Happy Friday, friends and fans!

Lincoln Riley was a hot subject for The Dan Patrick Show on Thursday. DP and his radio crew debated the pros and cons of the 36-year-old offensive genius staying with the Oklahoma Sooners vs. taking his talents to the NFL. Clips courtesy of AT&T AUDIENCE Network.

As always, Patrick presents both sides of the topic clearly and wholly, but of course the best person to consult about Riley’s mindset when it comes to coaching in the NFL is Riley himself. Oklahoma’s coach joined The DP Show to discuss the ongoing speculation.

Riley has been posed with questions about coaching in the NFL ever since taking the reins in Norman. Now in his third season as the head figure on Oklahoma’s sideline, his answers have remained consistent and unwavering. He’s happy about his situation in Norman, he’s thankful for the tremendous opportunity, and he doesn’t view the OU job as a stepping stone for the next level.

Patrick also brought up Riley’s latest starting QB, Jalen Hurts, and talked about how his never-satisfied demeanor has impacted the team around him.

Hurts won’t take the bait before the mission is complete, but Riley went on record to say that he is a bit more loose and easy-going when he’s away from the spotlight that comes with being a college football superstar.

Finally, Dan Patrick wanted to know the secret behind all the offensive success for Oklahoma since Lincoln Riley arrived in 2015. Currently, the Sooners lead the nation in scoring, total offense and... well, a lot of offensive categories.

Just like his QB, Riley stays away from the rat poison. He won’t credit himself for the offense’s success year after year, but the rest of us have and will continue to do so. His ability as an elite play caller and game planner have separated him from just about everyone else in the sport today, and while the staff around him does a lot to make the magic happen, no one else can replicate what Riley does.

For more quality interviews like this one, check out The Dan Patrick Show on AT&T AUDIENCE Network, airing daily from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. CT.

Now onto this week’s Friday edition of Hot Links! AD continues to rise up the all-time charts, Trae Young looks like a legitimate All-Star, Brodie and The Beard are having a ball and more!

OU Links

• In case you missed it, episode 37 of the Oklahoma Breakdown Podcast was released earlier this week, and Kamiar took time to answer Sooner fans’ questions, as well as recap OU’s win over West Virginia and preview the upcoming road trip to Kansas State. As usual, keep in mind that there may be some NSFW language used on the pod.

• This week, Jalen Hurts was added to the Manning Award Watch List. This honor remains the only QB award that includes a player’s postseason performance(s). Something tells me Hurts will be in serious contention for this award in the coming months.

• In this week’s Q&A, Jack talks to Brandon Payne of Bring on the Cats, who fills us in on Chris Klieman, the K-State offense and things to do in Manhattan.
• Speaking of Hurts, Nick Saban had some great things to say about his former QB and how he handled being benched at Alabama. Wait, is it rat poison if it comes from the guy who created the term?

• As part of this season’s CFB 150 celebration, ESPN ranked Oklahoma’s uniforms as the seventh greatest look in all of college football. Those all-whites are about as clean as it gets for sure.

• The Tulsa World’s Bill Haisten did some research, and as it turns out, teams who are adept at stopping the opposition from converting on third down have typically done better than those that don’t. Seriously though, Oklahoma is piling up the stops at a national championship level.
• The OU men’s golf team is not only good, they’re No. 1 according to at least two polls from this week. Boomer!

• On Thursday night, Adrian Peterson rushed for 76 yards on 14 carries to up his career total to 13,701 yards, enough to supplant LaDainian Tomlinson for No. 6 all-time in the NFL.

• Class of 2020 four-star cornerback Joshua Eaton has announced his decommitment from Texas. Many believe Oklahoma sits at or near the top of the Houston native’s recruiting prospects, as OU has never really left the race. The 6’2” DB also holds offers from Alabama, Florida and LSU among many others.

• Former Sooner Trae Young was on absolute fire in the Atlanta Hawks’ season opening win over the Detroit Pistons. By the end of the night, the second-year pro finished with 38 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and a steal.

• Make sure you read up on Jack’s OU at K-State Q&A with Brandon Payne of Bring on the Cats. What does the Wildcats’ program look like in this post-Bill Snyder world with Chris Klieman at the helm? Find out Payne’s answer to that and much more!
• Don’t forget to check out this week’s college football gambling picks from Allen and his brother ‘The Skinny’ on the latest edition of the Blatant Homerism Podcast. It’s the final week of October, which means the games are heating up as conference races narrow down.

Around the Sports World

• The Golden State Warriors looked like a mere shell of their former championship self after getting blown out at home against the vaunted Los Angeles Clippers, 141-122. Unfortunately for GSW fans, coach Steve Kerr says this isn’t an anomaly, it’s reality.

• Florida lawmakers are following in California’s footsteps by working towards allowing collegiate student-athletes to earn money off their image and likeness. Expect more dominoes like this to continue to fall over the next few years.
• A man was charged with stealing a game-worn Tom Brady jersey from the New England Patriots Hall of Fame at Gillette Stadium. He was captured in the parking lot.
• Looks like Russell Westbrook and James Harden are back at it again with a little razzle and dazzle. The Houston Rockets are going to be a fun team to watch this season because of this dynamic duo.

Stick to Sports!

• Spoiler alert (I only say in jest), but ‘The Simpsons’ will air an episode next February featuring guest appearances from Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and Avengers directors Joe and Anthony Russo. Now get this — the episode’s theme will reportedly focus on spoilers, but knowing the characters involved, along with the show’s history of seemingly predicting the future, this has all the makings for hiding some major Easter eggs. I haven’t watched the show in ages, but I’m definitely tuning into this one.

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