What a wild evening that was last night! Trae Young and the Oklahoma Sooners held off the Baylor Bears on their way to an important conference victory. Now the challenge will be to take the show on the road and finally get a road win after a month since the last one. Yeah, it’s been rough away from the Lloyd Noble Center.

Meanwhile, a Sports Illustrated cover of Baker Mayfield, along with his game worn helmet, cleats and Rose Bowl jersey are all on display at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s an epic gesture that commemorates one of the best QBs in college football history. Now I’m even more excited for his statue in Heisman Park. Boomer!

And in honor of Baker Mayfield’s legacy, a hero planted an OU pen in a coworker’s Ohio State cake. Hey, at least it wasn’t artificial turf.

For today’s edition of Hot Links, Rashard Odomes asserts his presence on the offensive end of the court, 31 out of 32 NFL teams met with Dimitri Flowers last week, basketball fans in Japan also love the Trae Young Show and more!

OU Links

• Rashard Odomes has been solid on the defensive end for the Sooners this season, but with Christian James out of the lineup, his production on the offensive end was going to be needed. Odomes came through in a big way against Baylor, and the junior appears to be making strides as a scorer.
• “The player of the year race is over. Everyone else is playing for second.” I tend to agree. In regards to Trae Young, now he’s making a point to not only be prolific as a scorer, he’s doing so by being as efficient as possible. All the while he still manages to make plays for his teammates? Yup, this one’s a wrap, folks.
• The Trae Young buzz is going international. Even Japan is showing the phenom some love. Speaking of love, you’ve gotta love Microsoft Translator. “Talented exceeds the curry”. Somebody needs to put that on a t-shirt.

• Christian James was as excited as anyone about the victory, and it appears he should be back on the floor for the Red River Showdown against the Texas Longhorns this Saturday.

• All but one NFL team spoke with Dimitri Flowers while he was at the Senior Bowl. So which team was it? First reason that came to my mind was that this team must not use a fullback. Sure enough, that’s precisely what Flowers said as well.
• The Oklahoma receiving corps returns a lot of talent and experience. Check out this rundown of the state of the position. Who is now gone, who is coming back, and who is coming into the fold?
• Oklahoma has seen a number of recruits decommit as of late, but the coaching staff isn’t too worried about this. In fact, this might end up being a positive in the long run, because it could be a sign that the Sooners are raising the bar as far as the talent they bring in.
• Rodney Anderson is among Athlon’s top 50 returning college football players. Maybe I’m biased, but I think he’s a little low on the chart. And why oh why does that Alabama QB get so much credit for playing a half of football? Preposterous!
• As the Oklahoma softball team prepares to make a run at a third straight national title, they will do so by opening up atop the rankings. Congratulation, ladies!

• Vernon Muzny is the head of OU Pyro Team. You may have seen their work at Sooner football and basketball games. The pyrotechnics display has made the introductions an exciting part of the spectating experience, and all of the credit goes to Vernon and his team.

Around the Sports World

• James Harden messed around and recorded a 60 point triple double for the first of its kind in NBA history. The Houston Rockets needed every bit of that production, too, in the close win over the Orlando Magic.
• With the February signing period approaching fast, here’s a look into just how much planning and preparation that goes into the recruiting process. It’s a time-consuming process, but the elite programs have mastered the art of it.
• New England Patriots receiver Danny Amendola used to be a member of the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad until he was cut from the team. Today, his Eagles practice jersey is framed and serves as his motivation. Sounds like something Baker Mayfield would do. I like it.
• Stefan Loibl, a German hockey player, is almost run over by a Zamboni during an interview. A couple other people are actually taken down, but everybody appears to be okay. Skip to around the middle of the video if you don’t understand German and just want to see the action.

• Now that Alex Smith has been traded away from Kansas City, the Chiefs are all set for the Patrick Mahomes Show. I think he’ll have a great NFL career, but only time will tell.
• So which college football teams return the most experience in 2018? Two Big 12 teams are near the top, but will that be enough to supplant teams that are routinely better than them?
• If you could play for any college football team in history, as a full time starter at any position, which team would you play for? Personally, I’d be an offensive guard for Oklahoma State in ‘14. That way I could sabotage the team by purposely holding at the most inopportune times, so the Sooners could’ve won Bedlam. Ultimately, what transpired that season led to the hiring of Lincoln Riley, so it all worked out.
• Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love suffered a broken hand and is expected to miss up to two months. The Cavs’ season hasn’t been a smooth ride, and this injury hurts a lot moving forward.
• Could a swarm of locusts ruin the World Cup in Russia? Experts are taking all the necessary precautions to prepare for such an event.

Stick to Sports!

• TimeFlip is a geometrically inspired time-tracking device that is designed to help you monitor the time you spend on various activities throughout the day. I can see how it could be helpful for those who are seeking to maximize their time, and its concept is a rather simple one. Could also make for a nice gift idea. You can find it on Amazon in February.

Follow Crimson & Cream Machine on Twitter!