Happy Monday, friends and fans!

On Sunday, Lincoln Riley dropped hints of not one, but two silent commitments on the recruiting trail. With the offensive mostly settled for 2020, expect victories for Alex Grinch and the defensive staff. Remember, the early signing period is right around the corner...

Now onto this week’s Monday edition of Hot Links! Basketball is back in action in Kansas City, Baker Mayfield goes off, Mason Rudolph gets benched and more!

OU Links

• When Bedlam is scheduled on the weekend of Thanksgiving, it just feels right. Divided households will come together at the table before tackling each other in the backyard. First they’ll say grace, then they’ll talk trash. It doesn’t get much better than this. The Oklahoma Sooners and Oklahoma State Cowboys kick off this storied in-state rivalry on Saturday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m. CT.

• Speaking of Bedlam, the key matchup in the 2019 edition of this longtime rivalry will be Oklahoma’s defense vs. Oklahoma State’s Chuba Hubbard. The Cowboys’ electric running back leads the FBS in rushing with 1,832 yards. Alex Grinch’s revamped group expects to have their collective hands full with him on Saturday night, writes the Tulsa World’s Guerin Emig.
• Oklahoma is truly the standard of the Big 12. Not only do the Sooners sit atop the standings, they lead the conference in total offense and total defense with one week to go. For all the criticism this team has received, there’s no denying the remarkable nature of such a feat. Now if only they could put it all together for a full 60 minutes. Maybe in Bedlam? Perhaps the postseason? If timing is everything, better late than never.

• Senior LB Caleb Kelly was back on the field on Saturday for the first time since 2018, and now he faces a potentially tough decision to make in regards to his redshirt status. He can play in up to three more games this season without losing this final year of eligibility, but should Oklahoma make the College Football Playoff and advance to the national championship game, he’ll have a dilemma to sort through, writes the Norman Transcript’s Tyler Palmateer.
• In case you missed it, Allen shared his thoughts following Oklahoma’s win over TCU. There were a couple bizarre happenings, and he makes an interesting comparison between Jalen Hurts and a former OU QB.
• The Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball team is 5-0, in Kansas City and looking to take a step up in competition starting tonight in the Hall of Fame Classic. OU’s run in the two-day, four-team tournament tips off at 8:30 p.m. CT against the undefeated Stanford Cardinal. The winner of this game will face the victor between Butler and Missouri on Tuesday, and the battle for third will be determined by the games’ respective losing teams. Stay tuned for further details following the conclusion of tonight’s action on ESPN2.

• Baker Mayfield was feeling it against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, completing 24 of 34 passes for 327 yards and three touchdowns. Check out this incredible connection with fellow Cleveland Browns star Odell Beckham Jr.

• Speaking of Mayfield, earlier this season, Rex Ryan called the Cleveland QB overrated, but now he’s taking the ‘L’ in stride and seeing the error of his ways. Seriously though, the Browns just might run the table from here on out and backdoor their way into the playoffs.

Around the Sports World

• The Pittsburgh Steelers benched QB Mason Rudolph in the third quarter for undrafted rookie Devlin Hodges. Fortunately for them they were playing the Cincinnati Bengals, so further crisis was temporarily averted with a narrow win.
• Who are this week’s winners and losers in the NFL playoff picture? SB Nation’s Geoff Schwartz has you covered.
• The retired Rob Gronkowski wore this turtleneck on TV yesterday, and now the internet is trying to figure out what he does for a living. Many of these are hilarious, and probably (not) spot on.

• Rutgers and Greg Schiano had reportedly reached an agreement that would bring back the former Scarlet Knights head coach, but the deal ultimately fell through when the university would not commit to making certain facility upgrades.
• The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2019 was inducted on Sunday. For old school hoops heads, this is quite the memorable group.

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