimination of a bye week, I imagine. But as near as I know, the conference ADs and coaches like the round-robin schedule, so it would still mean nine regular-season conference games plus a title game in the last week. ...

Jenni Carlson 11:05 a.m. Again, though, this all depends on the Big 12 getting an exemption to even have the game. With only 10 teams in the league, I'm not sure if it will get that allowance. Stay tuned.

Jenni Carlson 11:06 a.m. Hey, I know that you guys usually get to ask the questions, but I've got one for you: Super Bowl pick. Who you got?

Jenni Carlson 11:09 a.m. Sorry for the delay, folks. I'm having a bit of a slow internet connection!

Mike 11:09 a.m. What do you think of Osby's chances of playing in the NBA?

Jenni Carlson 11:10 a.m. I'd say slim. He strikes me a s guy who would go to the D-League first. Who knows? He might work on his game and develop into a guy who an NBA team would pick up. ...

Jenni Carlson 11:11 a.m. But right now, his all-around game doesn't look good enough to translate to the NBA, and he doesn't do any one thing well enough to jump off the page. Like if he was a lock-down defender, that might sway a team. But right now, he hasn't shown to be a specialist either.

Alum in AZ 11:11 a.m. What's your prediction about how the OKC Thunder fan base will handle the transition when this great ride near the pinnacle of the NBA is over? Hopefully the ride is very long-lasting and the overall franchise strength remains in the "upper half" even during the down cycles, but most NBA teams go through such cycles (just ask Phoenix).

Jenni Carlson 11:12 a.m. No doubt the cycle will turn downward at some point. It happens everywhere. ...

Jenni Carlson 11:13 a.m. But I do think that the Thunder has a franchise model that is akin to the Spurs. They might not be a title contender every year, but they are set up to be a playoff team every year. That keeps people in San Antonio very, very happy. ...

Jenni Carlson 11:14 a.m. I could see that being the case in OKC. The Thunder contends every now and then but gets to the playoffs almost all the time. But even if that doesn't happen, people here seem very invested in the team. They won't stomach a bottom-of-the-standings team for years, but I don't see them straying much if there's a year or two that's not great.

Larry 11:14 a.m. Your thoughts on Tom Wort's chanches of making it in the NFL? Will he even be drafted?

Jenni Carlson 11:14 a.m. Seems unlikely to me that he'll be drafted. Frankly, I'm not even sure he'll be signed as an undrafted free agent. ...

Jenni Carlson 11:15 a.m. Maybe I'm wrong, but I just don't think he's big enough or fast enough to play in the NFL. It strikes me that he might be a guy who has a long career in the Canadian Football League. I'm not trying to be mean, but I just don't see him as an NFL-caliber guy.

Mike 11:16 a.

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