So the Rose Bowl Game didn’t go the way the Oklahoma Sooners would have wanted it to, and now it’s officially the offseason. If I take a step back from the low-feeling at the end of the game, I can see that it was a great season overall. I feel for the guys who all played their final games as Sooners. I’m sure this will be a tough pill to swallow for those young men, especially Baker Mayfield. No. 6 has suited up for the Crimson & Cream for the final time.

Mayfield also took to Twitter to thank Sooner fans everywhere for their love and support. Heck of an effort, and hell of a ride, my dude:

Several other players also took to social media to express their gratitude:

For today’s Hot Links, Brad Pitt was in attendance cheering on the Sooners at the Rose Bowl, Lincoln Riley’s play calling was questionable down the stretch, and an all-SEC national championship is happening once again.

OU Links

• Brad Pitt, a Shawnee, Oklahoma native, was in the building last night. Pretty cool, I guess.

• The Baker Mayfield era officially ended last night. In a strange way, I think this game won’t be so hard to look back on down the road. Rocky Balboa didn’t always win, and look at his legacy. I know, I know, it’s a movie character, but Mayfield might be some day as well.
• Mike Stoops, the man who will rightfully be blamed for last night’s loss, was unavailable for questions after the game. However, defensive leaders Ogbo Okoronkwo and Steven Parker spoke about the struggles on defense. Tackling was a major issue, as well as positioning.
• Speaking of Mike Stoops, he’s been catching plenty of hell on Twitter.

• Lincoln Riley is a great coach. Sure, he made some mistakes, but everybody shoulders some fault in a close game like that one. It’s worth remembering that nobody outside this program believed he would have this much success this early on. The future is bright. Now his first season is over, and the rest of his head coaching career carries on.
• Yes, we will be back. Sooner rather than later, we will return.

• So the season is over, but there will be plenty of time to reflect on the amazing accomplishments from this incredible team. For now, it’s best to just let everybody move on in their own way. Those guys were warriors on the field, and gave it everything they had. Their emotion after the game was a testament to that.
• Check out the moments that mattered from the game last night. There’s a little bit of everything, from a highlights and lowlights standpoint.
• Now that the dust has settled a bit, what are some things we learned from the game, and what’s next for the Sooners heading into the 2018 season?
• Cornerbacks Tre Brown and Tre Norwood are two players that are poised to have break-out seasons in 2018, says ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg.
• College football gained at least one new fan last night after the Rose Bowl. You’re welcome, I guess.

Around the Sports World

• I did, and I can’t stop laughing.

• Apparently Alabama beat Clemson pretty badly following the Rose Bowl. Hooray, another all-SEC title game. Yawn.
• Check out this post for updates on all the coaching and GM changes in the NFL. The league is going to look drastically different next season.
• USC’s Chimezie Metu was suspended for this low-blow cheap-shot, and he was also forced to write an apology letter. That’s good justice.

• Houston Rockets guard James Harden has been ruled out for two weeks with a hamstring injury. The Rockets better play this smart because they probably have the best shot at knocking off the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference.
• Former Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas will make his Cleveland Cavalier debut tonight against the Portland Trailblazers. Thomas has been recovering from a hip injury he sustained last April.
• This is great stuff. Just watch.

Stick to Sports!

• I’ve heard of this happening before. Being a twin myself, this would be very cool and I’d never get tired of coming up with immature jokes about it. Twins for the win!

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