As inconsequential as all of it still is at this point in time, the water cooler talk amongst fans of the Oklahoma Sooners and others will be the first unveiling of the 2018 College Football Playoff rankings, which will air tonight at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN.

In the CFP era (2014-present), Oklahoma’s rank in each year’s starting poll has been 18th, 15th, 14th and 5th. It would obviously appear OU is destined for back-to-back top 10 opening rankings. SB Nation’s Jason Kirk sees Oklahoma coming in at No. 7 in tonight’s initial rankings reveal, while Jerry Palm of CBS Sports predicts the Sooners to debut at No. 9, behind Kentucky and Washington State. I don’t know about that, chief, but I suppose it’s possible.

Then there’s the Berry Tramel. According to him, Ohio State, who looked beatable against common opponent TCU and was beaten like a drum by an average Purdue team, and a two-loss Florida team deserve to be ahead of the Sooners. In fact, Oklahoma isn’t even in his top 10. It seems as if he doesn’t fully understand how this works, or perhaps he just doesn’t care. Maybe you should just ignore him. In fact, don’t even click on that link.

Anyway, check out OU AD Joe Castiglione in his first season as a playoff committee member. That group will eventually decide a bunch of teams’ postseason fates, and few are more qualified for the gig than Joe C.

Now, it should be noted that Castiglione will be recused when the room discusses Oklahoma and where to rank them, since his direct tie as AD creates an obvious conflict of interest. Former Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer is also on the committee, and he too will be recused when deliberating on the Sooners because his son, Shane Beamer, is on the coaching staff. Here’s for a full list of members and the teams they’re not allowed to discuss, along with their guidelines for recusal.

Now it’s time for some fiery Hot Links! Rodney Anderson has been away from the program to rehab his knee, Oklahoma and the Avengers are two teams that could beat Alabama, “Headband Klay” is the next big thing and more!

OU Links

• Lincoln Riley stated during his Monday press conference that he has no interest in leaving Oklahoma for the NFL at this time, and you can count me amongst the folks who believe he’ll be in Norman for a while. Still, it’s important to consider the reasons why he could eventually leave. Cleveland isn’t the dreamiest job, but even the Browns organization has its perks.
• Rodney Anderson hasn’t been with the team since he’s been rehabbing his knee injury over the past several weeks. It’s unfortunate how his college career has shaped up from an injury standpoint, and there are shades of Mike Gaddis. Good people, great talents, and way too much bad luck on the field.
• SB Nation’s Alex Kirshner lists Oklahoma as one of eight teams that could beat Alabama. If I had to choose my best bet from the list provided, not counting the Sooners, I’d have to go with the 1996 SCLSU Mud Dogs. Mama says Bobby Boucher was unblockable.
• Kyler Murray is a well-known commodity as a runner in Oklahoma’s offense, but it isn’t simply his game-breaking speed that makes him so dangerous with the ball in his hands — it’s his elite escapability.
• Texas Tech is planning on rolling out one of their black-out games, but that might not bode well for them, as the Sooners have fared quite well in the last few seasons under these circumstances.

• Make sure you check out how all the Sooners performed in the NFL in Week 8. Adrian Peterson is moving up amongst all-time leading rushers, and Joe Mixon had a monster day for the Bengals.

Around the Sports World

• Headband-wearing Klay Thompson now holds the record for the most made three-pointers in a game with 14 triples against the Chicago Bulls. If you didn’t think it was unfair for the Golden State Warriors to have so much firepower, start thinking that now.

• In other NBA goings-on, 41-year-old Vince Carter throws a wind-mill dunk down like it’s a layup, and undefeated Father Time is somewhere sweating.

• After struggling mightily on offense all season long, the USC Trojans have fired offensive line coach Neil Callaway. Also, head coach Clay Helton will take over Tee Martin’s play-calling duties.
• Baylor quarterback Charlie Brewer suffered a concussion last Thursday at West Virginia, and Bears head coach Matt Rhule says his QB’s status for this weekend’s game against Oklahoma State is still uncertain.
• Fans of the Buffalo Bills carried on the dirtiest tradition in pro sports during Monday Night Football: throwing adult novelties at the New England Patriots. Funny? Yes. Am I a fan of it? Not quite. Someone could legitimately get hurt, but the fact that it happens to the Pats makes it a bit more acceptable.

Stick to Sports!

• A live-action Call of Duty film could begin production as early as 2019. A director is already in place with Stefano Sollima, who orchestrated the film Sicario: Day of the Soldado. Activision Blizzard hopes to be able to start a cinematic franchise like the universe Marvel has created. Typically video games aren’t received well when scripted onto the big screen, so the filmmakers will have to overcome that stigma from the jump.

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