Hey friends and fans, thank goodness it’s Friday! There’s plenty on the docket for today with draft and recruiting news developing around the clock. The Oklahoma Sooners are also preparing for a bounce back game tomorrow in Bedlam: Part Two. Trae Young and the guys will travel to Stillwater for a chance at a regular season sweep of the Cowboys.

And in case you were wanting an update on the status of that chip on Baker’s shoulder, here it is. The chip will never die because the “experts” will never learn. I know Baker will remember each and every team who passes on him for another QB, however many that turns out to be.

Inside today’s edition of Hot Links, Lincoln Riley is recognized as a top five head coach, Oklahoma played in two of the top 10 games of the season, Gil Brandt wanted Mark Andrews to stay at Oklahoma for his final year and more!

OU Links

• According to College Football News, Lincoln Riley is a top five head coach in the FBS. Find out where he ranks among his peers in this ranking of all 130 FBS head coaches. Just a heads up, stay in the 100s if you’re looking for Jimbo Fisher and Tom Herman.
• Both of Oklahoma’s losses made Bill Connelly’s top 10 best games of the 2017 college football season. It’s nice for the team I follow to be a part of a historic game like the Rose Bowl, but it’s only a little nice considering the outcome. Perhaps next season the fortune will swing Oklahoma’s way.
• If you ask Baker Mayfield about the Rose Bowl, his answer shouldn’t surprise you, knowing the type of competitor he is. I hate it for him, but I know it’ll only make him better in the end.

• Baker Mayfield hit up his Sooner buddy and current Miami Dolphins wide receiver Kenny Stills with a message saying #GetMeToMiami and people were wondering if Mayfield was offering his draft preference.

• Mayfield soon clarified what he was saying along with his mindset going into the NFL Draft. Like he said, everybody can relax. At the same time, we all know that Miami Mayfield would be the best Mayfield. Think he was living his best life in LA earlier this month? That’s nothing compared what Miami Mayfield would experience. Miami Mayfield’s yacht parties would make the ones on Ballers look like Texoma party barge parties (no knock on those, btw).

• This should be fun to watch. Can’t wait!

• Lon Kruger’s Sooners have one of the fastest and highest scoring offenses in the country, but the defense hasn’t been as impressive at times. In order to beat the better teams consistently, Oklahoma will need to limit the defensive breakdowns.
• Preach, Bill Raftery. Preach.

• So where does Oklahoma stack up against other teams vying for a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament?
• The legendary Gil Brandt would have rather seen Mark Andrews stay at Oklahoma for another season in order to improve his draft stock. Brandt feels Andrews is looking at a third round selection in the upcoming NFL Draft.
• So just how many more recruits can Oklahoma sign before the 2018 class is wrapped up? 25 is the usual max, although teams have been known to go over that mark if the numbers permitted it. Several high-caliber players are considering the Sooners as this recruiting cycle winds down the stretch.
• Speaking of high-calibur players with OU in the running, OU is hosting elite DT Michael Thompson for an official visit this weekend. It won’t be easy to get this kid away from Missouri, but it would be huge if OU could pull it off.
• By the way, 247Sports gave OU signees Brey Walker and Jalen Redmond a fifth star yesterday. Redmond actually jumped 61 spots to No. 16 and their rankings, and Walker is now listed as the No. 15 overall player. Keep in mind that these are not the 247Composite rankings, but they did obviously go up in those as a result of this shift.
• 2019 wide receiver prospect Arjei Henderson has announced the official visits he plans to take this spring. Henderson is a big-time recruit who was actually committed to Oklahoma briefly last spring. OU is still right in the thick of things with both Henderson and WR Theo Wease, who was also committed to OU during the same time period.

Around the Sports World

• So the CFP model isn’t perfect, I believe we can all agree on that. I know UCF certainly thinks it isn’t. Anyway, how can the system be tweaked enough to accommodate all teams, and not just the ones from Power 5 Conferences? And what would a team like UCF have to do to reach the CFP the way it is currently constructed?
• The Charlotte Hornets are reportedly open to trade talks including Kemba Walker. Walker is in his 7th season with the Hornets organization.
• Portland Trailblazers guard Damian Lillard lost 17 pounds on a vegan diet and that’s causing him to reconsider the diet altogether. I’ve personally tried going vegetarian and that was difficult enough for a carnivore like me. I can only imagine how much discipline it takes to go full on vegan.
• Admittedly, I know nothing of the Islanders’ record, but if this truly sums it up, I can infer they probably won’t be hoisting the Stanley Cup at the end of the season. Somebody help this poor guy out!

• How many different ways can you come up with to say ‘throw a football’? Can you think of 108 ways? If not, that’s okay, because here are 108 ways to say ‘throw a football’. Some of these are quite clever, and others are strangely unsettling.

Stick to Sports!

• Delta Airlines has allowed some dogs to fly in the cabin with their owners, but now more extensive measures are being taken to prevent further incidents from happening, such as biting and dog business. I’ve never flown with a pet, but I imagine that has to be pretty stressful for the animal.
• Leave it to Finland to create a Game of Thrones themed ice hotel. I’m not an avid follower of GoT, but I would totally check this out if presented with the opportunity. Also, that dragon ice sculpture is pretty darn sweet.

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