A month after winning the Big 12 Championship, the day the Oklahoma Sooners have been preparing for has finally come. The Rose Bowl Game in Pasadena, California is the first of two semifinal matchups in the 4th installment of the College Football Playoff, and all eyes will be watching one of the most highly anticipated contests of the CFP era. Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield and the high-powered Oklahoma Sooners are up against a vaunted Georgia defense. It’s time to take it:

I already know that remix mash-up of Malcolm Kelly and Eric Striker has you ready to jump out of your seat and run through a wall. In a game of this magnitude, it’s only right that Sooner nation channels that magic from Oklahoma’s storied past. After everything that has happened this season, there’s no denying that this team has earned its place on this stage.

Now behold the Scene Setter from Sooner Sports and the voice of Oklahoma Football, Toby Rowland. It’s this season’s 14th time the scene has been set, and it absolutely does not disappoint. A nice recap of the highlights from 2017 all culminating to this day. Win this one and we’ll go for number 15 next week.

For the first Hot Links of 2018, Baker Mayfield is not a pretender, Oklahoma is about to play a team from the state of Georgia for the first time ever, Booger McFarland still doesn’t think Oklahoma will score 30 points and more!

OU Links

• Quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Jake Fromm couldn’t be more different from an experience standpoint. Now the true freshman Fromm is going to try to lead his team to victory over the veteran Mayfield.
• Love it.

• Mayfield has been carrying around his ‘Pretenders’ sign with him, literally, and Kirk Herbstreit says that mentality to use those slights as motivation comes from Bob Stoops.
• It would be a huge mistake if Georgia doesn’t game plan against senior captain Ogbo Okoronkwo. He’s one of the best pass rushers in the nation, and today he could prove to be the difference between a great defensive outing by the Sooners or otherwise.

• Mayfield’s legend could grow tremendously depending on the outcome of today’s game. With the backdrop of battling an illness in place, on top of already being a Vegas underdog (don’t try to convince him of that), the stage is set for a special day in the Mayfield era.
• Oklahoma has actually never played any team from the state of Georgia. It’s really surprising that it’s never happened to this point, but 2018 is changing things right away.
• We’ve written about it here, too, but check out this article about this Rose Bowl possibly being like Jordan’s ‘Flu Game.’ The parallels are quite striking.
• Congratulations to new papa, senior receiver Jordan Smallwood! Now she’s a good luck charm if I’ve ever seen one.

• Lincoln Riley made it known shortly after he became Oklahoma’s head coach that the standards at OU weren’t going to change. The goals remained the same, including winning a national championship.
• Baker Mayfield has a lot in common with Jamelle Holieway, the former OU QB who led the 1985 Sooners to a national championship. Like Mayfield, Holieway had a swagger about him that his team rallied around, and nobody was going to stand in his way of accomplishing his goal of winning it all.
• The road to Pasadena has been led by a group of former walk-ons and transfers. In a day and age where recruiting largely determines a team’s on-the-field success, OU has managed to find some of its best production from unlikely sources.
• I am seriously interested in what Booger has to say if this happens. He’s been one of the bigger doubters of OU’s offensive capabilities out of all college football analysts.

• Oklahoma has the weight of the Big 12 Conference on its back. With a win today, the national pundits ought to take a step back and realize just how formidable the conference is, especially with one of the better Power 5 conference bowl records.
• Middle linebacker Kenneth Murray is the key to containing UGA’s running game up the middle. If Oklahoma is going to move on to the national championship, Murray will likely have to have one of his best games of the season.
• The guys are looking good in their new Air Jordan’s! The team wore them in a recent bowl photo session.

• The Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band has been prepping for a very long day to start the New Year. Part of that day will include a 5.5 mile march in the Tournament of Roses Parade.
• The formula many basketball squads in the Big 12 use is taking care of home court and winning what they can on the road. After the huge win at TCU, Oklahoma is right where it wants to be.
• For the Crimson & Cream. Beat Georgia.

Around the Sports World

• As far as the Outback Bowl goes, everybody is a winner because free food, right?
• The Big Ten Conference is a perfect 7-0 in the bowls so far, with one left to go. While it is incredibly impressive to do what they’ve done in the postseason, it should be remembered that bowl games are only one part of the strength of conference equation.
• Look at the bright side, folks, at least week 9 wasn’t an ‘L.’

• Now that Jack Del Rio is out, could Jon Gruden become the next Raiders head coach? Let the rumor mill begin!
• Hey, at least he remembered to put pants on underneath his pants. Now that would be some headlines news.

Stick to Sports!

• After the game tonight, be sure to check out the super moon! I know I will!

Follow Crimson & Cream Machine on Twitter!