Published: July 01, 2008 01:45 pm            

Counting down the days until the 2008 season begins

As we wearily trudge through the blistering dog days of summer, our appetite is somewhat relieved with the thought of the college football season, which for Oklahoma State starts two months from this date.

Presently, most of our local interest is directed toward the Stillwater American Legion baseball team while Major League Baseball on television, prior to the World Series, is a sure cure for insomnia.

Running through the grid schedules of the Big 12 conference teams, 10 of the dozen members open their 2008 seasons in the friendly confines of their home stadiums.

Who are the two schools that don’t?

That’s easy to answer, Oklahoma State (Washington State Cougars at Seattle) and Colorado (Colorado State in Denver).

CU has only a 20-minute drive to Denver while CSU needs about an hour and a half by bus. For years the Buffs refused to play CSU, especially in Ft. Collins, until in-state political pressure forced a compromising resumption of the rivalry at a supposed “neutral” site.

Don’t feel too sorry for the Buffs, because their next four games are in Folsum Stadium.

While O-State has a half-continent to cover to reach Seattle, Washington State is no more than a chip-shot away from Quest Stadium (approximately 300 miles).

If the home field advantage is that large, then Nebraska, with five games at home before hitting the road, and Missouri, with four, have the best chance to fatten their early records.

Maybe that’s why pre-season forecasts pick the Tigers and Cornhuskers to be the best teams in the league’s north division.

In the south, pre-season favorite OU has two patsies at home before traveling to Washington. Texas has three of its first four in Austin and the second game of the season is a road trip to UTEP.

Even lowly Baylor opens the season with three straight home games before traveling to UConn, long an east coast basketball power with an eager desire to make noise in D-1 football.

Last year Texas Tech played three of its first four games on the road and still turned up a more-than-decent 9-4 record. That schedule is reversed this year and maybe the reason prognosticators feel the Red Raiders will be the south’s surprise team in ’08.

O-State’s opener is critical because the Cowboys return to Stillwater and beautifully improved Boone Pickens Stadium for four consecutive games with Houston, Missouri State, Troy and Texas A&M.

The Houston variety of Cougars, 8-5 last year, come to Stillwater with a new coach and an old history of being a thorny opponent for the Pokes. But, a statistic that’ll surprise a lot of people is O-State hasn’t lost a home opener since 1995, and that was a 64-21 drubbing by Nebraska in Bob Simmons’ first year at the helm.

OSU should have shaken any rust when Missouri State comes to town and then the Pokes have an open date before the aspiring Troy State Trojans play in Stillwater.

Last season, Troy hosted and humbled the Pokes, 41-23, as the Trojans used that win to gain the momentum to win eight games and bag their second straight post-season venture.

Then Texas A&M comes to Pickens Stadium to open Big 12 play and OSU faithful grimace when remembering the 24-23 heart breaking loss at College Stadium in ’07.

Before succumbing to wails about road openers, recall 1984 when OSU opened at and trampled pre-season favorite Arizona State, at Tempe, 45-3. The Pokes went on to beat South Carolina, 21-14, in the Gator Bowl.

Again, in 1985, OSU opened at Seattle and beat a highly regarded Washington Husky team, 31-17, but lost a shoot-out in the Gator Bowl that season to Florida State, 34-23.

So, pardon us please, as we football nuts look for another way to offset these 90-100 degree days we will face before football.

        

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