Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, friends and fans! It’s game week!

With just five days remaining, the Oklahoma Sooners are in South Florida as they run through some final Orange Bowl preparations.

Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray and Lincoln Riley have proven to be one of the game’s most dynamic duos, and the ultimate test for each of them awaits on the other side in the Alabama Crimson Tide.

As you’ll find in the links below, the players are all business this week. The Sooners have yet to win a College Football Playoff semifinal, but now they’ll have the chance to rectify that record while also taking down the premier program in the sport. It’s Riley vs. Saban, Kyler vs. Tua, Offense vs. Defense (plus offense). On Saturday, it’ll be Oklahoma vs. Alabama for the right to play for it all. Boomer!

Now onto this week’s Monday Christmas Eve edition of Hot Links! The time off has allowed Oklahoma to become a lot healthier as a team, Baker Mayfield is three passes away from writing his name atop the league’s record books, Matt Bosher makes the best tackle you’ll ever see from a kicker and more!

OU Links

• Lincoln Riley and the team landed in Miami Sunday night, and Coach has a message for Sooner Nation.

• Consensus All-American Ben Powers is in Miami with the team, but he knows this trip is about the business at hand, and not a vacation.

• During this break between the Big 12 Championship and the CFP, Riley said several players who were battling injuries have been able to recover, but the status of Marquise Brown is still up in the air. Meanwhile, veterans like Powers and Amani Bledsoe are eager to kick off the game.
• The team says it’s going into game week with a focused mindset, blocking out the outside distractions and putting their energy into the final practices.
• Lincoln Riley has the hook up with these Heisman themed Beats by Dre. I’d sure love a pair for myself during this holiday season, but I guess I’ll settle for a Sooner victory on Saturday.

• Baker Mayfield called the fans out to show up for the final home game, and the fans delivered. After the win over the Cincinnati Bengals, No. 6 showed his appreciation for Dawg Pound Nation.

• Mayfield is embarking on territory never ventured from a rookie QB in the NFL. Three more passing touchdowns is all he needs next week in the season finale against the Baltimore Ravens, and the all-time rookie passing TD record for a No. 1 pick will be his.

• In case you missed it, don’t forget to check out my write up on the Oklahoma Men’s basketball team and how this group is unlike any other during the Kruger era. In fact, they closely resemble some of the teams led by former Sooner head coach Kelvin Sampson.

Around the Sports World

• One of the worst arguments against expanding the College Football Playoff is that teams with two or more losses could win the national championship. SB Nation’s Jason Kirk is here to tell you why that’s not a great take.
• So how has the CFP Committee performed in the almost five complete years of brackets and playoff matchups? Have they gotten it right every time, or have there been a team or two that made it in that didn’t quite belong with the others?
• With one week (and one Monday night) left to go, which NFL teams have been eliminated from playoff contention, which teams have clinched their spots, and which teams are still alive and in the hunt?
• Atlanta Falcons kicker Matt Bosher completely de-cleats Kenjon Barner on a return, then flexes over him for good measure. I see you, Bosh.

• In keeping with the holiday spirit, the Sacramento Kings organized the best gift of all for this mother and sister. What a special moment for this family.

Stick to Sports!

• IMAX theaters have been steadily growing in popularity, and recently, the high-resolution film format reached the $1 billion global box office milestone for the year of 2018. Movies like Black Panther, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Mission: Impossible - Fallout grossed some of the year’s highest marks in IMAX history. Now, some filmmakers are starting to take advantage of the public’s increased interest by shooting entire movies using IMAX camera technology.

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