STILLWATER – Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy met with media at Boone Pickens Stadium to preview the Cowboys' season opening matchup against Missouri State. Here's some of what he had to say:
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy met with media at Boone Pickens Stadium to preview the Cowboys' season opening matchup against Missouri State. Here's some of what he had to say:
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The Pac-12 announced Thursday that it will not pursue expansion. Oklahoma and Texas caused another surge of conference realignment last month with the schools’ upcoming jump from the Big 12 to the SEC. It left the eight remaining Big 12 schools in a prime spot for poaching, but as things stand, the Pac-12 has no plans to go after them. “Following consultation with our Presidents, Chancellors and Athletic Directors, the Pac-12 Conference has made the decision to not pursue expansion of our membership at this time,” the league announced Thursday. “This decision was made following extensive internal discussion and analysis, and is based on the current competitive strength and cohesiveness of our 12 universities. It is also grounded in our confidence in our ability as a conference to best support our student-athletes and to grow and thrive both academically and athletically.” In an interview last week, Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff said the league was internally discussing whether it should expand and hoped to have a decision made promptly. There were some reasons to believe Oklahoma State might be an option for the conference out west based on TV numbers and the fact that adding teams in the central time zone could make the Pac-12 more relevant nationwide. However, it appears the additions are not worth it for the Pac-12, for now. This week, the Pac-12, Big Ten and ACC announced an Alliance moving forward, something many see as a front to try to combat the SEC’s grasp on college athletics. The Alliance left out the Big 12, however. The Big 12 has put together an expansion subgroup, according to The Athletic. Potential Big 12 expansion is still in its early stages, according to that report, but if the Pac-12 isn’t going to expand, the Big 12 adding teams might be the best options for the eight remaining Big 12 schools. The post Pac-12 Announces It Will Not Pursue Expansion ‘At This Time’ appeared first on Pistols Firing. Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. Complete Notes Available Here With Sept. 4 quickly approaching, the Cowboys’ two-deep is starting to come together. Oklahoma State released its first depth chart of the season Thursday. There weren’t a ton of big surprises, but there were a few things to note. To start, it looks as if the position battle between Taylor Miterko and Caleb Etienne at left tackle is still ongoing, with the pair of redshirt sophomores sharing an “or.” The four running backs on the depth chart are all combined with ors, as OSU coach Mike Gundy has said all along they’ll use all of them. The only other highlighted position battle was at the cornerback spot opposite Jarrick Bernard-Converse. It looks as if super senior Christian Holmes has locked that spot down for now, appearing above sophomore Korie Black. Gundy mentioned during fall camp he expects to be able to rotate corners more this season. Four true freshmen appear on the Cowboys’ two-deep and all are receivers. After impressing since he joined the program in January, Blaine Green is expected to start at the outside receiver spot opposite Tay Martin. Bryson Green, Blaine’s twin, is also on the two-deep as are fellow freshmen Jaden Bray and John Paul Richardson. As well as being a backup slot receiver, Richardson is listed as the Cowboys’ second punt returner behind Brennan Presley. The Cowboys are deep along the defensive line. Trace Ford and Brock Martin share an “or” at defensive end, as do Brendon Evers and Jayden Jernigan at defensive tackle. Jernigan had an impressive freshman season in 2019 in a difficult spot for freshmen to shine. He played in all 13 games, recording 13 tackles, four tackles for loss and two sacks. He sat out last year because of the pandemic. With still a week and some change until OSU kicks off its season against Missouri State, some of this could change and an “or” or two might be worked out, but the Pokes’ roster is starting to take shape. The post Oklahoma State Releases First Depth Chart of the 2021 Season appeared first on Pistols Firing. Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. The Daily Bullets are brought to you by Hoboken Coffee: Get 20% off your first order. OSU Bullets• The Big 12 has formed a committee to explore expansion • Mason Rudolph’s stronghold on the No. 2 job in Pittsburgh isn’t looking good • The Golf Channel has Cowboy Golf pegged in the top-three preseason • As we wait for the Pac-12 to announce expansion decisions – here are some helpful tidbits:
• Jake Springfield’s flip to the right tackle spot seems like a win • The PFB squad weighs in on the Alliance, pre-season expectations for the Pokes in this roundtable • Considering OSU’s depth at running back, a dual-threat quarterback, and what sounds to be optimism around the offensive line, it seems like a ground attack would be the central threat of the Cowboy offense – but Spencer Sanders’ quote below indicates the offense is headed towards more air raid-style antics.
• OSU is trying these themed events to make gameday more fun – pretty cool ideas making a great thing even better: Non-OSU Bullets• This AirBNB at Joshua Tree looks incredible The post Daily Bullets (Aug. 26): Big 12 Exploring Expansion, Mason Rudolph’s Job in Trouble appeared first on Pistols Firing. Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. With conference realignment happenings ongoing and the season less than two weeks out, the Pistols Firing staff got together Wednesday morning to discuss a few things. Kyle Boone: OK, so big picture: What do we make of this whole Alliance thing between the Pac-12, Big Ten and ACC? I’ve waffled on this a lot the last few days but I …. kind of think it’s just a PR move orchestrated by a bunch of new-on-the-job commissioners feeling some pressure to do something in response to the SEC. Marshall Scott: I think it was sort of pointless. Maybe I’ll see its value after the first voting power move on some topic, but the fact that it isn’t tied together with anything contractually and the fact that there wasn’t a ton of concrete “this is what we’re going to do” stuff in the release makes the whole thing seem flimsy. I feel like the SEC will have no issues toppling this house of cards.” Kyle Cox: I don’t know how much actual impact it will have on the future of the Big 12 or its teams, but it can’t be any good. It’s just another thing to point to the irrelevance of the league, at least as far as the national perspective goes. Or more of an indicator. Like, if the Big 12 wasn’t in trouble, it would have been asked by someone to join. Boone: Yeah, to me it’s mostly meaningless for the leagues in the alliance but also meaningful for the one major conference — the Big 12 — that was left out. Says a lot. The only real benefit for the three leagues is separating from the Big 12 and establishing what looks like a Power Four structure, and also creating a voting bloc that can work in unison to combat any sticks the big, bad SEC wants to swing with its new super-conference. Scott: It was also pointless that they said they want the Big 12 to do well. Like, no … you don’t. If the alliance wanted the Big 12 to do well, the alliance would’ve included the Big 12. Boone: Yeah it felt like a breakup letter of sorts. Weird vibes all the way around! Cox: It’s not you, it’s us. Boone: Speaking of conference realignment: The Pac-12’s commissioner said this week that the league will decide by the end of the week whether it will expand or not. How we feeling? Sick to our stomachs? Scott: Kind of just meh on it, honestly. Signs have pointed to the Pac-12 not expanding, but who is to say the league won’t reconsider in a few months or something like that. It determined its own deadline, so I’m not certain that whatever comes out at the end of this week must remain concrete in this everchanging situation. Cox: It doesn’t sound like it is going to happen based on the noise coming from the West Coast, but I’m still hopeful. If the Pac-12 officially chooses to not expand — and to Marshall’s point — sticks to that, that feels like the next shoe to drop. OSU doesn’t have a ton of options at that point. Boone: Yeah, just reading what George Kliavkoff (the commish) has said about it, the timing of the expansion decision is anything but coincidental. He more or less said the league accomplished what it wanted to accomplish in forming The Alliance. To me, just reading the tea leaves — and it pains me to say this — but I think they ultimately decide to stand pat at 12 teams and move forward. Scott: Which, I think will end up being to the Pac-12’s detriment if that’s the case. The Pac hasn’t had a CFP team since 2016 and hasn’t had a Heisman winner since 2014. The excitement just isn’t there for that league. Staying pat would mean delaying the inevitable, in my opinion. Cox: Unless the Big 12 is relegated to last place P5 team (which it will be), in which case the Pac-12’s status is somewhat solidified. Replace all of those OU berths with the top Pac team?? Boone: Given how the landscape has changed, I actually think standing pat winds up being a net win. The Big 12 is basically crumbling, and it looks like there will only be four power conferences. If the Pac-12 can figure out its distribution problem — a big problem, to be sure! — then I think because of everything that’s happened this summer it’ll still turn out in an OK place. But, and I say this with as little bias included as possible, I really firmly believe that adding schools — like Oklahoma State and maybe a few others — would be the fastest way to gain relevance and interest beyond just going about business as usual in some flimsy alliance agreement. Scott: Yeah, I’m over Pac-12 Twitter acting too good for OSU. It’s preposterous. Cox: Unfortunately, the perception is only gonna drop after the name brands leave and are off the schedule, fair or not. Boone: West Coast Best Coast is a guiding principle of life for some folks. Not to name names. (Looking at you, all of the West Coast.) Cox: Have you been there? The weather is gorgeous. Boone: The furthest west I’ve been is Tempe for the Cactus Bowl in 2015. That drive soured my entire vibe about basically anything west of Oklahoma City. OK, last section. Let’s do a few rapid fire questions with some fill in the blanks. The offensive MVP of the 2021 football season for OSU will be ________. Scott: Spencer Sanders Boone: I’ll go Tay Martin. (Though if Tay is awesome, Spencer by default might be the pick.) Cox: Jaylen Warren Scott: Oooo, spicy. Boone: The defensive MVP of the 2021 football season for OSU will be ___________. Scott: Devin Harper Boone: Whoa! Scott: It’s a position where a lot of tackles are to be had, and he has made a ton of plays when healthy and on the field. Boone: Kolby Harvell-Peel for me. Cox: Trace Ford, comeback campaign. Boone: Gosh, if Trace is healthy he’s going to absolutely feast. You would personally set the over/under for total number of wins this season for OSU at ________. (And tell me which side of that you’re taking.) Scott: 8.5 and I think I’d take the over right now, but I have the right to change my mind after the K-State game. Cox: 9.5 — I’m going with the over since I think the offensive line improvement is going to make that much difference and the defense will be pretty good again. Free Kool-Aid at the Cox house. Come by, it’s hot out there. Boone: I’d set it at 8.5 and take the over. Some tricky games on the schedule (at Texas and at ISU) but OSU will win a game or two in which it is an underdog because OSU seemingly always wins a game or two in which it is an underdog. OK, last one: Pick one under-the-radar player who could be a breakout star in 2021. You cannot pick Brennan Presley, Marsh. Scott: Brennan Pres … Oh, ummm. Is Braydon Johnson considered under the radar at this point? Gundy and Dunn have seemed excited about his rebirth in the slot. Boone: Ohhhhh interesting. Yeah that qualifies. I feel like he’s got a little lost in the sauce with all the Tay Martin and Brennan Presley hype. I think I’ll go off the board and pick an offensive lineman in Danny Godlevske. OSU needs a replacement at center and he’s that dude. Seems like a plug-and-play addition from Miami (Oh.) and by all accounts he’s locked down that spot and shored up the center of a unit that really struggled last season because of injuries. Cox (at the same time): I will go with Danny Godlevske. I don’t think people are talking about how much impact an experienced center will have on this offense. Boone: Sir. Cox: Ah man. Scott: Fight, fight, fight How would you two both pick a center? Boone: LOL! Cox: We’re both insightful football minds. Boone: Fine. I’ll go with one of the Green twins at receiver. I honestly don’t know which one pops the most — so maybe I’ll pick both! — but I feel like they’re too talented to keep off the field and will be contributors this season as true freshmen. Cox: Does Langston Anderson still play at OSU? I thought that would be Marsh’s pick Scott: I will conduct the Langston Anderson hype train until it runs out of track. Boone: We expect nothing less. The post PFB Roundtable: The Alliance, Some OSU Season Predictions appeared first on Pistols Firing. Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. College athletics has been in a bit of chaos since Oklahoma and Texas made their leaps to the SEC, but the Big 12 apparently isn’t just sitting on its hands. Max Olson of The Athletic reported Wednesday that the Big 12 has put together an expansion subgroup to help lead the way in the league’s internal discussions on adding schools. Olson reported that process is in its “preliminary stages,” and that if the conference were to expand, it would need a supermajority vote of eight schools to move the process along. So long as OU and Texas are in the conference, they would be a part of that vote, meaning the eight left-out teams would all have to agree. A potential hurdle with continuing to expand would be whether the remaining Big 12 teams would want to commit to the Big 12 in its current state instead of pursuing options elsewhere. The Pac-12 is expected to make a decision on whether it will expand by the end of the week. If it chooses to do so, it would seem likely that a handful of the remaining Big 12 schools would be options for the league out west, which would likely be more attractive than a pieced-together Big 12. At least 15 schools reached out to the Big 12 with interest in joining the league, Olson adds, mostly from the American and Mountain West, but he didn’t report any schools by name. BYU, Memphis, Cincinnati, Houston, UCF and Boise State seem obvious schools for the Big 12, but Olson reports there is still some reluctance to engage talks with Houston, a school of about 45,000 enrolled in the fourth-most populated city in the country, because of the league’s “unpleasant experience with UH board chairman Tilman Fertitta in 2016.” Ferititta was outspoken when the Cougars weren’t more deeply considered for the Big 12 in 2016, the last round of expansion talk. “That’s kind of disappointing that Texas with their big budget fears the University of Houston,” Fertitta told CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd back then. “For other schools in the Big 12 to keep them out because they’re scared of them, men need to be men.” Many criticized the Big 12 choosing not to previously expand, but as Olson pointed out, things could play out differently (if the Big 12 sticks together) without the need to appease Oklahoma and Texas. The post Big 12 Has Reportedly Formed Subgroup to Explore Expansion appeared first on Pistols Firing. Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby responded on Wednesday to the formation of the three-league alliance between the Big Ten, Pac-12 and ACC, telling the Action Network in a statement that — at least for now — the “practical impacts of the arrangement are yet to be seen.” “The Big 12 Conference has every expectation that we will continue to compete at the highest levels and will be intimately and actively involved in the national athletics agenda,” he added. Bowlsby’s response comes after his league was left out of the alliance, leaving the Big 12 in a lurch with OU and Texas leaving for the SEC and the Big Ten, Pac-12 and ACC joining forces. What it means for the three leagues is to be determined and that applies to the Big 12, too, but common sense suggests that the Big 12 being the only power conference not making a move this summer is not a good thing. The Athletic’s Max Olson reported Wednesday morning that, “Sources in the conference continue to believe there’s a road to long-term survival for the Big 12,” and while there are hurdles to clear in doing so, the calculus of the challenge has not substantially changed. “It’s still a matter of getting all eight remaining members on the same page and arriving at the same conclusion about their future,” Olson reports. “Thanks to the three-conference alliance, it’s becoming more likely those eight Big 12 members are going to be stuck together for now.” The post Bob Bowlsby Responds to Formation of Alliance Between Pac-12, Big Ten, ACC appeared first on Pistols Firing. Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. Mike Boynton has hosted some heavy hitters in the 2023 class in recent days, but the heaviest of those hitters came Tuesday. Omaha Biliew, the No. 2 player in the class, made an Instagram post that he was in Gallagher-Iba Arena on an unofficial visit. Biliew is a five-star recruit with a 247Sports composite grade of 0.9988, which would make him the No. 3 commitment in OSU’s history behind Cade Cunningham and Gerald Green. He is a 6-foot-8, 200-pound power forward who played at Waukee High School in Iowa last year, but he has since transferred to Link Year Prep in Branson, Missouri. Fellow 2023 five-star Bryson Warren, who visited OSU this weekend, is also attending Link Year Prep this year. Biliew and Warren also played AAU ball together with Mokan Elite. Biliew is a strong, athletic forward who often plays above the rim. He has shown an ability to expand his game to the 3-point line, but at his current competition level, he is a man among boys who scores at the rim effortlessly. As the No. 2 player in his class, Biliew will have myriad options as to how and where he wants to continue his basketball career, but it’s obviously a good sign for Oklahoma State that the Cowboys got a visit. He has also made visits to Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Iowa State. The post No. 2 Player in 2023 Class Omaha Biliew Visits Oklahoma State appeared first on Pistols Firing. Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. A nationwide survey conducted by a promotional company specializing in logos and branding has determined that OSU mascot Pistol Pete is the worst mascot in college sports. And one of the most creepy, too. Quality Logo Products ranked Pete as the third-creepiest mascot in college sports and the fifth-most offensive. It came in at No. 1 in only one category: the “worst.” Wear that badge with pride, Pete.
In a stunning turn of events, Pete, who rated poorly basically across the board, was snubbed from the top 10 of “sexiest” mascots. He narrowly edged out another Pete — Purdue Pete — as the worst mascot in America. The post Pistol Pete Voted “Worst” College Mascot in Nationwide Survey appeared first on Pistols Firing. Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog. |
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