How’s it going, friends and fans? I hope everybody has had a great week! It’s Friday, which means the Oklahoma Sooners return to the Softball field! If you haven’t already, make sure to check out my quick preview for Oklahoma Softball. The ladies get things started at the GCU Kickoff Tournament in Phoenix. I know I can’t wait to watch them play this season as they go for the three-peat as national champions.

Speaking of a sport I can hardly wait for, SB Nation’s Bill Connelly is back at it again with the college football stats and projections that’ll make you wish you paid more attention in math class. Okay, maybe that last part is just me, but he breaks down the results of his figures and his rating system in a fairly simple chart. In this, Connelly ranks all 130 FBS teams going into the 2018 season based on S&P+. Oklahoma checks in at No. 9, which makes sense. When the Heisman Trophy winner is no longer at the helm of the offense, one can presume a team to take a step back. Still, with what Oklahoma has left in the cupboard, the talent of Kyler Murray plus the manageable yet respectable schedule, the Sooners should be in prime position to make another run at the CFP.

Now onto today’s edition of Hot Links, where you can find out why Baker Mayfield’s most likely landing spot could be Cleveland, which rap group Trae Young spent time with recently, what life is like for Jordan Shepherd (aka Young’s backup) and more!

OU Links

• Sports Illustrated’s Robert Klemko feels that Baker Mayfield is most likely headed to the Cleveland Browns. Klemko used a number of factors to reach his conclusion, including takes from scouts and how Mayfield fits with current team personnel. That’s all well and good, but... wait, it’s not well and good. That’s terrible. Nobody wants this to happen.
• If Trae Young isn’t mentioned in a Migos track after this, I will be very disappointed. By the way, in case you have no idea who these guys are, Migos is a three-man hip-hop group whose music is quite popular. My personal favorites are ‘What the Price’ and ‘Too Much Jewelry.’

• Everybody who knows anything about basketball knows about Trae Young by now, but what’s life like for Young’s backup, Jordan Shepherd? Find out what it’s like to spell the best player in the nation from the player who has done it all season.
• Kameron McGusty has the tools to be one of the Sooners’ best scoring threats on the court. In order for Oklahoma to right the ship and get out of this slump, McGusty understands that he must step up his contributions as well.
• Paige Parker is the Sooners’ ace pitcher. She’s known for her sweet and charming demeanor outside of the park, but once she steps inside the pitching circle, she’s a fiery hot competitor.
• SB Nation’s Bill Connelly points to Oklahoma having the sixth-best recruiting class average over the past two recruiting cycles. This is a testament to Lincoln Riley and the rest of the coaching staff for increasing the emphasis on recruiting at a higher and more consistent level.
• Champions don’t know what it’s like to take days off. The season is still a ways off, but I can almost feel it.

Around the Sports World

• The 2018 Winter Olympics is underway! If you missed anything from the Opening Ceremony, have no fear, we’ve got you covered.
• So a lot happened at the NBA trade deadline. Catch up on everything you may have missed here.
• Speaking of NBA, I don’t know where Charles Barkley was, but it certainly wasn’t in his right mind. For clarification, Iowa and Indiana are not “in the same state.” I mean that’s just strange to even say. He even said Idaho at one point for some reason. What?

• Reminds me of the thumbs up Chuck Norris gave Peter LaFleur in ‘Dodgeball.’ But seriously, what a cool and pure moment for that young hockey fan.

• Cringe warning: It’s like, I expected that, but it still hurt me just to watch. The rules for tic-tac-toe are fairly simple, and haven’t changed for probably a millennia, but whatever.

Stick to Sports!

• I just gained ten pounds after this news came out. So KFC and Taco Bell are linking up with Grubhub and will start delivering food to the comfort of your home. I suppose this was an inevitable development. Will it be good for our civilization? That’s for you to decide.
• In other food related news, it’s National Pizza Day! And please, be responsible with your pizza choices. Don’t ever be this kind of person:

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