So, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops was quick to point out no one should be assuming Blake Bell will be the next quarterback for the Sooners.
Meanwhile, center Gabe Ikard tweeted out he was tired of all the quarterback questions.
OK, so we can't assume it's Bell and we can't ask who it's going to be, so what are we supposed to do?
Don't worry. Here's your quick answer.
It's going to be Bell, no matter what Stoops says now, here about a week before the Sooners take the field in August to get ready for the 2013 season.
Stoops said he's never "been excited" about naming a starter early on, and that stands to reason. After all, no sense in giving Kendal Thompson or Trevor Knight any incentive not to think they aren't in a position to move up the ladder.
However, Bell should be at the top. There's no Sam Bradford waiting. There's no Landry Jones either. What the Sooners have is a quarterback in Bell who can run and might be able to pass, if necessary – and that's enough to win the job and a bunch of games.
Bell can be to OU what Collin Klein was for K-State, a great runner and a serviceable passer.
Ikard went on to say Bell throws better than Tim Tebow, another college quarterback who didn't throw particularly well. Even Stoops said Bell can throw better than we know.
While he hasn't thrown much – just 20 passes in the past two seasons – he has run it. A lot. Bell has 24 touchdowns in that same span, many coming in crucial, short-yardage situations.
OU is going to take what Bell does best and build on it. It's going to be a change from what the Sooners have done in the past. My guess? A run-first mentality, but out of sread formations. Bell will throw, but only when he has to.
The good news for the Sooners is the change is one they can make because Stoops and the team already know it can work.
Follow Andrew Gilman on Twitter: @andrewgilmanOK
