Happy Thursday, friends and fans!

There aren’t any college football games scheduled for tonight, but a number of former Oklahoma Sooners will be competing against each other when the Cleveland Browns host the Cincinnati Bengals in a Thursday night clash between AFC North Division rivals.

Baker Mayfield is the lone OU representative in Cleveland. On the other side, Cincy boasts several Sooners, headlined by RB Joe Mixon. Also suiting up for the Bengals are DE Amani Bledsoe, LB Jordan Evans, RB Samaje Perine and K Austin Seibert, who was recently claimed off waivers from the Browns.

Both Ohio franchises are coming off Week One losses, meaning one of these teams will be .500 by the end of the night, while the other will remain winless. The QB battle in this one is especially intriguing, as both Mayfield and Joe Burrow each carry a Heisman Trophy and a No. 1 overall draft pick on their résumé.

Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT on the NFL Network. Let’s go football!

Now for today’s Hot Links! ‘The Standard’ premiers tonight, Sermon earns his place as a Buckeye, the college hoops season is set to return before Thanksgiving and more!

OU Links

• Don’t forget, part one of ‘The Standard’ premiers tonight. Judging by the preview shared earlier this week, it’s going to be an awesome docuseries that should make this season of Oklahoma Football all the more exciting.

• Oklahoma backup kicker Stephen Johnson was pressed into duty on Saturday in Gabe Brkic’s absence, and he certainly did his team proud by not missing a single kick. So just how long had it been since the redshirt senior took the field in an actual game before this past weekend? The Tulsa World’s Eric Bailey has the answer.
• One of the most underrated skills in Kyler Murray’s deep arsenal is his ability to avoid the big hit. Whether it’s knowing how to slide or when to get out of bounds, the Arizona Cardinals’ QB takes care of himself so he can continue to lead his team on the field.
• Former OU RB Trey Sermon became the first Ohio State Buckeyes newcomer to lose his black stripe in camp. Basically, it means his OSU teammates have now fully accepted him as a member of the team. Way to go, Trey! I hope he runs for all the yards once the Big Ten season kicks off.

• Speaking of OU transfers, former Sooner men’s basketball guard Jamal Bieniemy has been granted immediate eligibility for the upcoming season with the UTEP Miners.

• Hey Sooner fans, in case you missed it, the brilliant designers over at BreakingT recently released this hot-off-the-press, OU-themed ‘Quick-Strike Offense’ t-shirt just for you. Since Lincoln Riley began calling plays for Oklahoma five seasons ago, the offense in Norman has been among the most lethal attacks in FBS history. After last Saturday, it appears this year’s group has the potential to be even better than the rest. Now go ahead and check out this sweet tee for yourself right away!

Around the Sports World

• The All-NBA teams were announced on Wednesday, and headlining the first team were unanimous selections Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers.

• The 2020-21 men and women’s college basketball season is officially scheduled to tip-off on Wednesday, Nov. 25. After last season being cut short just during conference championship week, Division I collegiate hoops action will finally make its long awaited return in less than 10 weeks from now.

• The No. 12 North Carolina Tar Heels’ game against the Charlotte 49ers scheduled for this Saturday has been canceled on account of Charlotte missing too many players due to COVID-19 related quarantining. For now it’s unclear whether or not this loss on UNC’s schedule will be made up later in the season.
• Speaking of the coronavirus affecting college football games, the Missouri Tigers will be without at least 12 players when they open their season against the Alabama Crimson Tide on Sept. 26 in keeping with the SEC’s COVID-19 testing and safety protocols.
• After defeating the San Diego Padres on Wednesday, 7-5, the Los Angeles Dodgers became the first team to clinch a berth in the 2020 MLB postseason.

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