PREVIEW + PREDICTION: West Virginia at Oklahoma
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00:54 - You are back here on the Walkthrough Game Day Show
01:06 presented by Country Roads Air Duct Cleaning.
01:08 I'm Skylar Callahan and that is Eugene Napoleon.
01:10 Today we've got West Virginia and Oklahoma.
01:13 It's a massive showdown on the Prairie.
01:16 The last time the Mountain Deers will make the trip
01:18 out to Norman for the foreseeable future,
01:20 obviously with Oklahoma departing
01:22 for the SEC starting next year.
01:25 We'll get to the keys to the game.
01:26 We'll also make our picks at the end of the show.
01:29 But first we're gonna get into one of the biggest,
01:31 hottest topics in college football,
01:34 and then we'll transition into some of the big 12 scores
01:37 from last week and take a peek at the big 12 standings.
01:40 Because West Virginia, Gene, they're in this thing.
01:43 They're in this thing here in the SEC,
01:45 or I guess technically the first true weekend of November,
01:48 but nonetheless, meaningful November football
01:51 has returned to Morgantown.
01:52 So we'll get to that here in just a bit.
01:54 So let's go and get right into it, Gene.
01:57 The biggest, hottest topic in all of college football,
01:59 maybe all of sports right now,
02:02 is this sign-stealing scandal that's going on at Michigan.
02:05 Now, maybe, perhaps, at a couple of other institutions.
02:10 You just informed me of this
02:11 right before we started recording.
02:12 I was not aware of it.
02:14 Well, kind of aware of it.
02:16 I heard some rumblings about it,
02:17 but here's my initial take on this thing.
02:21 And I know we talked about it before,
02:23 so you're probably gonna agree with this.
02:25 Sign-stealing is going to happen
02:28 regardless of whatever rules gets put into place
02:33 from the NCAA or whoever's gonna take control of this thing,
02:36 whether it be the conference, the Big Ten, or whoever.
02:39 That is not really the issue.
02:42 It's about where it happens and when it happens.
02:45 It's always going to happen on the field.
02:47 It's just a part of the game.
02:49 It happens in baseball.
02:50 I know all the time I was doing it.
02:52 When I was at second base,
02:53 that's why the catchers,
02:55 they start going to all these different signals
02:57 throughout the body instead of putting down
02:59 the one for a fastball or two curveball,
03:01 because if the guy at second can see it,
03:04 he can do something like this to tip off his hitter,
03:07 and he knows what's coming.
03:09 So I think the game within the game, that's okay.
03:13 But the moment you take it outside of the confines
03:17 of that stadium and that game and that day,
03:19 that's when it becomes problematic.
03:21 You can't be doing it off of video.
03:22 You can't be sending guys to different places.
03:25 And Michigan, as I'm sure you're all aware,
03:28 has been sending, whether they knew it or not,
03:32 which we all kind of probably think that they knew about it,
03:35 was going to actual other games
03:38 and was on the Central Michigan sideline
03:41 in Central Michigan gear.
03:42 I mean, this guy was going all out.
03:44 Connor Scowings is his name.
03:46 He resigned.
03:47 But it's a situation that's,
03:52 it's hard to really know what is going to be done about it,
03:55 either from the Big Ten or the NCAA,
03:58 because the Big Ten,
03:59 they really don't want to punish themselves
04:01 as much as they want to make a statement about this,
04:03 because Michigan is in the thick
04:06 of a college football playoff race.
04:08 So is the hammer going to come down from them,
04:12 or is it going to come down from the NCAA?
04:14 My guess is probably the latter.
04:17 But Gene, what can you make of all this?
04:21 What has to happen?
04:23 What needs to happen?
04:26 - Well, let me say this.
04:28 All right, you're innocent until proven guilty, right?
04:33 All this, you can't say,
04:35 I would have said, well, this is alleged.
04:37 Well, no, it ain't alleged
04:38 when you got old boy over there
04:39 and you see him in the background,
04:40 and you know what I mean?
04:42 So he didn't help himself out at all.
04:45 Here's the thing.
04:46 As you stated, this happens at every competitive level.
04:52 Heck, and it happens in Pop Warner.
04:55 So let's just be clear.
04:56 It's human nature.
04:57 People want to win so bad,
04:59 they will do whatever to win, okay?
05:01 Without that being what it is,
05:05 the NCAA, the Big Ten Conference,
05:09 they both have to do something, period,
05:11 because you have to set a precedence
05:12 that this is not going to be tolerated.
05:14 Even though we know it's done, I get that.
05:18 When you have schools colluding with other schools,
05:22 it's okay to say,
05:24 we're going to give you the offensive calls,
05:26 and we're going to also,
05:26 and the other school says,
05:27 we're going to give them the defensive calls.
05:29 We both want them to lose.
05:30 Come on, man.
05:31 At the end of the day,
05:33 a strong, stern message needs to be sent
05:38 that if you are caught doing this, you're done.
05:42 The coach, I don't care who it is,
05:45 hardball needs to be suspended indefinitely
05:48 until they find out what the truth really is.
05:51 And I'm not with the players need to be slapped on the wrist
05:56 because they're doing what they're told.
05:58 They wasn't the ones who okayed
05:59 or gave the tip of the hat to whomever to go do whatever.
06:04 This guy's making, from what I understand, 50,000 a year.
06:08 So who's paying this guy
06:10 to fly around every freaking school in a conference?
06:14 - Yeah.
06:15 - Stop it.
06:16 You got to be kidding me, okay?
06:18 The thing is, if you're the CEO of your program,
06:21 like most of these big time head coaches are,
06:23 that's making these salaries,
06:26 you know everything.
06:28 Every, did I say everything?
06:31 Everything.
06:32 You know it all.
06:33 So to say that I don't know that that was happening,
06:35 stop it.
06:36 You know why you know that was happening?
06:38 Because when you was preparing for whatever school
06:41 that you got the cheat notes from,
06:43 you were actually adding in the cheat notes.
06:47 So how you don't know that this guy's giving you,
06:50 you understand what I'm saying, Skylar?
06:51 Stop playing.
06:52 - Well, and the other thing too is like,
06:55 if he's a part of the staff,
06:57 he's got to know that he's not in the building
06:59 at certain times.
07:00 So if he's not in the building
07:01 and you didn't send him out to go do this,
07:05 your first thought is okay, where's he going?
07:06 Where's he at?
07:07 Why is he not here?
07:08 - Thank you.
07:09 - He knows everything that's going on.
07:11 - Here's the key.
07:13 When you deal with somebody
07:14 that has that type of personality,
07:16 hardball, you know,
07:17 his personality and temperament is,
07:20 I want, I'm in the know of everything like you said, okay?
07:23 Because that's just how he is.
07:26 That's that, you know, that's his temperament.
07:28 So I'll say it again.
07:31 When you get a stack of whatever you're getting
07:34 and it's coming back to you
07:36 and you're giving it to the offense coordinator,
07:38 defense coordinator, special team coordinator, stop it.
07:40 - Yeah.
07:41 - I mean, see, for me, people get upset
07:44 because I get just right down to the nitty gritty
07:47 of what the situation is, whatever's problematic,
07:49 and I'm going to ask the easy questions.
07:53 Well, where do we get this from?
07:55 Where do these calls come from?
07:59 Oh, on third down, they typically do this on offense
08:02 and the call is this.
08:03 Well, where do we get that?
08:05 - That's not your typical game plan.
08:07 Like when you're putting together your game plan
08:09 for the week, you've got all of your notes
08:11 from all your assistants and everything.
08:13 And I guarantee you, the one thing that is not in there
08:16 is this signal means this, this signal means this.
08:20 If I see that, I'm like,
08:21 well, where did that come from?
08:25 - If I'm horrible, I'm like, listen, hold on, hold on.
08:27 Time out, time out, player.
08:28 Oh, wait a minute, wait a minute.
08:30 What are we doing?
08:33 (laughing)
08:34 Hold on, third and what?
08:36 Hold on.
08:36 What is that?
08:42 I want to know, where'd you get that from?
08:44 We're not doing that.
08:45 That's not how we run this program.
08:48 We're not winning games that way.
08:49 - Here's my only issue with not banning Michigan
08:56 from the playoffs is if they are guilty of it,
09:02 which again, innocent until proven guilty.
09:06 But if they are, that means they probably had to know
09:10 about it too, and I get they're just kids,
09:13 but at the same time, you're robbing somebody else
09:17 of an opportunity that did it the right way.
09:20 And if you had to cheat to get there
09:23 and cheat to go undefeated and cheat to get
09:26 into the college football playoff, that's not right to me.
09:30 But again, it's hard to punish the players though.
09:34 It's a really tough line to walk.
09:38 - I agree with you.
09:40 I know exactly where you're coming from and I do agree.
09:43 But here's the deal, from the top down,
09:47 I'm sure you heard the phrase, ish trickles downstream.
09:52 - Yeah.
09:53 - Yeah, so from the top down, if this is the reason why
09:58 they need to hurry up and really expedite this thing,
10:02 because two things is this, if they suspend hardball,
10:06 let's say they suspend them Friday,
10:07 just saying, okay, for time, they spend them on Friday,
10:11 indefinitely until they find out what's going on.
10:13 And then between Friday and next week,
10:18 they really expedite this thing and say,
10:20 okay, here's what we got.
10:22 Now you're done for the rest of the year.
10:25 If that's the case, and you find that out
10:27 for the rest of the season, if you find that out,
10:29 that that's exactly what it was,
10:31 and you could somehow link this to even last year,
10:35 which some people are speculating
10:37 that they've been doing this for a minute now,
10:40 then I might be inclined to agree with you and say,
10:43 you know what, hold on now.
10:44 That means the entire staff has fully known this information,
10:49 hardball has known this information,
10:52 which means you're implementing this,
10:55 which means the players do have some sense of knowledge
10:58 of what's really going on, then I'll be honest with you.
11:01 Yeah, then I would have to say, Michigan, you're out.
11:05 - Yeah. - You're out.
11:06 There's no way, because that would be unfair
11:10 to the rest of these programs who have been doing it,
11:14 let me, somewhat the right way.
11:19 - Yeah. - Let's be clear.
11:22 Everybody does this.
11:24 It's just that I don't think people has gone,
11:27 like I said, you send a dude to East Jamaica
11:30 to find out what their goals are.
11:32 I don't think people have been doing that.
11:36 - Right. - So I do agree with you.
11:39 Something more needs to be done
11:40 if all that comes full circle.
11:43 - Yeah, and who knows,
11:44 and I'm not gonna start making assumptions,
11:46 but I'm just saying, there's pretty hard concrete evidence
11:51 about this whole scandal of Michigan,
11:53 but who's to say that Florida State
11:55 or any of those other top teams,
11:58 what if they cheated in a different way
12:00 in terms of paying players
12:02 the way they're not supposed to be paid
12:04 or something else?
12:05 I mean, again, that's getting into assumptions,
12:08 and I do not wanna do that,
12:10 but I'm just saying,
12:11 there's all these things out there we don't know.
12:14 All we can go off of is the cold hard facts,
12:17 and it's pretty damn clear, in my opinion,
12:19 that Michigan knows what's going on here.
12:22 So you've gotta be able to put the hammer down,
12:26 and again, to me, I think if you can find the evidence
12:30 quickly enough, you have to ban them for the playoff.
12:33 - Right. - That's just me.
12:35 I hate to do it for the kids,
12:36 especially the ones that don't have a say in it,
12:40 or maybe there are a few kids
12:42 that maybe don't know about it,
12:43 but I'm sure they all had to have known.
12:46 I mean, they're all in the building,
12:47 they're all part of the game plan,
12:48 they're all getting fed this information,
12:50 so they probably know too,
12:52 but again, they're innocent
12:53 because they're not the decision makers,
12:55 they're not the ones presenting the information to them.
12:58 So it's a tough deal,
13:00 but we'll see what happens.
13:02 Again, this thing may be concluded,
13:05 or we may have a resolution by the end of this week,
13:08 but I wouldn't hold my breath
13:11 if you're waiting for an answer from the NCAA.
13:13 I mean, we've seen this time and time again.
13:16 Doesn't matter what the situation is,
13:18 they like to take their sweet old time with it.
13:20 So, on to better things.
13:24 Let's go ahead and get into the Big 12.
13:27 Here's a look at some of the scores
13:29 from around the league last weekend.
13:32 Obviously, West Virginia won 37 to seven over BYU,
13:35 we touched on that on the Mountain Dews Now postgame show,
13:38 so we're not gonna elaborate too much on it,
13:39 but Texas Tech winners over TCU, 35 to 28.
13:43 Texas over K-State in overtime,
13:46 that was an exciting, thrilling game, 33 to 30.
13:49 Oklahoma State, Gene gets his winner there
13:52 in the pick 'ems of bedlam, 27 to 24.
13:56 Houston, 25, 24 over Baylor in overtime.
13:59 UCF gets their first Big 12 win over Cincinnati, 28 to 26,
14:04 and Kansas holds on to defeat Iowa State, 28 to 21.
14:09 Gene, where do you wanna go first
14:11 in terms of what happened last week in the Big 12?
14:13 - I'm gonna tell you right now,
14:17 that Oklahoma State-Oklahoma game was really, really good.
14:21 - It was.
14:22 I was hoping it would end a little bit faster
14:23 because it was kinda going right up
14:25 against that time of the West Virginia game.
14:27 - It was, but I really enjoyed watching that game,
14:30 and I'm gonna tell you, man,
14:31 woof, it looked as if Oklahoma was gonna pull it out.
14:36 - It did.
14:38 It really did.
14:39 - It really did, but listen, we said this before.
14:43 I'm gonna tell you, Oklahoma State, boy,
14:49 they are just known every single year,
14:52 no matter how they start, they get on this run
14:56 where they start playing
14:58 like they're one of the best teams in the country,
15:02 and they just lock in, they put it together,
15:04 and I'm gonna tell you, I'm a big fan of Gundy's.
15:07 I really am.
15:08 I just think he is masterful at what he gets
15:12 out of his players throughout the course
15:15 of a full football season.
15:16 I mean, it's just uncanny.
15:18 It really is.
15:19 - It doesn't make sense.
15:20 I mean, again, I've looked at this team,
15:23 studied it hard all off-season long,
15:26 and I said, "This might be a team
15:28 that struggles to get the bowl eligibility."
15:30 I said that, and I'm guilty of it,
15:33 but in the first three weeks of the season,
15:35 I was like, "Oh, I might be right about this for once."
15:37 Like, Gundy may actually have a down year.
15:39 I'm an idiot.
15:42 I'm an idiot for even believing it for a second
15:45 that that was the case, but I mean, it's hard not to
15:47 when they got spanked at home by South Alabama, 33-7.
15:51 It's not like they just, you know,
15:52 the Central Michigan loss they had a few years back
15:55 in that crazy play that was a controversial.
15:57 Like, no, they got beat and beat soundly at their own place,
16:01 but credit to Gundy, man.
16:03 I mean, he is rolling with this team,
16:06 and like I told you, I felt like if they got past Oklahoma,
16:11 there's a really good chance that they could go 10-2
16:14 and find their way in Arlington for the Big 12 titles.
16:16 So hats off to them.
16:19 Ollie Gordon running the football
16:21 while they're playing good defense.
16:23 The one thing I wanted to note was West Virginia,
16:27 by the way, was the only game,
16:31 or the only team, I should say,
16:33 that won by more than one score last week.
16:36 - Yes.
16:37 - That's incredible, because if you think about it,
16:39 you had two overtime games, Kansas State and Texas,
16:42 Houston-Baylor, you had Kansas,
16:44 or the Bedlam game decided by three points,
16:47 UCF-Cincinnati decided by two,
16:49 Kansas-Iowa State was a touchdown game
16:51 even though Kansas was up by multiple scores throughout,
16:54 and then TCU-Texas was a one-score game, too.
16:58 West Virginia, man, they are playing
17:00 some good football right now,
17:02 and we'll get to them here in a minute,
17:03 but the other game I wanted to talk about really quickly
17:08 was Kansas State and Texas.
17:11 It, man, it felt like Texas
17:12 was just trying to give that game away.
17:14 Like, they were up pretty comfortably for a while,
17:19 and I turned, I was like, "Ah, this game's over,"
17:22 'cause I picked Kansas State to get to the Big 12 title
17:24 in the beginning of the year.
17:25 It's like, "Dang, I got that one wrong,"
17:27 and all of a sudden, I flip back, and they're tied.
17:29 I'm like, "What the heck just happened?"
17:32 Obviously, Malik Murphy's throwing
17:34 a couple of interceptions, they get back in the game,
17:37 Kansas State looks like they're gonna win at the end,
17:39 and they get stopped, they go to overtime,
17:42 Texas finds a way, somehow,
17:45 they actually went for it on fourth down in overtime,
17:47 the Kansas State, a gutsy move,
17:49 but, hey, you're on the road, I don't blame you,
17:52 but a tough one for Kansas State.
17:54 Texas sitting at the top of the Big 12 standings right now,
17:58 so we'll go ahead and take a look at those standings.
18:01 Here is what it looks like as of today,
18:04 entering week 11 of college football,
18:07 Texas and Oklahoma State tie the top at five and one,
18:10 and then you've got a cluster of teams there,
18:12 four and two, Kansas, Oklahoma,
18:14 K-State, West Virginia, and Iowa State.
18:17 Texas tech at three and three,
18:18 and then the rest of the league is under 500,
18:21 so, Eugene, West Virginia, like I said,
18:24 meaningful football, November, you win this game,
18:27 you might be in the mix for that Big 12 title game, buddy.
18:32 - You win this game, and everything is open to you.
18:36 Now, the question is, who would you say
18:39 is the best four and two team in that cluster?
18:42 That's the question.
18:43 - Ooh.
18:44 - See, that's the question.
18:48 And the only way you can really conceivably come to that
18:51 answer would be, right now,
18:54 who's playing collectively the best ball right now?
18:58 Offense, defense, special teams.
19:00 So, interesting, isn't it?
19:03 - It really is, because you could make a case
19:06 for, I think, four of the five.
19:07 Iowa State, I'm kind of like, eh, maybe.
19:11 But Kansas, I mean, they lost their starting quarterback
19:15 for unknown reasons, and they're still winning games.
19:20 Like, what Lance Lybal is doing there is phenomenal,
19:23 can't be talked about enough.
19:26 Oklahoma, they've dropped two in a row.
19:28 I think their stock's down,
19:30 and I'll get more into that later.
19:32 I would probably have to say, Kansas State,
19:35 even though they lost to Texas, I mean, that's Texas.
19:39 I mean, it's a good football team,
19:41 even without Quinn Ewers.
19:43 I'd probably lean K State, and then I really think
19:46 it's like splitting hairs between Kansas
19:49 and West Virginia right now,
19:50 which sounds really odd to say.
19:52 - Well, I'm gonna have to agree with you,
19:57 because, again, when you talk about that question,
20:01 you have to also bring into the fact of
20:04 who's at the helm coaching these guys.
20:07 Because those decisions late in the game
20:09 is the reason why these teams are still winning,
20:11 when you think about it.
20:13 Now, we already know,
20:15 Lybal is one of the best coaches in the country,
20:18 'cause you can see what he's done
20:19 since he's gotten to Kansas.
20:22 So I'm gonna say, between West Virginia and Kansas
20:26 at this particular point, in my humble opinion,
20:28 they're playing the best football right now,
20:31 which is the most important time to play your best ball.
20:34 You wanna go into November
20:37 knowing that you're on an uphill climb
20:39 and that everything is kinda hitting on all cylinders.
20:42 If not all, just about all cylinders.
20:45 Because if not, then you're looking at,
20:48 you're looking in your rear view mirror
20:50 and you're looking at the bottom of the freaking conference
20:53 if you're not hitting on all cylinders
20:56 at this time of the year.
20:57 So I love the position that we're in,
20:59 because you know what?
21:00 West Virginia, we pretty much control our own destiny.
21:03 I like that, I'll be honest with you.
21:06 Yeah, that's just me, I like that.
21:08 - And I've gotten several questions over the weekend
21:11 about how this all would play out for West Virginia,
21:14 what needs to happen, and I'm just like,
21:16 look, there are so many outcomes that can happen right now,
21:20 it's not even worth diving into.
21:22 And I know some fans would like to really know,
21:25 to me, I'm not really gonna take it seriously
21:29 until after this weekend,
21:30 because if you win this weekend, okay, now let's talk.
21:33 Number one, because you got past Oklahoma,
21:36 and number two, because there's only two weeks left
21:38 in the season, it's a little easier to do the math.
21:40 I mean, I'm from West Virginia,
21:42 I didn't have great math skills growing up.
21:45 So, but I mean, the first thing is first,
21:49 you have to win out, there's no question about that.
21:51 If you lose, you're essentially eliminated.
21:53 So you gotta take care of business first.
21:55 You will need help, that's what I will say,
21:57 at this juncture, you're gonna have to have
22:00 some things happen for you.
22:02 To make it plain and simple, Texas or Oklahoma State,
22:05 you need one of those two to lose, to feel like you have a chance.
22:09 Because if those two went out, that's your two right there.
22:12 There's no tiebreakers, there's no crazy scenarios, nothing.
22:16 So Texas, here's their remaining schedule.
22:18 They have at TCU this Saturday, at Iowa State,
22:23 and at home against Texas Tech.
22:25 I actually think they have a better chance
22:27 of losing a game there, and the reason why I say that
22:30 is because, well, more so for West Virginia's sake,
22:34 if you get tied with Oklahoma State,
22:38 tiebreaker goes to them.
22:40 - Right.
22:41 - So you technically need Oklahoma State to lose twice
22:44 if it comes down to a tiebreaker.
22:46 They have at UCF, win, at Houston, win,
22:51 and at home against BYU, more than likely a win.
22:56 So they got three Big 12 newcomers to close out the season,
23:00 and that's why I say it's more likely
23:02 that you're gonna get one Texas loss
23:04 than two Oklahoma State losses,
23:06 but the crazier things have happened,
23:08 but that's where things stand as of now
23:11 in the Big 12 standing.
23:12 So Mountaineers are every bit as alive
23:15 as anybody in this thing.
23:17 It's a beautiful thing to see,
23:18 and look, even if things play out
23:20 and West Virginia falls short,
23:22 I mean, if WVU wins out and they still fall short,
23:27 it is what it is, but you could go back
23:29 and point to the Houston game, the Oklahoma State game,
23:33 how that unfolded in the fourth quarter,
23:34 but you still have to feel really good
23:37 about where this program is,
23:38 and what would be a nine and three season.
23:40 - No doubt, because at that point,
23:42 I would want the so-called experts who came in
23:44 and said they'll finish last in the conference,
23:46 I wanna hear from one of them, shall we?
23:48 - Exactly. - How about we pass them
23:50 the microphone and have them say something?
23:53 - Yeah. - I mean,
23:54 get out of here with that nonsense.
23:56 - Exactly, so a lot to find out.
24:00 Again, part one of this comes up this Saturday
24:03 in Norman, West Virginia, heading to,
24:06 out in the plane to take on the Sooners of Oklahoma
24:09 for the final time Big 12 play.
24:10 We're gonna get into that game preview
24:12 and our picks right after this word
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24:44 (upbeat music)
24:47 All righty, so let's go ahead
24:50 and get into this game preview.
24:51 West Virginia taking on number 17, Oklahoma.
24:55 On the road, West Virginia obviously has not won
24:58 out on the prairie since being a Big 12 member
25:02 and this is gonna be their last opportunity to do so.
25:05 And this is a tough team, Gene.
25:08 I mean, obviously, you know, they were a team
25:10 that was in the college football playoff hunt
25:12 just a couple of weeks ago.
25:13 Even last week, they still were in the mix
25:15 and then that second loss to Oklahoma State
25:17 pretty much did them in.
25:18 But that to me, I wanna start there first.
25:22 Where is this team's mind?
25:24 Because again, a week ago, you were thinking
25:27 there's still a chance you can get
25:28 to the college football playoff.
25:29 You got everything you want still in front of you.
25:32 Now you come off a loss, not only a loss,
25:34 but two losses and not only two losses,
25:37 but two losses with one of them
25:38 being against your bitter rival.
25:40 So where is the headspace right now for Oklahoma
25:44 compared to West Virginia,
25:46 who seems to be heading in this direction, right?
25:50 It seems like they're starting to play their best football.
25:52 They had their most complete game,
25:53 arguably in the Neil Brown era.
25:55 I tell you what, man, like I watch the opposing
25:59 head coaches press conference every single week.
26:02 - Right.
26:03 - And I don't know how Brent Venables is
26:08 in weeks where he comes off a win.
26:11 I don't know.
26:11 I've only watched this one.
26:13 I'm telling you right now, it felt like a funeral.
26:17 - Yeah.
26:18 - There was a 30 minute press conference
26:19 and everything was, we did this wrong, we did that wrong.
26:24 This was bad, this was bad.
26:26 And there was also a lot of defending himself and his team
26:30 in that, oh, no, we're gonna be fine.
26:32 We just gotta do this, we gotta do this.
26:34 And almost taking some offense to some things.
26:38 And it just, it felt like a weird, awkward press conference,
26:42 which tells me if that feeling is true,
26:45 gotta think that that's gonna trickle into those players.
26:50 - Of course.
26:50 Well, listen, let me be clear.
26:52 If you think Oklahoma is gonna come into this game
26:58 at home versus West Virginia,
27:00 knowing that West Virginia, we're on a upswing,
27:05 you're sadly mistaken.
27:08 That's not even a temperament of that program.
27:11 Oh, they're gonna be ready to give our Mountaineers
27:14 their best shot.
27:15 That's just who Oklahoma is, right?
27:18 Now, the coaches gotta know, this week,
27:23 I'm sure they're going over everything
27:25 that they possibly can to try to figure out
27:29 how we can get our program back on track
27:34 because you don't wanna lose three.
27:36 They're also thinking if we beat West Virginia
27:40 and we went out, we still need some help,
27:45 but I think the optics will say the way they've lost,
27:50 I think I agree with you, Scott,
27:52 I think that they're done.
27:52 I think that they're out of the picture, right?
27:55 - Yeah.
27:56 - That's still not gonna stop them
27:58 from getting their players riled up,
27:59 getting them ready to go.
28:00 And you do wanna fix some of the mistakes that they made.
28:05 They had some glaring mistakes in that game.
28:08 - Right.
28:08 - So if you're worth your salt as a head coach
28:13 and as a coaching staff,
28:14 and as a position coach at this level,
28:16 no, you can't be satisfied with that.
28:18 And nor do I think they will be.
28:19 I think that they're gonna come out
28:21 with their hair on fire, ready to play.
28:25 And I hope they do because I want them
28:27 to give us their best shot,
28:30 so then we can reciprocate and give them ours.
28:33 - Yeah.
28:34 And I mean, that's the thing with this Oklahoma team.
28:37 Like I looked at this early in the week
28:39 and I was like, eh, it just seems like everything's
28:43 shifting toward Oklahoma in this game.
28:45 And then the more I start to think about it,
28:48 and the more I sit and look at the numbers,
28:50 and the more I sit and watch that BYU tape,
28:52 and even parts of that UCF game,
28:56 and the way I hear Brent Venable's talk,
28:58 and it's just like, is there a chance here?
29:03 Is there a legitimate chance that they can go out
29:07 to Norwood and win this game?
29:08 And I gotta be honest with you,
29:10 I'm on the fence on this one, Gene.
29:11 So I don't know.
29:13 Usually I would pick Oklahoma in this matchup.
29:15 I'm pretty sure I picked them every year,
29:17 maybe except for the Will Greer year.
29:19 I may have picked West Virginia that year.
29:22 - You may have.
29:25 - I did.
29:26 But I'm on the fence on this one.
29:29 So I'm literally going to be thinking about my pick
29:31 at the end of the show from now until we go to make them.
29:35 So I don't know where I'm gonna go with that one.
29:37 But offensively, Oklahoma is atop the charts
29:42 in just about everything.
29:43 Passing, scoring, I mean, they're averaging nearly,
29:46 literally a tick under 40 points per game.
29:49 And they're viewed as a team that's more pass-heavy,
29:54 but if you look at the numbers,
29:57 when you run for 177 yards a game,
30:00 and that's eighth in the Big 12,
30:02 but if you run for 177 a game
30:04 and you're throwing for over 312,
30:06 that 177 feels like 225.
30:09 - Absolutely.
30:10 - It could be anything you want.
30:12 So the way West Virginia has gotta come out
30:15 in this game defensively,
30:17 I think they've gotta be aggressive.
30:19 And they can't even think twice about it.
30:21 Like, they've gotta be able to come
30:23 and get pressure on Gabriel.
30:25 Which Oklahoma's offensive line
30:26 has been very good all season long,
30:29 right there with West Virginia,
30:30 maybe a little bit below them, maybe.
30:33 But they've got some playmakers on the perimeter.
30:36 I mean, this receiving court,
30:39 it's the best that West Virginia has seen all season long.
30:44 I mean, and I don't think it's even close.
30:45 Jaleel Farouk averaging 16.6 yards of catch.
30:49 He's their explosive, kind of big target kind of guy.
30:53 Nick Anderson is the guy that just jumps off the page to me
30:58 because he's averaging 25 yards of catch,
31:01 first and foremost.
31:03 - Yeah.
31:04 - He doesn't get the ball a lot.
31:05 But here's what I want to tell you.
31:07 He's got 20 catches on the year.
31:09 Eight of them found the end zone.
31:13 - Yeah.
31:14 - Eight of 20 catches went for scores.
31:17 And then you have Drake Stoops, obviously,
31:19 who is Mr. Reliable, that kind of slot receiver,
31:22 does a lot of work every middle of the field.
31:23 52 catches most on the team by 19.
31:27 So they've got a strong trio of receivers
31:30 that Dylan Gabriel can get the ball to.
31:32 - Way is the thing.
31:35 And once again, I look at things through a different lens.
31:40 So my thing is, what a great opportunity.
31:43 - Yeah, especially if you're Beanie Bishop,
31:45 who's been playing lights out this year.
31:48 - Absolutely.
31:49 Look, look, bring it, bring it.
31:53 What a great opportunity.
31:54 Because here's the thing.
31:56 I want you to put the ball in the air.
31:59 I really do.
32:01 It gives us some time to get home up front.
32:03 It gives our secondary some opportunities to get some picks.
32:07 It gives us an opportunity to really,
32:11 this game really puts the entire rest of the conference
32:16 on notice of what we're capable of
32:18 when we're hitting on all cylinders.
32:21 And I'm fully aware, I watched Oklahoma a few games.
32:25 They got a nice offensive thing going right now.
32:28 Actually, they got a pretty good rhythm going.
32:31 But that doesn't mean that they're mistake-free
32:36 in what they do offensively either.
32:39 So we just have to take advantage of those opportunities
32:43 when they come, and they will come.
32:45 Their offense isn't as balanced as the numbers would project
32:50 because the minute they get in trouble in the run game,
32:52 they're gonna throw the ball a lot more.
32:54 And that's fine.
32:55 That's fine.
32:56 But you are right in a certain thing.
32:58 When you're averaging a buck 77 on the ground,
33:01 the way that they get those yardage
33:05 in the third and fourth quarters is what's scary.
33:07 Because they'll rely on their run game when they have to,
33:11 and it's strong enough where if you're not doing
33:13 the things you need to do to get the ball,
33:15 the things you need to do to get them off the field,
33:16 it's gonna be a long day for you.
33:18 And I don't care who they're playing against.
33:19 They're proven over the course of the last four
33:24 to five weeks that they can beat you just on the ground.
33:28 - Oh yeah, absolutely.
33:29 - Their ground game is that good.
33:31 But I think West Virginia has just as good a shot
33:36 of any game we played this year to get a win in Norman.
33:39 I really believe that.
33:40 - And the thing with Oklahoma's offense,
33:43 like if you take the receiving part out of it,
33:47 'cause I think they've got the clear advantage
33:48 in terms of the receivers.
33:49 They've had more consistent play, more explosive play.
33:52 But if you look at the offensive line,
33:54 the quarterback play, the run game,
33:56 it is very, very similar to what West Virginia's done.
34:00 Oklahoma, they don't really have like a go-to lead back.
34:04 I mean, they've got four different guys
34:07 that toed it pretty consistently.
34:08 Which is Dale and Gabriel, who leads the team
34:12 in rushing touchdowns with eight.
34:13 So they feel pretty comfortable
34:14 with letting him use his legs.
34:16 Then they got Tawheed Walker, Marcus Major,
34:19 Gavin Sawchuck, some young backs.
34:21 But they're gonna mix it up.
34:23 They're not gonna just throw one horse at you
34:25 all game long like they did a few years ago
34:27 with the Samaje Pierrons of the world and the Joe Mixons.
34:30 And that they've got a stable of guys back there.
34:34 And then, I mean, Dale and Gabriel,
34:36 I mean, the kid has been phenomenal all season long.
34:39 We kind of saw this a little bit last year.
34:41 We definitely saw it when he was at UCF,
34:43 which is how he got to Oklahoma,
34:44 because of what he did there.
34:46 Super accurate quarterback, 71%,
34:49 20 to five touchdown to pick ratio.
34:53 When you're playing that well and that crisp in the air,
34:56 and you've got that type of run game that they have,
34:59 that's what makes this team so scary.
35:01 That's why they're averaging 40 points a game.
35:03 - Right, no, very true.
35:04 But once again, and not to take anything
35:08 from that RB room, because it is a formidable RB room,
35:12 but when you don't have that one stud to rely on,
35:17 late in games, sometimes that comes back to bite you.
35:22 Because if you're going quarterback,
35:25 excuse me, running back by committee,
35:27 you have to have somebody that you trust
35:30 to tote that rock late in games.
35:33 So at one particular point,
35:35 and it can't be your quarterback,
35:37 that's the thing that gets me,
35:38 it can't be your quarterback.
35:40 Now it's different if you call a pass play
35:42 and he breaks, you know, we're in cover one,
35:45 or we're a straight man up,
35:47 and the minute he sees our corners
35:50 and safeties turn their back, he takes off,
35:52 that's one thing.
35:54 But to have a design quarterback run,
35:56 because you don't have that one short bell cow
35:59 in the third, late in the third, late in the fourth quarter,
36:02 that can come back to hurt you.
36:04 And I'm hoping that it comes out that way,
36:07 where they don't have that one guy
36:09 that they can really trust,
36:11 and then you want Gabriel to beat you with his legs.
36:14 - Right.
36:15 - If we force them to be that, we're in good shape.
36:19 - Yeah.
36:20 - If he's carrying the ball late in the game,
36:23 let me tell you something,
36:24 time will tell as his game, you know,
36:26 if he's doing that, Skyler, we're in good shape.
36:29 - Yeah.
36:31 And I think the key for this side of the ball,
36:35 Oklahoma, when they get in the red zone,
36:37 and it has just been lights out,
36:39 30 touchdowns and 45 trips.
36:41 So when they get there, they're typically punching it in.
36:44 So you've got to at least,
36:46 if they get to the red zone three times,
36:49 they can't get two or more scores in the end zone.
36:52 They've got to be held to maybe one,
36:54 because you know they're probably going to have
36:55 a couple of explosive plays
36:57 that go towards outside of the 20.
37:00 You've got to hold them to field goal attempts,
37:03 which I'm going to get to in a second,
37:04 'cause that's a very interesting part of this game.
37:07 But flipping it over to the other side,
37:09 West Virginia offense, Oklahoma defense.
37:12 West Virginia obviously does not throw the ball
37:15 as much as Oklahoma,
37:17 nor anywhere near anybody in this league.
37:19 They're dead last in yards per game,
37:21 but I think that's kind of a skewed stat,
37:23 because the passing game,
37:24 I feel like has been really good this year
37:26 for West Virginia at times,
37:27 because they've been able to run off of it so much.
37:31 They've been able to keep control of the football.
37:33 They've been able to take care of the football.
37:36 And I think this is a really good opportunity
37:39 for Garrett Green to kind of have himself a day.
37:42 And the reason I say that,
37:43 as you look at this Oklahoma defense,
37:45 this secondary has had some issues at times.
37:48 They're averaging 248 through the air per game.
37:52 That's 12th in the league out of 14 teams.
37:55 - Yeah, absolutely.
37:56 - So, Devon Carter, Hudson Clement, if he plays,
38:00 Rodney Gallagher, Trey Lonray, Cole Taylor at tight end,
38:03 even maybe the backs out of the backfield.
38:06 This is a game where you feel pretty good
38:09 about that passing game.
38:10 And that's why I kind of feel like
38:12 this is what gives West Virginia a chance here,
38:13 because it's not just going to be dependent
38:16 on what CJ Donaldson, Jaheim White,
38:18 and company do in the backfield.
38:21 - No, I agree 100%.
38:22 I want to get real quick,
38:24 I want to get back to our defense real quick.
38:26 - Yeah.
38:27 - We have to make sure that we tackle well in space.
38:30 - Yes.
38:31 - That's one of my big concerns in this particular game,
38:35 because they got playmakers
38:36 that if you don't tackle in space,
38:39 it could potentially be a long day in Norman.
38:41 So we have to get,
38:42 whether it's the running back,
38:46 I mean, the quarterback or the receivers,
38:48 you got to get them to the ground.
38:49 That's the most important thing.
38:50 Flipping it back over,
38:52 there's no doubt in my mind that
38:54 we can do some things offensively
38:58 that will be very, very explosive to their defense.
39:03 And I'm going to tell you the key,
39:05 I don't think their linebackers can do anything
39:07 with our tight ends.
39:09 And if we exploit that matchup,
39:12 which I know that we should,
39:14 then again, you make it a long day for them as well.
39:17 I like the fact that I really think Clement
39:19 is one of the best tight ends in the country.
39:22 - Oh, Taylor, Taylor, yeah, yeah.
39:25 - Yeah, I think he's one of the best.
39:28 There's some things that he does in space
39:30 where he didn't even look like a tight end.
39:32 - Yeah, he's just a big receiver.
39:35 - A big freaking receiver.
39:36 And I like his skillset, I like his hands.
39:40 I think he's a mismatch for any,
39:43 you can't cover him with a freaking linebacker.
39:45 You got to bring in the nickel to cover him.
39:48 You got to bring in the nickel.
39:49 There's no way.
39:50 So I think if we do what we need to do
39:54 in the passing game,
39:57 and we continue to do what we've been doing on the ground,
40:01 like I said, I think we pose a real formidable threat
40:04 against their defense.
40:06 And I believe that,
40:07 I don't think that's going to be even matchup.
40:10 I really don't.
40:11 You're right.
40:13 I think Garrett, he's poised for a big one Saturday.
40:17 - And what did we talk about in post-game last week?
40:20 He's this close to being a star quarterback.
40:24 The only thing holding him back is these layup throws,
40:27 whether it's the swing passes, the slants,
40:30 the tunnel screens, or just these patterns
40:33 that may be 15 or 20 yards down the field,
40:35 but they're open and he's not hitting them.
40:38 Those are the things that he's got to clean up
40:40 to take that next step
40:42 and be one of the better quarterbacks in this league.
40:44 He's already right there,
40:45 but for him to truly assert himself as one of the top,
40:49 he's got to make the easy plays
40:51 and take some MPHs off of some of those throws
40:55 because sometimes things are coming a little hot.
40:57 - Coming hot.
40:58 Well, if you want to send to be one of the best quarterbacks
41:01 in this freaking conference, in this league, period,
41:04 this game is the game that you need to do it in.
41:07 - Absolutely. - This is Oklahoma.
41:11 You understand what I'm saying?
41:12 So to play well against,
41:16 and again, I don't want to come off and be really,
41:19 I'm just going to say it the way it is.
41:21 To play well against subpar teams
41:24 means absolutely nothing.
41:26 - It's these games.
41:27 - If you want to, right, forget stat day against teams
41:31 that you can get stats on.
41:33 If you really want to be considered the best at what you do,
41:37 then you have to do it against the best.
41:38 Oklahoma has always been a very good football team.
41:43 It is a blue blood, even though I hate that freaking term.
41:47 So at the end of the day,
41:50 if he comes out and does exactly what I think
41:54 he's capable of doing Saturday, forget about it.
41:56 Now you go down in the legends
41:59 of what the quarterback position has been at WVU
42:02 over a course of a great many years.
42:04 And I think he's capable of doing that.
42:06 - He definitely is.
42:07 Some of the playmakers to watch for Oklahoma
42:11 on that side of the ball,
42:12 Ethan Downs leads them in sacks with four and a half.
42:15 Danny Stutzman, number two in the league with 73 tackles,
42:20 one of the best linebackers in the country,
42:22 all American type caliber player.
42:24 And I did pick on the Oklahoma secondary a little bit,
42:28 but there is one guy in the secondary
42:30 kind of want to stay away from, that's Billy Bowman.
42:32 He's got four picks on the season.
42:34 So when Garrett does put the ball in the air,
42:36 you got to know where Bowman is,
42:38 but he's also going to be able to,
42:40 he's also susceptible to giving up some big plays as well.
42:43 So that's that side of it.
42:45 And then also I wanted to mention here,
42:49 the special teams, West Virginia,
42:52 they did not do that great last week in special teams.
42:56 That's something that they've took pride with themselves on
43:00 all season long, really, since Neil Brown's got here,
43:02 they've got to clean that up.
43:04 But if you go back to the TCU game,
43:06 what helped them win that game
43:08 was they blocked two kicks and out.
43:09 I don't know if they block a kick in this game,
43:13 but if Oklahoma is forced to kick a field goal,
43:15 you got to feel good about your chances,
43:17 because listen to this.
43:18 Zach Schmidt, their kicker, 10 of 15 on the year.
43:23 He is perfect inside 30 yards.
43:28 But once that distance goes from 30 and beyond,
43:30 he is five of 10.
43:32 You've got a 50% chance that that thing
43:34 don't go through the uprights.
43:36 So this is what I'm saying.
43:38 It's very, very pivotal.
43:39 I mean, it's cliche as hell to say, but it's pivotal.
43:42 You don't let Oklahoma get in the red zone
43:43 because of that status that early,
43:45 when they get there, they're getting in the end zone.
43:47 They hold them outside of the end zone,
43:49 they're kicking field goals.
43:51 If it's outside the 25 or 30,
43:52 you'll like your chances that you may not even get
43:55 any points on the board if you're Oklahoma.
43:57 - But let me tell you something.
43:58 Oklahoma, the same way we know that, they know that too.
44:01 - That's true, that's true.
44:03 So that's why the effort is going to be there
44:05 to get through the end, to the red zone.
44:07 - Look, you better believe it.
44:09 - And the--
44:10 - You're going to get them going for more fourths than longs
44:13 than you've ever seen them prior to this particular game.
44:17 I guarantee that.
44:18 - Yeah, yeah.
44:19 And lastly, I do want to note here too,
44:22 penalties were a big issue last week for West Virginia.
44:25 10 for 71 yards.
44:27 You can't have that happen.
44:29 You've got to play, and I said this earlier in the week
44:33 on Between Years with Chris,
44:34 you almost need to play perfect in this game
44:38 because it's tough to win on the road,
44:40 but you need not to only play perfect or close to perfect,
44:45 you need to play really clean in terms of the penalties
44:47 and turnovers, and you need your best players
44:50 to be the best players on the field.
44:52 Because if Garrett Green hits those little dink and dunks,
44:56 if CJ and Jaheim White are doing their thing
44:59 in the backfield, the offensive line stays as good
45:01 as it's been all year.
45:02 If Aubrey Burks plays his best football,
45:06 if Beanie Bishop continues to do what he's done all year,
45:10 and you can get home to Dylan Gabriel a couple times,
45:13 your best players are playing their best football,
45:16 you've got every chance in the world to win this game.
45:19 - Listen, I'm going to sum it up by saying,
45:22 and not only that, here's what you're asking for.
45:26 If your best players are playing their best,
45:29 and their best players are playing their best,
45:32 now it comes down to coaching.
45:35 - Oh, and hey, Neil Brown,
45:38 1-0 against Brent Venables.
45:40 - You understand?
45:41 That's where I was going with that, my guy.
45:43 Listen, I just gave you a layup.
45:46 - Now I got to just, you gave me the alley-oop,
45:48 I just got to slam it down the dunk, maybe in the pick.
45:51 We'll see, I'm still on the field.
45:53 So, let's go ahead and get into your Fire Me Up segment,
45:56 and that is your pregame speech,
45:59 out in Norman, for those Mountaineers.
46:01 Let's hear it.
46:02 - Man, let me tell you something.
46:03 I came through those doors,
46:05 and the first thing I realized was,
46:06 many, many years ago, when I visited Norman, Oklahoma,
46:09 you understand, I did visit, you know,
46:11 University of Oklahoma, Boomer, Sooner,
46:12 and all that nonsense, right?
46:14 I've really understood why people get so excited
46:18 about coming to Oklahoma,
46:18 why they get so excited about playing in Oklahoma.
46:21 It is a beautiful facility.
46:24 It's big-time college football.
46:26 Everything about Oklahoma screams big-time.
46:29 Here's the catch-22, though.
46:33 When you bring, do you know what happens
46:35 when you bring a Mountaineer to a Sooner,
46:41 a Mountaineer to a Sooner?
46:43 We don't flinch.
46:44 We don't flinch.
46:48 At the end of the day, what has to happen,
46:50 I know it will happen.
46:51 This game is the epitome of,
46:55 you call for us, you want us to come,
47:00 we gonna come a-blazin', you understand?
47:02 Reason being because, right now,
47:05 Oklahoma is on the ropes.
47:09 We done took a few people out,
47:11 combination punches and everything
47:12 over the last few weeks, right?
47:14 And you happen to be on the ropes?
47:16 Man, knockout, knockout.
47:19 Here's the thing.
47:21 We have something that I don't think college football
47:24 has seen in a long time,
47:26 and that is when West Virginia
47:28 is playing really good football
47:30 and everybody's feeling good,
47:32 and we wanna hear them cue up our song, right?
47:36 Country roads, there's nobody in the country
47:40 that quite does it like we do when we're playing well.
47:44 And it's the most uncanny thing.
47:46 Just like last week, BYU ran into a buzzsaw
47:50 because we're playing well.
47:53 We're feeling really good about this.
47:54 Oklahoma, you picked the wrong time
47:57 to play the Mountaineers, I'mma tell you that right now.
47:59 And there's no reason why we can't go into Norman.
48:03 I'm expecting us to go into Norman,
48:05 marching, ready to go with that quick combination,
48:10 knockout punch.
48:13 Why?
48:14 Because Oklahoma is on the ropes.
48:16 Knock 'em out.
48:18 Look.
48:20 Good night.
48:20 (laughing)
48:22 - Night, night.
48:23 - Game over.
48:25 West Virginia will go and get the win
48:27 that they so deservingly need to continue our season,
48:31 and we'll put Oklahoma to sleep for good.
48:36 And send them on their merry way,
48:37 and we'll do it in Norman, Oklahoma.
48:40 What?
48:42 It's a great day to be at Mount on there,
48:44 and it will be come Saturday
48:45 when we put them jokers to sleep.
48:47 - I love it.
48:49 That may be my favorite pregame speech yet.
48:52 That was a good one.
48:53 And it does feel like kind of a rock fight in this one,
48:55 right, with two boxers going at it toe to toe.
48:58 And it's surviving advance at this point.
49:00 The loser of this game, you're done for.
49:03 In the Big 12 title race,
49:04 the winner stays alive for another week.
49:06 So let's go ahead and get into our weekly pick 'ems.
49:10 And Gene, last week, my friend, you were four and one.
49:12 You're on some type of a heater.
49:14 I think you're like nine and one over the last two weeks.
49:16 But nonetheless, I'm 21 and 24 on the year.
49:20 So I'm five games back.
49:21 I need some miracle work here.
49:24 Maybe a Houston Hail Mary.
49:26 Oh, no, that's too soon.
49:28 That's too soon.
49:29 But--
49:30 - Too soon, bro.
49:31 - So let's go ahead and get into it here.
49:33 Number three, Michigan, the Scandlers,
49:37 going against, at number 10, Penn State,
49:40 12 high noon on Fox.
49:43 This is a good game.
49:45 You put the scandal aside, you put the teams out there.
49:48 It's a really even matchup.
49:51 This one being in the daytime is interesting.
49:55 I think if this was a nighttime game, I don't know.
49:57 I play into these kind of night games
50:00 and I mean a little bit more,
50:01 or bring more crazy crowds out.
50:04 You know what?
50:05 I'm gonna go with Michigan
50:07 because they have an advantage, Gene.
50:08 They know all the signals.
50:10 Guess what?
50:11 It doesn't matter if you penalize Jim Harbaugh.
50:14 They've already got it.
50:15 They already know it up here.
50:16 You can take the papers away.
50:18 They already still have it up in here.
50:19 Are they gonna take their brains out?
50:20 No, Michigan finds a way to win on the road.
50:23 - Let me tell you something.
50:25 And that's the reason why.
50:29 Okay, I ain't even gotta finish my statement.
50:31 Give me Penn State.
50:32 - I've noticed a trend here.
50:35 The last three weeks, I'm pretty sure when you say that,
50:38 that's the one I lose.
50:39 So you can mark that one as an L for me.
50:41 Going to the SEC, Tennessee at Missouri,
50:45 top 15 matchup, 330 CBS.
50:47 This one's about as even as you can get.
50:50 I'm gonna lean toward Tennessee here.
50:54 I was gonna go Missouri,
50:56 but Missouri, there was a lot of talk last week
50:58 about them maybe beating Georgia.
51:00 They played well for a little while.
51:02 They fell short.
51:03 I think that's kind of a hangover situation, even at home.
51:06 I'm going Tennessee to get the win on the road.
51:09 - That's interesting.
51:10 And I do like that pick,
51:12 but Missouri is very, very interesting.
51:16 But you know what?
51:16 I'm not even gonna play this out.
51:18 I think I'm gonna agree with you.
51:20 Yeah, I think I'm gonna agree with you.
51:23 I think Tennessee might get it done,
51:25 but my gut is telling me something different, Scott.
51:27 - No.
51:29 - My gut is telling me something.
51:30 Do you know what?
51:31 No, no.
51:33 Give me Missouri at home.
51:34 (Scott laughs)
51:35 - See, this is the type of things that you can do
51:38 when you've got a comfortable five-game lead.
51:40 You can take a chance that way.
51:41 If you get it right and I get it wrong,
51:43 there's another game.
51:43 So, I mean, to me, it's one of these, right?
51:47 It's a coin flip game.
51:48 So, top one.
51:50 Going to the Pac-12, number 18, Utah,
51:53 number five, Washington, 330 on Fox.
51:56 I'm not gonna waste much time on this one.
51:58 I think Utah's a good football team,
52:00 but they're even better
52:01 when they're playing at Rice-Eccles.
52:02 Washington, obviously big things on the line for them.
52:06 I don't think they're gonna fold in this situation.
52:08 Not at home, at least.
52:09 I'm going with the Huskies.
52:11 - Now you're smart.
52:12 See, now you're getting smarter.
52:13 There you go, right there.
52:14 - I get one or two every week.
52:17 - I messed around and I picked against Washington
52:19 a few weeks ago and I was sadly mistaken.
52:22 I'm not making that mistake again.
52:24 The Huskies.
52:24 - Give me Washington.
52:26 - Number nine, Ole Miss at number two, Georgia,
52:29 at seven o'clock on ESPN.
52:31 So let's see if Georgia gets the run
52:33 for the money here this week.
52:35 No, it's not happening.
52:37 I do think it'll be close for a couple quarters, maybe,
52:42 but no, UGG up all the way in this one.
52:45 - Give me them dogs.
52:47 Give me them dogs.
52:48 Georgia for sure.
52:50 Georgia's the best team in the country.
52:51 Let me just go ahead and clear that up for you right now.
52:53 They are the best team in the country.
52:55 Yeah, I said it.
52:57 - There you hear it.
52:58 So now the game you're all here for.
53:00 West Virginia at number 17, Oklahoma,
53:03 seven o'clock on Fox.
53:05 Oklahoma has dominated this series
53:08 since West Virginia came into the Big 12.
53:10 The Mountaineers got their first win
53:12 as conference opponents last year.
53:14 Can they send the Sooners with a sour taste in their mouths
53:18 to the SEC with two straight Ls to the Mountaineers?
53:22 What's gonna happen when the Mountaineers go out
53:24 to the Palace on the Prairie this Saturday?
53:26 Here's a word from the head coach, Neil Brown.
53:28 - Another week, another really tough test.
53:30 This time we're going on the road.
53:31 Play one of the top programs in the country,
53:33 and it's on primetime TV again.
53:35 It's at one of the top venues in the country to play,
53:38 and so our guys will be fired up.
53:40 - West Virginia has been playing really good football
53:42 the last several weeks.
53:44 Coach Brown, numerous times, has said he feels like
53:48 this is his best team that he's had at West Virginia.
53:52 - They're really running the ball well, super efficient.
53:55 Quarterback is, Green, is playing really well,
53:57 both run and the pass.
53:59 It's a dual threat quarterback.
54:02 - We just got a sour taste in our mouth
54:03 about the last time we were there.
54:05 You know, we got beat on a walk-off field goal.
54:07 Felt like we were in control of the game
54:08 and with an opportunity to win it,
54:10 and we have turnover on downs, and then they win it late,
54:15 and so that's really the motivation.
54:17 Again, big challenge.
54:18 We're looking forward to getting on the road.
54:20 We've played back-to-back nail-biters versus these guys,
54:22 and don't expect anything less when we go out to Norman.
54:27 - Again, it's gotta be eyes forward.
54:28 You know, you can't sit there and look in the rear-view mirror
54:32 and put the car in a ditch.
54:34 You gotta, you know, eyes forward,
54:36 and, you know, again, what we gotta do in front of us,
54:39 you know, where we gotta correct,
54:41 where we gotta get better, you know,
54:43 whether that's schemes or it's fundamentals
54:47 or it's new players getting added to the mix.
54:51 It's the match-ups, you know, for the next opponent,
54:54 all those things.
54:55 - As I said, Gene, throughout the whole show,
54:57 I've been on the fence with this one.
55:00 Oklahoma, to me, talent-wise, it's not even close.
55:03 I think they've got more talent.
55:05 They've got more depth.
55:06 I'm gonna do something a little different here today.
55:12 I'm going with West Virginia, my guy.
55:14 I'm feeling it.
55:16 I'm just telling you, I've been feeling it all week.
55:19 Everything has been pointing to Oklahoma's on the downfall.
55:23 They're not feeling good about themselves.
55:25 Like I said, Brent Venables was talking
55:27 like everything was done and over with.
55:30 West Virginia's playing their best football right now,
55:34 and there's this thing called the law of averages, right?
55:38 Every once in a while,
55:39 it's gonna shift back the other way.
55:42 West Virginia goes on the road and gets a W
55:47 and stays alive in the Big 12 title race.
55:51 - You already know.
55:53 I don't, you come to your senses.
55:55 You see that?
55:57 You see that in the screen?
55:58 Okay, well, that's what it is right there.
56:00 WV, baby, you already know what time it is.
56:03 I'm not going to get to my mountaineers.
56:05 Let's go down there and kick some sooner boomer booty.
56:09 - There you go.
56:10 So, hey, look, I've been getting a lot of flack
56:12 from the fans for not picking West Virginia.
56:15 I went with them last week,
56:17 and I think I'm safe now because I picked them and they won.
56:20 But this also goes to show you,
56:22 when I'm picking them, you can trust me
56:25 when I believe they've really got a chance.
56:28 And I think that's the case this week.
56:30 I really do.
56:32 Again, on paper, it looks heavy Oklahoma,
56:35 but the more you dive into the situation,
56:38 it just, for me, for some weird reason,
56:41 I'm getting that feeling
56:43 that this is the week for the mountaineers.
56:45 So, we thank you guys for watching.
56:48 As always, make sure you hit subscribe
56:50 on YouTube at Mountaineers Now.
56:51 And if you're watching on YouTube,
56:53 be sure to let us know your picks for this weekly pick 'em.
56:57 We had two winners last week.
56:59 That was Jason Coleman and Tyler Cobb.
57:00 We're going to get you your autographed
57:02 Eugene Napoleon picture out in the mail this week.
57:05 If you do get all five correct,
57:06 you will join Jason and Tyler
57:08 in getting that very same picture with Gene's autograph.
57:11 So, give it your best shot, and we'll see what happens.
57:15 West Virginia, Oklahoma, out on the prairie,
57:17 seven o'clock, primetime, Fox.
57:19 For Eugene Napoleon, I'm Scott McCallum.
57:21 We'll be back here in a couple of days
57:23 for the Mountaineers Now postgame show to recap it all.
57:25 Thank you guys, and we'll see you Saturday night.