Happy Friday, friends and fans! Also, happy 80th birthday, Barry Switzer!

As head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners, ‘the King’ went 9-5-2 against the Texas Longhorns. Out of all the coaches who have competed throughout the history of this storied rivalry, Switzer by far brought the most charisma, and more often than not he backed it up. Could you imagine Lincoln Riley wearing a ‘Beat Texas’ hat on the sideline? Or Bob Stoops? Yeah, not in million state fairs.

No matter what side of the Red River they’re on, every coach’s career is defined by wins on the field. If any singular game is more significant than the others, this is it. The Cotton Bowl is where narratives are written, and where legacies are made. Switzer not only owned the Longhorns, his teams owned just about everybody else. Will Riley make it back-to-back dubs in his young stint as the guy to kick off the narrative of his legacy? Find out tomorrow.

Now let’s check out some piping Hot Links! Blake Griffin gives his Red River prediction, Bob Stoops reflects on his most memorable Red River experiences, Oklahoma State and Texas Basketball may have committed some NCAA no-no’s and more!

OU Links!

• Don’t forget to check out this week’s Q&A with Burnt Orange Nation. How do they see this one shaping out, and what would be the false identities they’d use to prank call Mike Gundy?
• How does Sooner legend Blake Griffin see the big game this weekend playing out? Of course he picks Oklahoma to win, no spoiler there, but by how much? Definitely not what I’d say on record, but I like it.

• Kyler Murray has the ability to win the game for the Sooners this Saturday, but he can’t do it alone. He’ll need his ultra-talented receivers to also do their part down the field, and so far, they’ve delivered.

• The Oklahoman’s Ryan Aber named six players (three on each team) that will be under the biggest spotlights this weekend in Dallas. Kyler Murray and Sam Ehlinger are two obvious ones, being they’re the battling QBs in this contest, but who else is there to watch closely?
• Bob Stoops, Barry Switzer, Matthew McConaughey and more stars that represent the two sides of the Red River got together for a little game of celebrity softball. Check the link for even more photos of the big names and faces.

• Speaking of Stoops, he’s Oklahoma’s winningest coach in program history, and he also beat Texas more than any other coach on the Sooners’ sideline. What are some of his most memorable moments from the rivalry?

• Baker Mayfield done did it. It’s not weekly televised games, but it’s the next best thing. Every NFL Sunday, if you’re in or around Norman, you can now listen to the Cleveland Browns radio broadcast on SportsTalk1400am and 99.3FM. That’s some serious progress right there.

• Blatant Homerism’s Allen Kenney has provided us here at Crimson & Cream Machine with some excellent content, and if you want to hear more from him, you should totally check out his podcast. This week he caught up with ESPN’s Bomani Jones to discuss OU-Texas and a whole lot more.

Around the Sports World

• The recruitment of Brian Bowen Jr. was basically the final shoe to drop before Louisville’s Rick Pitino was fired last year, and now the player’s father has alleged some big name programs of making offers to secure his son’s commitment at the time. Among the schools he named are Oklahoma State and Texas. The investigation is still ongoing, and these particular allegations are not yet proven.

• Kyrie Irving gave Boston Celtics fans a very early Christmas present by announcing that he plans to re-sign with the team.

• LeBron James recently completed a two-week cleanse where he gave up basically everything fun to eat or drink. If there’s one thing I could relate to more than anything else in this video, it’s “the aw tray.” Dieting is one constant ‘aw’.

• Hawaii is super far away from every FBS program, so of course all of their ‘rivalry’ trophies are a bit odd.
• Ndamukong Suh has a well-documented mean streak, but since ridiculous penalties against tackling the QB this way or that way have been called at an absurd rate, he’s finding another way to take the passer down. Honestly, I wouldn’t be completely surprised to see him do this in a game, but it might be against an official, not a quarterback.

Stick to Sports!

• Country music star Brad Paisley and his wife are opening a free grocery store called ‘The Store’ in Nashville for people in need. The plan is for customers to be able to receive fresh produce and non-perishables free for one year. The non-profit endeavor is the result of Paisley and his alma-mater Belmont University teaming up, and their goal is to help support those who are struggling in the community to become self-sufficient and get back on their feet.

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