Berry Tramel: If Oklahoma Had Texas’ Schedule You Would Clearly Pencil Them in for the Playoff

all right here we go 365 sports with uh Hall of Fame columnist Barry traml the Tulsa World covering Oklahoma the state and also both the the conferen is attached with Oklahoma now in the SEC Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Barry thanks for your time what we've discussed as far as where Oklahoma is entering the SEC and I saw one of your columns about the trenches in the SEC when I've asked Dave Aranda the difference in the Big 12 in the SEC even the year that beta was really good he mentioned those guys on the defensive line Oklahoma's had a few of those but is that what you think might be their first problem well that's what everybody's always said is the difference you know when when uh when Texas joined the or jumped with to the SEC with Oklahoma as well I asked Chris Al Conte hey what's what are you guys doing to getting ready for this and he said I talked with Steve sarkeesian other people and he said we got to get bigger on the line particularly the defensive line it's just a massive conference in terms of player size and not Tex us for crying out loud so I do think there is a difference like just in body style in the SEC compared to the Big 12 um I actually think this is pretty good timing for Oklahoma they've they've sort of rectified some of their defensive deficiencies under Brent venables offense isn't as powerful but they've done a nice job I don't think they're big enough but I think think they're they're getting there so I don't think that's necessarily I actually think they got a pretty good team and will Fair pretty well in the SEC this first year just the schedule is a killer I mean if if they had Missouri schedule or Texas schedule I think you'd you'd clearly pency Oklahoma as a playoff team but they play six conference games against teams ranked in the top 15 and that's just a killer yeah the the only schedule that's tougher in that league is Florida's um who again did something to Greg sanki somewhere that we maybe we'll find out about one day uh because that was vengeful uh on Oklahoma's part last year it was kind of the depth that they just didn't have that old school Oklahoma Sooner depth do you think they have that now maybe not like you said not size-wise but where one injury is not going to derail a game or two like it did in the first couple years of Brent benol yeah now that's where they're that's where on the defensive line they're probably not as deep as they need to be but they're not bad and the linebacker and secondary's gotten a lot more depth on it it's crazy but the U defense might be better than the U offense probably is so the offensive line we don't know if they have any depth we don't know if they have any front line guys I mean it's a remade offensive line heavy on the portal that's going to be a big question Mark uh elsewhere they've got pretty good depth they've even got a backup quarterback who's quarterback a bunch of games for Texas and Nebraska Casey Thompson so you know they they've got pretty good depth everywhere except that offensive line and maybe the defensive line but you know the truth is I think Texas is a little bit in the same boat they they don't really know exactly what they're in for they think they're going to be able to hold up and I believe they are I don't I think sometimes SEC prowess is overrated but it is a good conference it is the best conference it's a tough conference especially when the schedule doesn't break your way but I think Sooners and longhorns will be able to equit themselves fairly well yeah there's a reason why Oklahoma's been good other than the snellenberger and John Blake and uh maybe a couple of other years even Venable's first year they've been good for like a hundred years they're going to continue to be good might have to like you said uh react accordingly along the way so uh Oklahoma State Mike Gundy here we are you have Utah Kate like one and two whatever it is Kansas getting a lot of love Oklahoma State's in that conversation do you think based on the consistency and how good he has been that Mike Gundy gets enough credit you know what I think I actually think he does outside the state of Oklahoma and I'm not sure about the state of Texas you guys would know more about that than me but my impression is gundy's overshadowed in his own state by that Oklahoma monster you know he doesn't have a great record against the Sooners I think he's let's see I think he's 14 and five is that right I think I think he's 14 and five against U no no no no no two of those were less mild so I think he's I think he's I'm I meant five and 14 but I think he's three and 16 I think he's three and 16 in bedum so that hangs around his neck like a millstone but around the nation people don't think of OU dominating OSU in bam they just think what a great game because it's often a thriller it's it's been game day four times I think in the last 12 13 years so it's really Gundy has elevated the program nationally and I think gets a lot of credit and a lot of he's got a lot of status around the nation just not sometimes in his own State Barry traml with us the Tulsa World with three65 sports Barry Allen Bowman is old enough to wear I'm sure he has conversations about homeowners insurance and uh you know where the best chiropractors are and he's the he's the quarterback again he's not been healthy all through a year except for last year how do you feel about their quarterback depth behind him should the inury bug jump up and bite them again well it's unproven they got a they got a third-year guy who started four games over the last two years Garrett Rangel he's been okay nothing special they've got a promising seconde guy Zane Flores who looks really good may be the quarterback of the future but you really don't know so they don't you know it's it's untested um Bowman is um he is uh I don't know if 24 yet but he's about to be or you know he is he's a seventh year guy so if he's not 24 he ought to be and the strange thing is he's surrounded by a bunch of old guys on his offensive line are four sixe guys and a fifth year guy and a a fourth year transfer from Arizona State it's one of the oldest teams in America the average the offensive line average age of the guys that are going to play is 23. six so this is an old old team he's not even the only seventh year guy on the team got a linebacker Justin Wright who is a seventh year guy too so uh Bowman's seen it all Bowman is old enough he actually quarterbacked the game against Kyler Murray back in the techou days of 2018 so that's how old you know that's how old um Alan Bowman is he's he's a good solid quarterback he's not special he's not fantastic but he might be what this team needs this you know with Oly Gordon running the ball you know they just need a guy that can throw some passes and not not throw the ball to the other team Bowman is great at not taking sack he occasionally throws picks I don't recommend that this year but but so far you know he he's done a good job and and and he's he stays healthy um last season by by getting rid of the ball I assume he's going to do the same thing Barry did you ever find out uh on the Texas Oklahoma Story three summers ago in 2021 who actually made the first contact with the SEC was it Oklahoma but they knew they needed Texas to go with them or was it Texas and they also wanted to make sure they didn't take all the fall which they ended up pretty much doing anyway and they wanted Oklahoma to go with them knowing that both had to go together I do not know I've seen enough reports and speculation from people I trust that say it was Texas um Texas had more reason to go you know OU went for financial reasons Texas went for political reasons the Longhorns you know were tired of the Aggies having sort of the status of the SEC Texas football wasn't going great as we know since since A&M joined the SEC not that A&M was knocking it dead OU went for financial reasons worried about the Big 12 future payout so they went for different reasons but I don't think they wanted to go alone I think they wanted to go together and I do think it was a collaboration I I don't know that Texas set it up and then said hey we got this deal for you or or the opposite I think they said I think they talked to each other before they talked to Greg sanki is was is my guess so I think they Partners completely but I suspect it was it was more Texas's idea this was actually in many ways this was the Golden Era of Oklahoma Sports um these last 10 years in the Big 12 I mean football was great they made four of the last six playoffs or at the time at the time they went made the decision U had made what four of the last yeah four of the last six college football playoffs they had won six uh Conference titles in a row in football um basketball was going strong with laon Kruger he uh you know he ended up having uh he had just retired but it was going strong they hired a good young coach everybody thinks the world of Porter Moser softball was dominating women's gymnastics was winning national titles uh baseball was good and solid and ended up going to the uh going to the college world Series championship game A year later so this was this was the Golden Era of Oklahoma Sports you if you look at everything and yet and yet they wanted to go um so I I think Texas probably had more reason to go than Oklahoma though Barry uh if I put you on the spot and said Big 12 Champion right now in what is likely to be the most competitive league in college football who would you say well listen I have been to I have committed the high crime in predictions of of giving uh duplicit answers on that question I did Jenny Carlson's um did Jenny Carlson's um um video U podcast two weeks in a row I'm off and on with her and we she ended up asking me who's going to win the Big 12 she asked me who's going to win the Big 12 one week and the next week we talked about who in the big 12's going to make a run in the playoffs or whatever I ended up picking two different teams not because I meant to I just forgot because I can't keep it straight I literally have no idea one problem we've got is they didn't really they made the schedule pretty Equitable in the Big 12 right in the SEC it's so one-sided for some schools and easy for the other not the way it is in the Big 12 other than Kansas has it pretty easy so if you like dark hor Kansas is a good pick if you like really dark horses go with Central Florida KJ Jefferson with gu Gus Malon is borderline unfair so I think that's some of the some of the dark horses but I do think Utah Kansas State and Oklahoma State should be the three favorites um they've got they've done the most in recent years and they got a lot back so those are your three favorites I I think I picked Utah that first time with Jenny and then I picked Kate state so why don't I just go go OSU this time no there you go that way you have a you have a chance to if three of them win you you have a chance to be right you say I know I picked it on that show in Texas so you're you're good Barry uh thanks for your time appreciate your time I know you love football season uh if you don't mind one more followup though Dion I don't know if you saw this uh and I like him I I I do there there's some things I wish you wouldn't do but that's his life he can do what he wants but he had a press conference and he kind of challenged the reporter a columnist which is you've been that way you've been one forever 40 something years whatever uh about why do you do this you don't like us or whatever um I I it's one of those things you wish they could have like maybe gone off to the side which maybe they're going to do what would you have done in that situation had you been questioned like that well you thought I don't know he sort of did that in Vegas at Big 12 media days same general thing maybe not as confrontation I find Dion almost I don't know I don't want to use the wrong word but seems to have a personality disorder he can be so Charming for long stretches then all of a sudden uh the world's against me and everybody hates me and that's okay because we're going to do great and it's just so offputting when he's got everybody on his side so you know I don't know I I've dealt with you know lots of situations Russell Westbrook foremost among them and just letting it roll off my back is the best way to go I think but with Dion I just you know I don't know what his deal is um I'm I'm impressed by the excitement he's brought to Colorado because I sort of followed him because you know I've been covering him since 1980 1979 Chuck Fairbanks went up there and had three disastrous years I remember press conference with Chuck Fairbanks when he came down to Owen field for a game in 1979 but I don't know that he's building a solid program it does not look to me like this is a stable thing what he's putting together I'm not convinced he's going to be here next year I this looks like a a platform for his for his son is what Colorado football looks like to me so um I would not if I was a rider in the boulder Market I would be happy he was there but I would not be counting on him being there for long Barry thanks for your time man appreciate it have a great weekend and football season we'll have you on again down the road Barry traml from the Tulsa World