NORMAN, Okla. — Quarterback Landry Jones stepped up to the podium Monday and told everyone 11-2 would be a pretty good season.
Yikes.
Not exactly the thing Oklahoma fans want to hear, say, or even think about. Yet, that's where we are these days at Oklahoma where a national title chase ended in September in a home loss to Kansas State and was all but finalized Saturday in another home loss to Notre Dame.
A championship in Norman will have to wait at least another year as the Sooners head into the second half of the season with adjusted goals.
Again.
"That's the goal now," Jones said of trying to win out the rest of the way. "It's not like we're saying we're going to go 10-3. I don't think we're going to shut it down and call it quits. There is some adversity that comes with losing games and different goals being out of the picture. We're not going to quit trying."
And it's not like I'm saying 11-2 is a bad year, but where the Sooners go from here is the real question. They are 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the Big 12.
Remember, a season ago, Oklahoma started the season ranked No. 1, won at Florida State, stomped Texas and peaked in early October. What followed was a shameful home loss to Texas Tech, a road defeat at Baylor and a clunker at Oklahoma State. What started as promising turned into the Insight Bowl.
So, while Oklahoma shifts focus from thinking big to looking at what's right in front of them (at Iowa State on Saturday), most everyone else will be thinking about whether 2012 will be a lot like last year.
"There's nothing missing with this team," coach Bob Stoops said. "A play or two in each game and there's a chance it could be different. But that's not the case."
And unlike last year, the Sooners can say they lost to better teams. Kansas State and Notre Dame are both undefeated and ranked among the elite. But similar to last year, larger expectations are not being met. Not expectations by just fans, but one established by the coaches and players.
So, when Jones suggests 11-2 is a good season, he's right. But that doesn't mean it's accepted.
"That's why we come here," center Gabe Ikard said, "to play for national championships. We still have a chance to play for a conference championship so our focus has shifted to Iowa State. It was a disappointing performance."
Ikard was talking about the 30-13 loss to Notre Dame, but he may have also been talking about the Big 12 opener against Kansas State, because that defeat has to sting a bit more. Unless the Sooners get some help in the form of a Kansas State collapse (the Wildcats would need to lose twice), OU is going to have to adjust its goals even smaller, because a Big 12 championship will be out of the question, too.
"It hurt," safety Tony Jefferson said after the Notre Dame game. "We have to show some character and turn around. We have five games left to see what we can do."
Bowl projections vary for the Sooners — everything from the Rose to the Cotton and beyond. The schedule gets easier, too. Of the final five teams OU plays, only West Virginia is ranked, and the Mountaineers aren't exactly the world beaters they were made to be in September. If the Sooners do get to a BCS bowl, these two losses won't be forgotten, but they will be a memory.
"This team is not going to fold," linebacker Tom Wort said. "I haven't seen our team fold at all. It's really disappointing that we lost, but in no way is this team going to quit."
Things have worked out well for the Sooners in the past. They have a track record for getting help in the conference, making it to a BCS game in 2010, despite two losses in the Big 12. It happened in 2008 when Oklahoma made the title game after losing to Texas. It happened in 2007, making it to the Fiesta Bowl after losing twice in conference play. It happened in 2006, making it to the Fiesta Bowl after losing to Texas. It also happened in 2002 when OU made the Rose Bowl despite Big 12 losses to Oklahoma State and Texas A&M.
There's plenty to look forward to. Hey, just ask Jones. He said 11-2 looks pretty good. It's hard to disagree with him.
"Our job is to play as well as we can," Stoops said. "I know it's a cliché, but it's the absolute truth. That's all you think about. The rest you don't have anything to do with."
