Happy Monday, friends and fans!

Clemson? Check. Alabama? Check. Georgia? Here we go.

First reported by The Athletic last month, the Oklahoma Sooners have scheduled a home-and-home series with the Georgia Bulldogs in 2023 and 2031. OU will host the first game in Norman, then travel to Athens eight years after that for round two.

It’s a little different than the typical home-and-home series that normally takes place in back-to-back seasons, but nevertheless it still adds another marquee opponent to both teams’ schedules.

Needless to say, college football is shaping up to be quite a thrilling ride for at least the next couple of decades (even if these schools don’t sustain the current level of success).

Now on to this week’s Monday edition of Hot Links! Kyler Murray and Austin Seibert look like All-Rookie types, OU men’s tennis advances in the NCAA Championships, the XFL is coming clearer into focus and more!

OU Links

• Here is Kyler Murray throwing a football while wearing some Arizona Cardinals gear. I made that sound mundane, but Zack Hefley made it look totally sweet.

• Speaking of quarterbacks, which college program is most deserving of the QBU moniker? Historically, Miami has produced many great signal callers, and NC State has several alums in the league today. Perhaps it’s between Oklahoma and Clemson? Brian Giuffra thinks the Tigers hold the edge, but the awards and accolades on the Sooners’ side hold a lot of weight.
• Kyler Murray and Austin Seibert made Chad Reuter’s projected 2019 All-Rookie Team. I’m a little surprised Marquise Brown didn’t make either of the WR spots, but I suppose his QB in Baltimore could have something to do with that.

• ESPN’s Jake Trotter wrote about Patty Gasso’s surging Sooners and the kind of all-time territory they’re quickly embarking on.

• Lincoln Riley recently shed some light on the process he goes through when preparing his offensive play calls before games. For him, the majority of the plays he has available are carefully chosen and liberally employed, regardless of what the defense is doing.
• The men’s tennis team at Oklahoma is advancing to the round of 16 of the NCAA Championships after pulling off an upset win over Teas A&M. On Friday, the next opponent is Wake Forest.

• Check out some of the new Oklahoma Sooners team-issued polos that will be worn this fall. If you’d like one for yourself, follow the shop link below.

Around the Sports World

• The only thing that could have made this more epic was if it happened in Game 7 of the World Series. Two outs, bottom of the ninth, down by a run. The bases are loaded, and with one swing of the bat, boom — a grand slam. Have yourself a day, Hunter Renfroe.

• In 2020, the resurrected XFL will air its games on both ESPN and FOX networks. Also, it was recently revealed that the league intends to have its games played on Saturdays and Sundays.
• Army is poised for another successful season under coach Jeff Monken because the formula is simple yet highly effective. Bill Connelly takes a closer look at the Black Knights in this preview.
• Jamie Gillan is a punter out of Arkansas-Pine Bluff who went undrafted but signed with the Cleveland Browns as a UDFA. His story of how he ended up where he is makes other interesting stories seem less interesting.

• Nikola Jokic’s shocked expression after he thought he broke the mic makes me want the Denver Nuggets to go all the way to the NBA Finals. That way I get to see more of this wondrous mind (who is also pretty darn good at basketball).

Stick to Sports!

• After some viewers complained that the Battle of Winterfell was too dark to see anything, the lighting in the latest episode of HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ revealed a Starbucks cup left on the set during one scene. With so many people working to produce and create this show, an oversight like this is absolutely baffling to me. What I want to know now is which one of her million names did Daenerys tell the barista to write on the cup? Chances are they spelled it wrong, too.

Follow Crimson & Cream Machine on Twitter!