Guest Column: Wang Wants a Sooner Win

by Buffalo Wild Wang

Back by popular demand, Wild Wang is here to try to finish off what he started with a stellar Big 12 regular season. Still waiting for those official results, Homerism. (Ed. note: You won.)  I do feel the need for a little redemption after finishing the season on a sour note with a couple of losing weeks. After stepping back and taking in all the bowl games, I think I have this championship game nailed down.

Let’s first address the recent comments made by OU defensive back Dominique Franks. I am not exactly sure what the motivation was behind these statements, but the Wang is not happy they were made. Don’t get me wrong: I agree that Tim Tebow would be no better than the fourth-best QB in the Big 12. That doesn’t mean it needs to be said to the media four days before the big game.

Whether the Gators use this as a motivating factor will never be known, and I don’t think they needed some dumb comment made by the opponent to get excited to play. Still, no good can come from making comments such as these. It never ceases to amaze me how athletes time and time again make stupid remarks before big games when it seems so easy to just keep quiet. It’s not like Tebow hasn’t run his mouth either, though, reportedly saying that he wishes he could play against the defenses in the Big 12. The bottom line is that the Wang thinks this will end up being much ado about nothing and all will be forgotten once the ball is kicked on Thursday. Tebow will come out playing his best as will the OU defense. May the best man win.

Injuries, unfortunately, also will play a big role in this championship game. With DeMarco Murray out, Chris Brown will have to be the man again if the OU offense plans to continue its recent dominance. What has made the OU offense so prolific isn’t all Sam Bradford. The exceptional balance between the running and passing games has left defenses on their heels, unable to key on just one player or aspect of the game. In games where the OU run game has faltered (TCU, Texas), the passing game has suffered as well. The Florida pass rush will be much more efficient if OU is unable to run the ball, and much of Bradford’s success relies on his ability to sit comfortably in the pocket. As the Wang has been saying all year though, Chris Brown is one of the most reliable and consistent backs in the country. I wouldn’t be surprised if the OU run game doesn’t miss a beat,  much like the Big 12 championship game.

For Florida, utility man Percy Harvin stayed on campus over the holiday break to rehab his ailing ankle. Recent reports have Harvin as a go for the game Thursday. The fact that this statement needs to be made at all says something to the Wild One. While Harvin will undoubtedly play, I can’t imagine he will be at 100 percent. If this is the case, this would be a big blow to Urban Meyer and the Gators. Yet, just as OU didn’t miss Murray against Missouri, Florida looked equally capable of winning big games without its star against Alabama.

The wild card will come in the form of special teams. I hate to concede it, but it is almost inevitable that Florida will break a kickoff return. The key will be for OU to limit the number and damage of long returns. Look for huge momentum swings throughout this game, many of them coming from special teams plays. The Sooners have to be ready to strike back with their own back-breaking plays to counteract any special teams lapses. Oh yeah, let’s also hope the game doesn’t come down to a late OU field goal.

I won’t lie, the Wang is nervous going into this game. I have seen “unstoppable” OU offenses go into bowl games and get shut down. In the 2005 Orange Bowl, OU saw the best running back in the country and a Heisman quarterback get manhandled on its way to a blowout loss. 

This OU team is better. The offensive line is clicking, the run game is churning and Sam Bradford is second to none behind center. The OU defense will come out hungry and eager to prove to the country that they can hold their own. I know this unit is capable, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see Tebow harassed into throwing a couple of interceptions.

Time to end the myth that Stoops can’t win the big one anymore. Time to show the country that defenses don’t necessarily win championships. Time to prove that the Heisman voting was right on the money. Time to prove Dominique Franks right.

The Pick: Boomer Sooner…. OU, 41-27.