What’s up, fans of the Oklahoma Sooners? It sure has been an interesting 48 hours in the world of college football.

While ‘interesting’ is probably not the best word to describe yesterday’s QB announcement in Norman, it certainly moved the needle. With Kyler Murray officially being named the starting quarterback, a sense of order has overcome the pulse of the fan base — even if most of us saw the writing on the wall. Yet even before this announcement, some have expressed concerns that Lincoln Riley may hold him back to some degree in order to protect him before he moves on to the MLB. Riley addressed those concerns in his presser yesterday.

I think it’s important to hear Riley say he doesn’t coach with fear, meaning he won’t contain Murray and what he does best in Oklahoma’s offense — not too much, at least. He’s a sensible man who isn’t going to subject him to an excessive amount of contact, but I don’t think we’re going to see another 2014 offense (the one in which OU was afraid to let Trevor Knight keep the ball on zone reads). With all that said, I’m happy for Kyler Murray, and I’m eager to see how he can make this offense his own.

Now, on to the Hot Links! Kyler Murray will have to lead the offense in his own way, defensive Sooners are gradually coming back, Tiger v. Phil will air on PPV and more!

OU Links

• Lincoln Riley had a lot to say following the announcement of Kyler Murray as the starting QB. Check out the transcript of some of the more noteworthy reveals behind the process of naming Murray QB1 and in turn having Austin Kendall at QB2.
• Even before Kyler Murray takes the field as Oklahoma’s full-time starter, Sooner fans already know there are some major differences between he and Baker Mayfield in terms of how they lead. Mayfield is a rah-rah guy, while Murray is more laid-back. Both styles are okay, and both can be effective.
• Speaking of Oklahoma’s current and previous starting signal callers, Baker Mayfield wasn’t the same QB when he arrived versus when he left. The same can be said of Murray. While they’re both so different from each other, Murray needs to be himself, but he also needs to show the same level of development Mayfield did if Oklahoma is going to make a title run this season.
• Oklahoma’s dominance in Norman is well-documented. Home field advantage is often times a huge factor in college football, and the Sooners have historically been one of the most difficult teams to take down in their own backyard.

• Kirk Herbstreit’s annual Herbie Awards aired Wednesday night, and Herbstreit picked Oklahoma to win the Big 12 for a fourth season in a row. That’s a solid pick, if I do say so myself, Kirk.

• Marquise “Hollywood” Brown was nominated for a Herbie Award as the nation’s most exciting player. Brown didn’t end up winning the award, but it’s nice to see his play recognized by a national analyst like Kirk Herbstreit ahead of the 2018 season.

• Several defensive players have been held out of Oklahoma’s practices due to some minor injuries, but those players are slowly returning to the fold. Read about who stood out and how the defense performed in the latest closed scrimmage.

Around the Sports World

• The biggest story in sports right now is the three-game suspension for Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer. After a two-week independent investigation, both Meyer and OSU AD Gene Smith will serve suspensions to start the 2018 college football season.
• If college football was a choose-your-own adventure game, how would a quest towards the CFP title look for any given team? Check out this fun season preview of all 130 FBS teams with unique takes and important points related to their respective outlooks going into the 2018 season.
• The stage is set for the one-on-one match golf fans have all been waiting for. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will square off on Thanksgiving Weekend in Las Vegas, but the match will unfortunately be broadcast on pay-per-view. I’m still pumped for it.

• Going into Week 3 of the NFL Preseason, what are the top storylines to watch? This is typically the week most starters and starting units play a significant number of downs, so it’ll be telling one way or another for several organizations.
• In keeping with the NFL, who are the top unsigned free agents remaining? Guys like Dez Bryant and Eric Reid will likely find landing spots soon, but there are plenty of other solid options that may not find a new home.
• This Korean Taekwondo team’s performance looks like it’s straight out of a movie. It’s an impressive feat from the individual standpoints, but as a group it’s mesmerizing to watch. With practice and dedication, humans can do some pretty incredible things.

Stick to Sports!

• A number of big name films and series are coming to Netflix in September, including Marvel’s Black Panther and Maniac, a series starring Emma Stone and Jonah Hill. There are also several movies and shows that will be removed from the streaming platform next month. You can find a comprehensive list of all the incoming and outgoing content right here.

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