Bohls: And, like that, Oklahoma gets another big quarterback to show the way

ARLINGTON – Mike Gundy set it up.

When asked how Oklahoma has managed to dominate the Big 12 over the past four seasons, Oklahoma State's flamboyant coach said, "These last two years, they've had a mean game, have overcome.

Uh, yes, very average.

Like two consecutive Heisman trophies.

A nice guy, Mike. Cue the drum roll.

And now it seems that the UO could go 3-in-3 with Alabama's transfer, Jalen Hurts, ready to keep the assembly line running. What's up?

Want to know the time it's doing in Soonerland?

The big quarterbacks fall from the sky to Norman. It's a blizzard from Baker Mayfield, who has not been recruited, to the unfortunate transfer of Aggies, Kyle Murray, to a tired Tare Jalen Hurts.

In fact, Lincoln Riley needs a rain umbrella because it's raining quarterbacks for a while. And this led to an undeniable dominant reign.

When asked if any other coaches wanted him, the super quarterbacks falling on his lap, Riley chuckled and replied, "Not really." I think they respect the way these guys played. "

J & # 39; imagine. Murray's numbers were just as powerful as those of Mayfield and now, OR has another double-threat quarterback who has already won a national championship with a 24-2 record as a starter in the country's main program while completing 73% of his passes. And he has wheels – a Murray XL size, if you will.

Hurts did not make the trip to 12 media days Monday and has not yet won the job, but he is the favorite over Redshirt rookie Tanner Mordecai and rookie Spencer Rattler.

"He's going to play the game," said CeeDee Lamb about the Hurts. "He's very smart and the guy is pretty big. Can we be as good as last year? I think we can, if not better. "

Thus, Riley may have been caught unawares when a journalist assumed that his offense was taking a "plunge" in 2019 with the loss of Murray, the Marquise Brown mainsail and four of the five linemen offensives starting from the NFL.

"We do not expect the offense to drop," he said. "We really expect our defense to be better."

Can it be worse than last season, when the Sooners' defense ranked 114th? Riley fired defense coordinator Mike Stoops and brought Ohio State star Alex Grinch to change the culture on that side of the ball. The Sooners send back eight defensive starters, but is it necessarily a good thing?

Kenneth Murray says it well. The mid-line linebacker believes so much in the Grinch who's going to steal Christmas for the Sooners that the OU's defense will adopt the "hunter mentality" on that side of the ball.

It will have to be strengthened if he wants to improve this defense, which essentially cost the team a shot in the College Football Playoff Championship game with a disastrous second half and a double overtime loss against Georgia he two years ago, then a 28-0 deficit against Alabama. last January.

That said, OR is probably the best program that does not call Alabama or Clemson at the moment. Given the magic hand of Riley and the prosperity of the quarter, the Sooners are trying to stay ahead of the Big 12. Their 12 conference championships count nine times more than Texas. Of the nine other programs in the league, there are just nine titles in total.

OR has won the league in the last four years and lost only three of his 37 conference games during this period. Before that, not so much. Between the 12 titles won in 2008 and 2015, six different schools won or shared a league title, but that stopped.

Since Bob Stoops hired Riley as offensive coordinator and Riley has taken over from his boss, the transition has been smooth. Riley owned the league and earned CFP spots in each of his first two seasons as a head coach.

So, is this a good thing or a bad thing for the league?

With all due respect to all things, Longhorns, I would say a good thing. Of course, the Texas Big 12 mastery would be just as good. Big dogs must eat. The Big 12 will always be perceived as strong or weak, compared to the ranking of these two teams.

Alabama directs things to SEC, Clemson to CCA. Ohio State controls the Big Ten. There is an obvious vacancy in the Pac-12.

Oklahoma remains the only constant. The only thing that could hurt his immediate momentum would be a bad online offensive game, continuous defensive slips or the NFL's allure for Riley. Or they stopped playing football at high school in Texas; This state remains a hotbed of recruitment for the OU – "our second home," said Riley – who has landed 29 rookies in Texas over the past three years.

Do others perceive this positively or negatively, regardless of Sooners' perspective?

"I think the better the competition, the better our conference," said Big 12's curator Bob Bowlsby. "They have a great tradition. They have outstanding student-athletes. They will be good all the time. These are positive things. "

Bowlsby added: "All possible votes in first place except six (in the pre-season media survey) have been won, so you obviously think they're going to be pretty good too."

The Miles know a lot about the importance of playing with a conference pivot. He is, uh, there.

"It gives you a national spotlight and places someone in the playoffs," said the new Kansas coach. "If Oklahoma can stay strong and other conference teams can rise to their level, you really have something.

"As for the greatness of Alabama, that's good news, bad news. If you beat them, you have a great chance to play for the title. If you do not do it, you are not. "

Simple formula. University rivals should just pray for a Heisman-style quarterback to come to their door as well.

And even Gundy acknowledged that the operating units had been so successful, that "someone had to take control of them."

Either that or the Sooners must finally play with a real quarterback.