West of Everest: An Oklahoma Football Podcast

We play an old Brent Venables soundbite that feels appropriate to open the show. Then the guys jump right into the news that OU is hiring Seth Littrell and Joe Jon Finey as Co-Offensive Coordinators (02:30). Jeff Lebby has left to become the head coach at Mississippi State (28:45). We read the "3 Word Reviews" from OU's 69-45 win over TCU, which gets us jumping around from topic to topic stemming from OU's regular season finale (49:00). Grant wants to rant about Oklahoma State beating BYU and playing in the Big 12 Title (1:34:00). We make our Conference Championship picks, which includes Lee amending his take on Iowa, plus even more Big Ten hate because why not (1:39:50)? We're annoyed by where OU's ranked and which bowl game they're likely to play in (2:00:00). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

In the opening take, Lee talks about what he saw after rewatching Jackson Arnold in the 2nd half of the BYU game. Then Grant joins to talk about the fact that OU's about to play its final Big 12 game. Will we miss the Big 12 (6:10)? Will Dillon Gabriel play against TCU? If not, what should we expect from Jackson Arnold (14:30)? Lee provides some reasons why you should be optimistic about OU's chances against TCU, but also points out where there's some concern. OU's defensive line is struggling to get sacks, and TCU is perfectly capable of throwing all over the Sooners. At least OU's been awesome at getting takeaways, and it would be great if Gentry Williams is back healthy (23:25). TCU QB Josh Hoover is on a pretty hot run right now and the Frogs have some playmakers who can give OU trouble. This matchup for OU's offense may be the inverse of the UCF game. Lee has a couple of things that the Sooners may do on offense that has worked against TCU this season. We beg Jeff Lebby not to run Jackson Arnold all game because we don't want to see Davis Beville take a meaningful snap (39:30). TCU is playing for bowl eligibility, while OU's playing to send seniors like Drake Stoops out on a high note. Grant laments OU losing a couple games in what he says has been an easy schedule this season. Both offensive coordinators are from the Art Briles tree (49:00). The last time a true freshman made his first career start at Owen Field, Caleb Williams led OU to a double-digit win over TCU in 2021 (53:00). We turn our attention to the Big 12 games that don't have much consequence this week. Lee talks about how many bowl teams the Big 12 could get (55:45). Grant continues to rip OSU for not being a good team as we talk about the Cowboys' upcoming matchup with BYU (59:55). Oddsmakers sure seem to be telling us to take K-State against Iowa State. Our discussion leads to a talk about the fake 2020 season and how that's the only time Lincoln Riley has won a bowl game. Grant lays out a scenario that could have gotten OU to the Playoff in 2020 (1:03:40). Grant wants to talk about how OU has underachieved this season (and last season) and Grant uses Louisville as an example to make a really good point (1:10:20). Grant brings up Danny Stutsman not being in the mix for the Butkus award (1:20:30). We go to the picks where Lee continues to be hot somehow. We begin with Iowa-Nebraska so Lee can complain about how bad Iowa is. Grant lays out how Nebraska is choking once again (1:25:00). Next up is Texas Tech-Texas where a Red Raiders win would help out OU. Has Quinn Ewers been mid (1:31:00)? To the Oregon State-Oregon Civil War (1:34:10). Ohio State-Michigan is the biggest game of the week. The guys are on opposite sides. Lee wants to talk about Marvin Harrison Jr. compared to other recent elite college WRs (1:37:20). We finish up with the Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn. Can the Tigers please knock Alabama out of the Playoff race? Grant wants to know if Jayden Daniels will be considered for the top pick in the NFL Draft? And despite a lot of losses, Caleb Williams is surprisingly having a great statistical season (1:44:40). Hopefully OU wins Friday, but Grant can't help but be bothered by the fact that OU is probably going to let Texas win the Big 12 (1:52:15). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

The guys gather a few hours after OU beat BYU 31-24 in Provo. Lee's in a mood to complain, yet he's still happy the Sooners are 9-2. Grant's mostly happy the team won the game and still has a chance to reach 10 wins in the regular season. What was up with the defense (outside of the 3 takeaways)? This game was just more evidence that Oklahoma is still a ways away from where we want them to be. Lee was disappointed by Jackson Arnold's play, while Grant was encouraged by what he saw from JA. Gavin Sawchuk continued his strong play and Lee complains about the way the running back situation has been handled all season (again). We finish up the show by reading your "3 Word Reviews". | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

No opening take as the guys jump into reading the "3 Word Reviews" from OU's previous win over West Virginia. Topics include Dillon Gabriel and his future, Drake Stoops doing exactly what he should be doing given his situation, poor referees, and more (2:00)! We begrudgingly talk about this Big 12 tiebreaker story (22:15). The guys set the stage for OU's upcoming game at BYU. This is a bad football team, but Lee brings up reasons why OU should be focused. Grant provides a way he could see BYU having success against the Sooners (35:00). Is the Big 12 actually the 2nd best conference this season? Lee lays out his case. Grant doesn't fully buy in, but he can see the argument (50:10). We talk briefly about Jimbo Fisher getting fired (1:04:30). We talk about the week in the Big 12 (1:08:15). We make our weekly picks against the spread. Games include Louisville-Miami/Georgia-Tennessee/North Carolina-Clemson/Washington-Oregon State/Texas-Iowa State (1:16:15). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

The guys gather Sunday morning to recap OU's dominating 59-20 win over West Virginia. Dillon Gabriel brushed off an uneven start to account for 8 total touchdowns. It was great to see Gavin Sawchuk get the bulk of the carries and Drake Stoops continued his exceptional play from Bedlam. The defense was mostly terrific after the first WVU drive of the game. The Sooners took advantage of 6 consecutive defensive stops to build a 31-7 1st half lead. *NOTE* We forgot to read "3 Word Reviews", so we'll plan on going through those to open the next episode. Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

In the opening take, Lee plays an interesting moment from Brent Venables' press conference and tells you what that exchange means. Then Grant joins as they talk briefly about OSU and the Big 12 Championship at the end of the season (5:00). Lee asks Grant what he thinks about the Venables comments on the OU offense. Of course we talk more about the problems on OU's offense, and Grant clarifies some comments he made on the last show (9:00). All the good will Jeff Lebby built up in the first 6 games are gone. We talk about Tawee Walker's health as well as Jovantae Barnes' limited appearance in Bedlam. And of course we must harp again on how bad the RBs have been handled this season (17:10). There seems to be a disconnect between Venables and Lebby and we wonder if Venables will take more control (24:30)? We talk injuries. If Stutsman is healthy, will he and Kip Lewis play at the same time? For some reason we go back to the OU-Georgia Rose Bowl (30:00). Lee thought Venables and Dillon Gabriel seemed a bit down this week. Does this team have the mental toughness to bounce back? Unity Uniforms are coming this week (35:30). OU's committing a lot of penalties, but Lee doesn't really feel like that's been the main reason for OU's struggles. Grant's still mad about Venables getting flagged in Bedlam (40:00). West Virginia is up next and Garrett Greene will put OU's defense in a lot of conflicting situations. WVU is playing its best ball of the season, and their defense is definitely better than OSU (46:45). We go around the Big 12 (53:35). We make our picks on Michigan-Penn State/Utah-Washington/Tennessee-Missouri/Ole Miss-Georgia/USC-Oregon (1:01:15). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

The guys gather Sunday morning to talk all about OU's 27-24 loss to OSU. We air it all out here -- plus Grant provides one of the best rants on this podcast in a long, long time. The defense did enough to win, but once again the offense came up short in big spots. Do we need to call for some coaching changes? We also read your "3 Word Reviews". | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

In the opening take, Grant piles on to this OU team as we're still reeling from the Sooners recent loss to Kansas. Grant says this is the biggest game in Brent Venables' short tenure, while Lee has his sights set on Dillon Gabriel and his left arm (6:05). Lee thinks OU's offense should be better vs. OSU based on OSU's defensive scheme (10:50). Does OU's coaching staff understand the moment? Lee thinks Alan Bowman is playing his best football of his career (13:00). OU's defense is banged up. We both don't expect to see much from Danny Stutsman this week (19:00). Lee says OU's offense should have plenty of opportunities to gain a lot of yards against OSU's secondary (22:30). Grant brings up Gabe Ikard and Teddy Lehman being ultra critical of OU on one of their recent podcasts. We talk about the running game and the OL (25:00). Tawee Walker's injured. Will he play? Grant rants about Jovantae Barnes getting carries late vs. Kansas (31:00). Then Lee rants about OU's personnel on what was the final snap vs. Kansas. Get some tall guys out there (35:40)! OSU's got some good receivers and their RB is better than OU's running backs (39:00). Let's defend Tawee Walker and ask again why he hasnt played more (42:10). Collin Oliver stands out for OSU. The LBs are okay, and Lee reiterates that he thinks the DBs are not good. Grant's more confident in OU's defense and you never want to be a coach who loses a game where you had a high win exptectancy (44:30). We go around the Big 12 and give our thoughts on the weekend slate (53:30). We make our weekly picks. Games include K-State-Texas/Missouri-Georgia/Kansas-Iowa State/Washington-USC/LSU-Alabama (1:02:40). Grant loves the Michigan sign stealing story. Lee doesn't really care (1:15:00). Lee is interested in the Iowa-Minnesota "invalid fair catch" story, so for some reason they finish the show talking about Iowa (1:19:10). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

It's not a fun one as the guys convene an hour after Oklahoma lost to Kansas 38-33 Saturday. Grant had been terrified of that game for the last couple of weeks and all of his fears came true. Lee laments two offensive tendencies that he's hated this season that both reared its ugly head in this game. Tawee Walker was terrific. Grant didn't like the way the defensive line played. OU killed themselves with penalties. The OU passing game was non-existent in poor weather. Danny Stutsman missed the entire 2nd half, but Kip Lewis filled in admirably. We hit on absolutely everything, plus your "3 Word Reviews". | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

The guys convene a day after OU squeaked out a 31-29 win over UCF. While Lee took in the game in Norman, Grant's gameday experience was awful in Minnesota. The guys choose to take a "glass half full" approach to what could have been a crushing loss. Credit to the Sooners' defense for playing well most of the time -- especially at the beginning. OU's offense was inconsistent and failed to help out the defense in the 1st quarter. Nic Anderson continues to catch touchdowns, while the OU running game finally got things going in the 4th quarter. The kicking game continues to struggle for the Sooners, while the punting was much better. We go through some of your "3 Word Reviews" at the end, before briefly talking about the day in college football. | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

In the opening take, Lee talks about a recent social media post that caught his eye. Then Grant joins as they begin the show discussing the curious situation surrounding UCF QB John Rhys Plumlee (5:00). We get to what's a mostly positive OU injury update, will we see Jovantae Barnes again this season, and OU's gotta replace McKade Mettauer this weekend (17:00). We haven't gotten a chance yet to talk about Andrel Anthony being out for the year. Who's going to step up (28:00)? UCF's defense isn't good, especially it's run defense. Will the Sooners be able to run the ball much better Saturday (34:40)? How's UCF's backup QB? UCF's skill position players are super talented (37:45). Grant says this is a very interesting spot for UCF given how their season has gone, and could play out. That being said, we will learn a ton about OU this Saturday (43:40). Grant is in a good mood and loves how this season has played out almost perfectly for the Sooners (54:30). We take a look at the Big 12 slate this week beginning with Baylor-Cincinnati. The guys think this is a good spot for WVU against OSU. What will we learn about Texas playing at Houston? Lee likes BYU's spot hosting Texas Tech. What do we make of TCU-K-State (1:04:20)? We make our weekly picks beginning with both guys really liking Ohio State as it hosts Penn State. Plus we both aren't fans of James Franklin (1:11:10). The guys talk about this weird, limited Alabama offense and aren't sure the Crimson Tide can cover 9 against Tennessee (1:21:00). Lee hates Iowa football so much. Grant brings up an interesting point about Iowa's bad offense paired with it's great defense (1:24:30). We have our first crossfire as the guys discuss Duke-FSU. Plus some wishcasting about how the rest of the 2023 season could play out. And Grant rants about video quality that may or may not be our worst segment ever (1:30:40). Finally, the guys talk about USC as they pick the Utah-USC game. The ingredients are there for USC to absolutley crater to finish out the season (1:41:10). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

The guys talk about OU's thrilling 34-30 win over Texas at the Cotton Bowl. Lee gives it up to Brent Venables for all he's done with this team so far this season. Grant admits he thought OU had a better chance to win than he let on last episode. Plus we go through the entire game and talk about all of the awesome (and not so awesome) moments. At the end, we go to the WoE Facebook page and Twitter/X for your "3 Word Reviews". | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

In the opening take, Grant asks if it's time for OU to experience a bit of what Texas has gone through over the past decade in this rivalry game? Then Lee joins to talk about his general feelings about OU facing off against Texas Saturday (4:05). Brent Venables was not interested in providing any "bulletin board" material this week (13:55). Grant takes a look at where OU and Texas ranks in the different analytical models. The computers seem to like OU a little bit more than Texas (23:30). Grant goes over all of Texas' success as an underdog over the last 30+ years. Meanwhile OU rarely wins this game when the Horns are favored (30:05). Quinn Ewers is pretty darn good and he can move a lot better this year. Texas' offense is terrific, but one of their best players is injured. We go over it all, while including a couple of points on how OU can have some success (38:00). The Texas defense has been elite and they'll probably force Dillon Gabriel to beat them. Grant goes over all their talented players, but we at least found a couple of players who we hope OU can exploit (1:01:20). We take a look around the Big 12 (1:13:55). Grant went 5-0 in his picks last week. This week's slate includes Maryland-Ohio State/LSU-Missouri/Alabama-Texas A&M/Kentucky-Georgia/Notre Dame-Louisville. At the very end we take a look at what will be a pretty difficult upcoming stretch for USC (1:18:00). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

The guys gather Sunday morning to recap OU's 50-20 win over Iowa State. What was up with the poor run defense and the two long ISU TDs? Dillon Gabriel played really well and so did the Sooners WRs. OU still isn't running the football well, but the Sooners did enough against ISU. It was great to see the defense play terrific after halftime. | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

In the opening take, Lee points out that Oklahoma has improved a very important statistic drastically through four games. Then Grant joins to talk about teammates celebrating each other, a brief NFL sidebar, and PFF College showing that they're not an outlet that has a whole lot of credibility (3:20). What do we make of Jeff Lebby and Ted Roof not having press conferences anymore? Lincoln Riley recently suspended a reporter, which we obviously have to rip Riley for (9:50). Let's talk about the OU RB situation-- it's still weird. Lee slightly amends his take on Marcus Major from the Cincinnati game (also some Dillon Gabriel zone read talk), and Brent Venables seems uncomfortable answering questions about Barnes and Sawchuk not playing much (17:10). Savion Byrd is good to go, and what's the deal with Reggie Pearson moving forward (30:45)? Grant provides an update on where OU stands in a lot of analytical rankings. The defense is much better, but is it all because of a soft schedule (35:00)? Grant was watching old OU-ISU games recently. We dig into this week's game by talking about the Cyclones truly terrible offense (47:50). Iowa State's defense seems to be very good again, although they haven't faced any good offenses yet. Even though on paper OU should win easily, will the Sooners be looking ahead to Texas (1:06:20)? We read a couple of comments from the WoE Facebook page (1:16:20). Let's take a look at the Big 12, beginning with a weird line in the Cin-BYU game. Texas Tech is in desperation mode. UCF is a double-digit favorite over Baylor and is WVU-TCU a trap (1:19:10)? Finally we make our weekly picks. Games include Utah-Oregon State/USC-Colorado/KU-Texas/LSU-Ole Miss/Notre Dame-Duke (1:27:20). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

The guys discuss OU's 20-6 win at Historic Nippert Stadium. Lee says you can't complain about a win to get to 4-0, especially after last season. The defense looks to be much improved, and is Danny Stutsman a serious contender for the Butkus? OU's defense was terrific on 3rd down as well, and it was good to see them force a couple of turnovers. OU's offense was hit & miss, but did enough. We still don't understand Marcus Major getting the majority of the carries, but I think we just have to accept it at this point. We'd really love to see the wide receivers touch the football more. Plus we read your "3 Word Reviews" from the WoE Facebook page as well as Twitter! | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

No opening take as the guy's jump right into Cincinnati week. This is the time of the year where we can start to form real opinions about this OU team. We got some good news, and possible bad news, for the OU secondary this week. Will we see Justin Harrington anymore this season? Could Cayden Green get the start at LG this week (2:25)? Jeff Lebby didn't have a whole lot of new information this week about Jackson Arnold's usage. Is there a point to any of this (12:20)? This show has been the official Jalil Farooq should get running back touches podcast (20:00). OU travels to Nippert Stadium and the guys will be there to watch Saturday. Cincinnati is coming off a loss and have a QB that OU once faced in the Cotton Bowl years ago. What does Emory Jones bring to the table (22:35)? We take a look at the rest of the Bearcats offense. Grant found a nugget on tape that may give us an early indication Saturday about how this game may go. How good of win was Cincy's victory over Pitt (32:45)? Gavin Sawchuk talked a little about his injured hamstring this week. He says he's "100 percent", so hopefully we see a better version of him moving forward. Plus we take a look at OU's offense against Cincinnati's defense. If OU's the team we've seen the first 3 games, the Sooners should win this game Saturday. Could we be walking into a possible Dillon Gabriel revenge game (47:05)? We've got a ton of thoughts on the Big 12 slate that features a lot of intriguing matchups (1:06:30). OSU and ISU have the lowest total in all of college football this week (1:13:35). Texas at Baylor is interesting. Grant lays out a dream Texas scenario for this weekend and the rest of the season (1:17:45). College football has been terrific so far this year, and K-State vs UCF is intriguing (1:23:35). We both went 3-2 last week in our picks. Fantastic games this week include FSU-Clemson/SMU-TCU/Colorado-Oregon/Ole Miss-Alabama/Ohio State-Notre Dame (1:29:15). We make one final pitch for people to try Skyline Chili (1:49:30). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

The guys gather Sunday morning to talk about OU's dominant 66-17 win over Tulsa. Dillon Gabriel was terrific yet again. OU's wide receivers look excellent, meanwhile the running game leaves a lot to be desired. Peyton Bowen got the start at Cheetah and the defense played awesome aside from 3 Tulsa drives. Lee has the stats comparing last year's defense through 3 games to this year's team, and we finish up the show by reading your "3 Word Reviews", and commenting on the day that was in college football. | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

In the opening take, Lee goes to the WoE Facebook page and highlights a listener who's happy about what he's seen from the Sooners' defense so far. Then Grant joins the show as we give our thoughts on the Art Briles/Jeff Lebby situation (5:10). What's the injury situation surrounding Dasan McCullough and Justin Harrington? Who plays Cheetah if those guys are unable to play? Gentry Williams is available this week. Lee shares some impressive 3rd down defense stats (9:25). Tulsa's offense has been operating without its starting QB. This is a game where OU's defense can have some fun. Will they (21:50)? Jeff Lebby says they want to get Jovantae Barnes and Gavin Sawchuk going this week. We got an answer as to why Jaquaize Pettaway didn't do anything against SMU. Marcus Major is what he is. Does Jeff Lebby know what he wants this OU offense to be (25:30)? Is there any reason to be concerned with OU's offensive line? We read a listener comment about J. Barnes vs. M. Major, and one listener tells us he's going to the Cincinnati game (36:30). We look around the Big 12. Grant thinks Cincinnati may be good. Can BYU score against Arkansas? Lee got a bad number in the Texas-Wyoming game, Houston may be the worst team in the Big 12, and could Kansas be one of the best teams in the Big 12 by season end (45:45)? We each went 3-2 last week making picks. This week's slate includes Penn State-Illinois/K-State-Missouri/Minnesota-UNC/Washington-Michigan St./Tennessee-Florida (56:20). |Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

The guys recap what was an uneven performance by the Sooners in their 28-11 Week 2 win over SMU. Was the offense bad vs. SMU? What's going on with the running backs situation? The explosive passing game was non-existent. We both do not like the Jackson Arnold package. Did we learn anything new about Andrel Anthony? Hey! How about that TD catch by Jalil Farooq (1:00)!? Over to the defense, which played well for the most part. The Sooners held SMU to 4 of 16 on 3rd down and allowed just 4.6 yard/play. Danny Stutsman was all over the field and Kip Lewis continues to emerge. We praise OU for staying disciplined all night. There were some highlights by the secondary including big plays by Kani Walker and Peyton Bowen. Despite sacks and TFLs being down, the defense seems better (20:20). We read your "3 Word Reviews" and finish up with some brief comments about the day in college football (37:30). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

In the opening take, Lee tells you what he'll be watching for Saturday night when OU hosts SMU. Then Grant joins to talk more about how good the Sooners looked against Ark State (4:00). We go over the injury updates provided by Brent Venable, plus good news for Gavin Sawchuk and R Mason Thomas (14:00). SMU's offense will present a nice challenge for OU. Preston Stone is a good player, but the Sooners should have some chances to get him uncomfortable (17:25). SMU's defense had a ton of success against La Tech, but it turns out that La Tech has a horrible offense. This could be a good chance for OU's D-Line to show their stuff, plus Lee hopes the secondary shows out (31:40). We both think OU will win the game, but we're not going to guess a score. We go over more things that we want to see Saturday night (37:50). We go around the Big 12 slate and give our thoughts on a littany of matchups this week. What's Ok State going to be this year (49:15)? Our picks were not very good last week, but we're back at it with 5 more selections including Colorado-Nebraska/Ole Miss-Tulane/Texas A&M-Miami/Texas-Alabama/Oregon-Texas Tech (1:04:45). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

OU opened the season with an impressive 73-0 win over Arkansas State. Lee says he's incredibly pleased with the way the Sooners played. Dillon Gabriel played the best game of his career, and it was nice to see an extended appearance from Jackson Arnold (1:25). The OU pass catchers showed a lot of promise (9:00). Tawee Walker looked like OU's best running back on a day when that group was overall just fine (12:50). Gavin Freeman's punt return TD was fantastic and we hope that leads to more impressive special teams plays (19:40). Grant wants to praise a couple of the young TEs for some nice plays, and Lee has some positive words for Jeff Lebby (22:50). The defense pitched a shutout in what was a steady, albeit non-flashy performance (26:30). We read your "3 Word Reviews" (36:35). We're going to learn a lot more about OU next week against SMU (51:00). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

No opening take as the "Big Season Preview" continues. We start by taking some national negative narratives surrounding OU, but argue the positive side of why that narrative isn't correct. The first topic includes Ted Roof and his history of mediocre, to bad defenses (1:35). CBS Sports can't pick the Sooners to do well because they want to see Brent Venables prove he can coach. Why are these experts wrong (6:30)? Everyone is picking Texas to win the Big 12, but Sark's first two seasons haven't been anything special. Why does Brent Venables have to prove himself, but Sark is not being questioned (10:40)? If OU goes 12-0 in the regular season, how did that happen? Plus we make our official predictions on what we think OU's record is going to be (14:50). We don't talk recruiting much, but obviously getting David Stone is a big deal. Winning will hopefully get more of these types of blue chippers (22:40). We take a quick step away from OU to talk about the gambling stories involving Iowa and Iowa State players. Feel free to skip ahead if you don't care (26:10). Grant's talked himself into Iowa State as a sleeper team in the Big 12 (35:35). Of the new Big 12 teams, UCF could be the most interesting, right? Lee asks why Houston's win total is so low (39:20)? As much as we hate to admit it, Texas seems to be the obvious favorite to win the Big 12 (41:40). Can Texas Tech really threaten to win the conference (45:15)? Lee thinks conference realignment looks interesting beginning in 2024. Grant is worried that college football is changing for the worse (49:00). We take a look at the Week 1 Big 12 slate (56:10). Finally, we make our Week 1 picks. Games include Florida-Utah/Colorado-TCU/UTSA-Houston/North Carolina-South Carolina/LSU-FSU (1:00:30). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

In the opening take, Grant is fully pumped for football season. Then Lee joins to try and remember the last time they watched an OU game together. We're not buying that Marcus Major and Justin Harrington will be atop the depth chart all season long (5:45). We look back at what turned out to be a prescient season preview show from 2022 (20:45). Our "Big Season Preview" for 2023 includes a bunch of unanswerable questions, beginning with OU's up tempo offense (30:35). Will Jackson Arnold play significant snaps in 2023 (37:35)? Will OU's defense improve (44:50)? Will the Sooners be a better team after halftime (48:40)? Will we know by the end of the season if Jeff Lebby is the right guy for OC (53:20)? Will Ted Roof make it through the season (59:40)? Will we know by the end of the season if Brent Venables is the right man for the job (1:04:50)? We decide to be jerks and debate which 3 veteran players will be more of a non-factor throughout the season (1:08:20). There's been positive developments on the Jayden Gibson front (1:15:00). Which player's All-American season can lead OU to 10 wins in the regular season? We answer, plus we read listener picks from the WoE Facebook (1:17:50). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

In the opening take, Lee explains why he's skeptical about OU's chances of having a successful season in 2023. Then Grant joins to provide his thoughts on the current makeup of the team. As of now, the guys both anticipate OU finishing under 9.5 wins. What are some things you saw last year that you hope OU can keep up in 2023? What about some things that absolutely have to be different (7:45)? We spend a large amount of time breaking down each position group, beginning with the offense (45:30). Lee has thoughts on players changing numbers, then the guys play "wow, that guy's still on the team?!" We finish up by reading comments/questions from the WoE Facebook page (1:36:40). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

In the opening take, Lee says something seemed off about OU's 2023 schedule release. Then Grant joins as the guys try to decide if there's something shady happening with the schedule behind the scenes? OU's home slate is not very exciting. Is Kansas going to be a "trap game" (4:10)? Lee goes into his grab bag for a topic. David Ugwoegbu is transferring to Houston and will play DE. What does this mean (13:10)? Grant blames OU's previous coaching staff for putting Ugwoegbu in a bad spot from the beginning (20:05). Let's take a look at OU's linebacker room (23:15). Apparently Jeff Lebby is a possible candidate for the open OC job at Alabama (27:55). Back to transfer portal news. Joshua Eaton is off to Texas State. It sure seems like the previous coaching staff could not identify talent on defense (32:40). We go over all the players OU's added out of the portal since our last show. Grant likes DE Rondell Bothroyd, a tackle from Stanford will probably start day one, and can a former Michigan player bolster OU's thin WR room (36:30)? OU brought in a new WR coach since our last show. Jackson Arnold won the Gatorade National Player of the Year over a couple of big names, and OU officially has a top-5 signing class (47:00). We've got a date for the Spring Game. What's our early read on attendance (52:40)? Lee has some troubling stats that show just how bad of a year Brent Venables had compared to other first-year head coaches in college football (55:40). Then Grant shares even more troubling evidence about Venables that should scare the heck out of you (1:03:20). Grant has some more thoughts on OU's projected offensive line and Dillon Gabriel (1:10:35). We finish up with some brief thoughts on the OU men's basketball team before they play Bedlam Wednesday (1:14:30). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

The guys are back at the mics to discuss OU's close Cheez-It Bowl loss to Florida State. They open the show by briefly discussing the road-like atmosphere for the Sooners in Orlando, while praising the bowl game for making a second-tier bowl feel pretty important (:40). OU should have won despite being 10-point underdogs. The game sure seemed to play out similar to a lot of other OU losses this season. Grant liked the way OU's offensive line played despite missing multiple starters (3:05). Let's talk about the game, beginning with C.J. Coldon's missed opportunity on the game's first series (12:00). Dillon Gabriel was terrific on OU's first offensive series that gave the Sooners an early 7-3 lead (14:30). Kudos to the OU defensive line stopping FSU on 3rd-1 and 4th-1 in the 1st Quarter. Grant says Jeffery Johnson had maybe his best game of the season. The defense played well for the majority of the game, even though FSU WR Johnny Wilson torched the Sooners (18:40). The guys were impressed with FSU QB Jordan Travis. Why didn't they run him more (23:40)? Danny Stutsman looked really good and fast when he chased down Travis for a sack (26:05). Back to discussing the game. OU's offense took a 14-3 after DG scored on a clever zone read design (28:20). We jump ahead to Marvin Mims' first awesome sideline catch, which was followed up by a Gavin Sawchuck TD run called back due to penalty. This was a huge sequence in the game (30:50). Grant's number 1 takeaway from the Cheez-It Bowl is that Sawchuck is a star in the making. Where has he been all year? Lee's not as high on Jovantae Barnes as everybody else (33:45)? Brent Venables told his team to not "play to the scoreboard" against FSU. Lee can't imagine saying that to a team as a coach, while Grant doesn't think it's a big deal (41:50). Grant says the difference in the bowl game was the Sawchuck fumble and the Savion Byrd holding penalty. Grant is ultimately encouraged by what he saw from OU vs. FSU (44:40). Lee's got more criticism for Venables. It was unacceptable to call timeout on defense in the 2nd half of a one-score game. OU cost itself :22 seconds at the end of the game. Poor game management yet again (46:45). Grant reminds us that the current coaching staff looks to be elite at recruiting and Grant doeesn't think people who thought OU would get blown out should be able to criticize Venables today (50:25). Lee lays out the two (maybe three) different types of OU fans that exist right now. Plus more Gavin Sawchuck and Jovantae Barnes talk (54:00). We cover a bunch extra Cheez-It Bowl topics and beyond as we check in on your "3-Word Reviews" from the WoE Facebook page and Twitter (59:20). One listener reminds us that Texas still sucks. Lee gives a brief update on what to expect from the show coming up in the offseason. Grant brings up Trace Ford transferring to OU (1:27:30). We wrap things up by talking about who we think will win the National Championship (1:32:00). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

The guys are back at the mics after a Merry Christmas gathering in Oklahoma City. While we are days away from OU playing FSU in the Cheez-It Bowl, Lee & Grant open the show by congratulating Brent Venbales on securing the Number 5 recruiting class in 2023. We've now seen plenty of evidence Venables and this staff can recruit -- but, can they *coach* (2:15)? Grant was highly entertained by the Peyton Bowen saga last week. Lee is already guarding against Bowen's bust potential as a 5-star safety (9:10). Lee has some brief thoughts on Jackson Arnold, particularly Arnold's size. Grant thinks P. Bowen looks terrific on tape, and Grant provides more quick thoughts on some of the members of OU's 2023 class (19:45). Lee hopes Jacobe Johnson turns into an elite CB and once again Lee's probably going to get sucked into thinking OU can have awesome DBs (24:40). OU's picked up some new transfers since our last show, which includes one of Indiana's best young defensive players and one Texas Tech DB who Sooners fans will recognize (27:50). It appears Trace Ford has interest in coming to OU. Are we interested? We also dive a little into OU's ability to get TFLs this past season (36:45). The guys think OU needs to pick up an impact WR in the transfer portal. Lee has a funny feeling that Marvin Mims won't be on the roster in 2023. Could D.J. Graham stay at OU and become a viable WR (44:15)? Let's talk Cheez-It Bowl. OU are big underdogs against a FSU team who seems to be fully invested in winning this game. How good is FSU? Should the Seminoles really be favored by this much (48:10)? Florida put up a lot of points and yards against FSU a month ago, is that a sign the Sooners will score? What other factors make you feel good about OU's chances? FSU QB Jordan Travis can be devastating with his legs (1:00:15). FSU's offense has the most explosive plays in all of college football. Meanwhile, OU's defense has defended more snaps than any other team in college football (1:09:40). What if OU tries to move on from Dillon Gabriel after the bowl game? Would Spencer Sanders be a better option than DG in 2023? Where does Jackson Arnold fit in in 2023 (1:13:30)? We take a couple of comments from the WoE Facebook page. Will this be the weirdest spring in recent OU memory? What's the "best case" and "worst case" scenarios for the Cheez-It Bowl (1:28:15)? Finally, Lee wants to compare the current OU team to the 2008 OU team. Stick around for some surprising "3 & out" numbers (1:32:50). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

Oklahoma will play Florida State in the Cheez-It Bowl. Grant thought OU would play Iowa. Lee wanted the Sooners to play Wisconsin. Are the Sooners walking into a buzz saw (:45)? A lot of players have entered the transfer portal. If you thought OU had a lot of roster turnover last season, well you haven't seen anything yet (8:40). Austin Stogner is coming back to OU -- what? There are some talented players in the portal who hold OU offers, including a future NFL receiver (21:00). We read your comments and questions from the WoE Facebook page. If Clemson defensive players want to transfer to OU, will Venables take them? Grant tries to start talking himself into OU beating FSU (30:30). Will former OSU players transfer to OU (39:30)? Is it possible Malcolm Kelly could take over as OU's wide receivers coach (41:20)? Should we cut Brent Venables some slack after going 6-6 in the reg. season (43:50)? How did TCU lose to K-State in the Big 12 Title? Grant thinks there's a reality in which TCU beats Michigan. The Playoff matchups are actually pretty interesting (48:25). Deion Sanders going to Colorado is interesting and entertaining. At first it was reported Mike Zimmer was going to be his DC, but then actually that was wrong (53:10). Caleb Williams is probably going to win the Heisman, but he's become very unlikable of late. Lee has thoughts about quarterbacks crying (58:10). We're recording in the middle of Baker Mayfield's debut with the Rams. Lee admits he was wrong about Jalen Hurts. OU-FSU plays right before Texas plays Washington in the Alamo Bowl (1:02:35). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

OU was terrific for the first quarter and a half as the Sooners built up a 24-6 lead. From there it was all downhill as Oklahoma left Lubbock with an OT loss and a mediocre 6-6 record. Where do we begin? The defense started great before reverting back to what we had seen in the middle portions of the year. Dillon Gabriel played very well, yet the offense failed in multiple situational spots. Join us as we try and make sense of this very uncertain time in OU football. | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

Lee opens the show by sharing some news about his evening plans that nobody will surely care about. But then we jump into our takeaways from Jeff Lebby's Monday press conference. What did we want to hear from OU's offensive coordinator? Lebby said he learned after the Bedlam game that OU's offense needs to stay aggressive. What do we make of that (1:50)? We got a brief glimpse into when Lebby thinks it's best to manage the clock in games. Grant rails on OU's tempo offense yet again. Is the tempo designed to cover up a simple offense (9:00)? Lebby addressed OU's 3rd down struggles of late. Lee still wants some Wildcat answers (17:30). We get Brent Venables' take on all the clock management issues. Do we sense a bit of a disconnect between Venables and Lebby (22:55)? OU's a small road favorite at Texas Tech. It's weird to feel good about the Sooners' defense going into a game while we are all left wondering what to make of the offense as they prepare to go to Lubbock (27:40). Is it possible we see Woodi Washington and C.J. Coldon return next season (44:00)? We take a look at the Big 12 slate in the final week of the regular season (46:10) before making our weekly picks and lamenting the possibility that USC will make the Playoff (53:45). Lee wants to talk about a random listener review from iTunes that was posted back in 2020 (1:15:45). And finally, we do our yearly rant against Thanksgiving food (1:21:40). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

It was Lee's first OU game as a "fan" since 2012 -- and boy was that a weird Bedlam. An incredible 1st Qtr gave way to a puzzling and frustrating final 3 Qtrs for the offense. The Sooners' defense was pretty darn good all night. We give the defense their due, before diving into the offensive ineptitude. At the end we read your "3-Word Reviews". | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

Lee was shocked Bedlam got a 6:30 pm kickoff as the guys open the show talking briefly about why that probably happened. Then Lee decides to point out some positive things going for OU right now (3:20). OU's a healthy favorite in Bedlam, but is it possible Brent Venables has lost the locker room after last week's loss (13:20)? Is this a "must-win" game for OU (21:00)? We take a look at the rest of the Big 12 slate (33:20) before making our weekly picks against the spread (40:15). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

For the first time in the podcast's history, Lee & Grant sat down to record the show about 90 minutes after OU lost to WVU 23-20. Grant says the Mountaineers were begging to lose that game, but OU failed time and time again to put them away. For the first time this year, Lee's questioning whether the Sooners will make a bowl game (1:40). OU was awful on 3rd down, WVU was fantastic on 4th down, Eric Gray was the best player on the field, and the Sooners found a way to leave 18 points on the field in the first half. What's going on with Marvin Mims? Who's to blame for the OPI -- Theo Wease or Brayden Willis? (7:20). Is the Wildcat not in the playbook anymore (15:40)? One of the two bright spots for OU's offense came in the first half when the Sooners marched 96 yards to take a 10-0 lead. But all the momentum was wiped away after WVU answered with a quick TD of their own (20:00). WVU's defense was showing OU looks that could have been exploited in the passing game, but the Sooners didn't take them. Penalties and missed opportunities led to OU trailing 13-12 in the 3rd qtr (23:00). The offense had its second highlight of the afternoon going 59 yards to score and take a 20-13 lead. At this point it seemed like the Sooners maybe had righted the ship -- but then OU allowed WVU to convert on a fake punt and all hell broke loose. The refs picked up a flag that really hurt OU (26:20). Of course OU went 3 & out after WVU tied the game at 20. Jalil Farooq is OU's best WR right now (35:40). After the defense stepped up and got a stop, OU kept the ball on the ground exclusively. Grant says OU's tempo cost them. We question Venables' decision to kick a FG on 4th & short (37:40). WVU used up the final 6:24 to go down and kick a GW FG. Why didn't OU let WVU score with under a minute to go (43:00)? Lee says it's unacceptable for OU to be 5-5. Brent Venables is not going to get fired, but his seat is hot (47:40). OU leads the Big 12 in rushing and the offensive line looked to play pretty well. But it's crazy that best case scenario right now is 7-5 in the regular season. Lee reads some postgame quotes from Venables, including one on kicking a FG late (52:30). We read your "3-Word Reviews" to close out the show (59:55). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

Lee starts the show with some news that hopefully does not change the show too much. The guys then talk about a big time recruit decommiting. After that, Lee & Grant are perplexed by Brent Venables making an excuse about his defense being inexperienced (while saying he's not making excuses). We take a look at the upcoming matchup at West Virginia, the latest CFP rankings, and finally we make our weekly picks. | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

Four first half turnovers (3 INT, 1 TO on downs) effectively was the difference in OU's 38-35 loss to Baylor Saturday. The guys jump around to what bothered them, what they liked, and as always we read your "3-Word Reviews" (there's a lot of them). And to all of those people who did not enjoy the TV broadcast of the Iowa State game, we totally understand where you're coming from after watching the most recent game on TV. | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

Lee opens the show by taking an unwarranted shot at Grant to cover up for his lack of show prep. They then dive into Billy Bowman's health and the amount of snaps he played vs. Iowa State. Lee thinks he'll be back starting and playing a bunch this week against Baylor (1:30). Jovantae Barnes is a game time decision this week. Eric Gray will once again be super important this week and it appears we have discovered that UCF transfer RB Bentavious Thompson is a non-factor on this team (10:05). Lee was really hard on Woodi Washington last episode. Well, Lee was wrong to be so critical and Grant was right (18:00). C.J. Coldon is still not playing very many snaps. Freshman Gentry Williams looked good in very limited playing time vs. ISU. It also seems like they've tightened up the DB rotations, and what happened to Justin Harrington and Kani Walker (24:05)? OU's a short favorite against Baylor, but the Bears may be a lot better than their record indicates. Lee likes what he's seen from Blake Shapen, even though he didn't want to like him. Grant says Shapen has been up & down this year. OU may be able to make some plays with special teams this Saturday (31:40). Jeff Grimes is a really good OC, but Baylor does have tendencies on offense that OU could possibly recognize and anticipate certain plays and pass routes. Grant says Alex Grinch's system was horrible against Grimes' system (42:20). Lee thinks the OU offense has an opportunity to steal some yards against Baylor. Grant wants the Sooners' offense to throw it around the yard on Baylor's secondary (49:05). Does anybody care about the first CFP rankings (58:20)? We take a look at the Big 12 slate, which includes an intriguing OSU-Kansas matchup from a betting perspective. And are oddsmakers telling us to hammer Iowa State against WVU? Grant shares a betting story about his time in the free state of Iowa last weekend (1:03:05)? We make our weekly picks. Games include Oregon St.-Washington/Tennessee-Georgia/Texas-Kansas St./Clemson-Notre Dame/Wake Forest-NC State (1:14:00). Dave Aranda has bounced back from a bad first year at Baylor. Does that give you hope for the future in case OU struggles the rest of the season (1:26:35)? | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

Oklahoma returned from the off week with a nice 27-13 road win at Iowa State. Despite uninspiring stats, Dillon Gabriel played really well. Eric Gray continued his terrific season. What was with Marvin Mims? Jalil Farooq continues to shine. The defense played its best game since Nebraska. Lee's happy with the takeaways, but he saw chances for more. Special Teams was fantastic and we read your "3-Word Reviews". | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

In the opening take, Lee addresses Brent Venables talking about OU's extended "self-scout" over the bye week. Then Grant joins to remind everybody we're taking this thing one game at a time, and what a "self-scout" means to him (3:35). Are we going to see Billy Bowman back against Iowa State (8:00)? DJ Graham has moved to wide receiver and this whole situation is bizarre (16:35). Lee asked Jeff Lebby if the backup QB position has changed since Dillon Gabriel's been healthy. Lee then reminds everybody that Gabriel's health is incredibly important and if he misses anymore time this season OU has no chance to win those games (22:00). OU's at Iowa State and this game is basically a toss up. OU's offense against ISU's defense is the matchup to watch for Grant (27:00). We rip on Hunter Dekkers a lot. He's probably not as bad as we make it out to be. Grant seems to think he's a less slippery, left-handed version of Brock Purdy. Xavier Hutchinson is ISU's whole offense (40:10). We read some comments from the WoE Facebook page, one of which involved former Baylor and Panthers HC Matt Rhule (50:40). We take a look at the rest of the Big 12 slate (53:30). We make our weekly picks against the spread. Ohio State-Penn State/Notre Dame-Syracuse/OSU-K-State/Kentucky-Tennessee/Ole Miss-Texas A&M. Texas A&M being a disaster this season has been fun to watch. We also drag Michigan State and Miami a bit as well (58:05). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

The Sooners got a much needed win Saturday over Kansas. Grant had a lot of fun watching OU play and the guys open the show talking about the return of Dillon Gabriel, and how the win over KU felt all too familiar (1:00). Eric Gray was terrific Saturday. Have we seen the end of Marcus Major (18:45)? Marvin Mims got 16 targets. Keep them coming. Brayden Willis continues to have his best season at OU. Welcome back Theo Wease (23:15). Lee applauds the offense for burning a lot of clock in the 4th qtr to help put the game away (31:15). Grant is more positive about the defense, while Lee saw some good things but ultimately was not impressed (33:25). We read your "3-Word Reviews" which includes comments on the "Unity" uniforms, Robert Spears-Jennings getting some meaningful snaps, C.J. Coldon's nice interception, concerns that OU's defense is so bad with a defensive minded head coach, is OU a good team?, our thoughts on Bye weeks, and early musings on Iowa State (41:45). We finish up with thoughts on the crazy Tennessee-Alabama finish, and USC finally losing a game. College football is awesome (56:20). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

No opening take. Brent Venables hints that he's changed the weekly schedule up a bit this week to freshen up his team. Lee clarifies where he's at with this OU team after rewatching the defense against TCU and Texas -- hint: this is a bad defense with bad players (1:30). We hit on a Facebook message with some wrap up thoughts and questions about OU's Wildcat decisions in the OU-Texas game. Also, is it possible Nick Evers is better than Davis Beville right now but the coaches just don't think he's ready for action yet? What about Micah Bowens in the Wildcat (14:45)? Brent Venables got a little defensive when asked about 3-man and 4-man fronts at his press conference this week. Lee watched back the first 6 games and tracked how many defensive snaps OU had 3 DL on the field and 4 DL on the field (25:00). We don't have a lot to say about this OU-Kansas game outside of the very surprising betting line (32:40). OU will wear alternate uniforms Saturday (41:00). A listener asks if Lincoln Riley deserves an apology? Some additional thoughts on how the defense could maybe improve a little bit in the short term and more thoughts on how crazy it is that the defense is this bad with Brent Venables as the coach (47:00). A look at the Big 12 this week (1:03:20). We make our 5 picks of the week. Penn State-Michigan/Alabama-Tennessee/OSU-TCU/NC State-Syracuse-USC-Utah. Apologies for last week being absolutely horrible (1:05:45). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

It's back-to-back blowout losses for the Sooners as we are now forced to talk all about it. It's perfectly reasonable to be way down on this team (like Grant), but Lee is not quite there because of one specific reason. We also read your "3 Word Reviews" (there were a bunch of them). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

In the opening take, Lee talks about how it's been many years since those who follow OU football have exercised a specific muscle. Then, Lee talks about how he's surprised OU-Texas has a betting line with Dillon Gabriel's status in doubt. Grant chimes in to talk about why he's not excited for this upcoming game, it doesn't seem like OU can win, and we talk more about previous OU games that are similar to OU's loss to TCU (6:15). Will Dillon Gabriel play vs. Texas (12:25)? Anything can happen in rivalry games, right? We talk about the 2009 OU-Texas game, which was the last time Texas was favored to beat OU (16:35). How does OU win this game if Dillon Gabriel doesn't play? The backup QB situation at OU is so terrible and we just figured out that Davis Beville was Pitt's 3rd string QB last season (22:00). How many points would it take for you to bet OU if you knew Beville was starting (29:00)? Lee thinks OU's defense can play better against Texas, but he's afraid it may not matter based on the QB situation. Grant is trying to figure out why OU's defense has looked this bad the last 2 games. It doesn't make sense (30:55). Texas has a bunch of really good skill players plus one of the best offensive playcallers in football. Super. Does it matter who plays QB for Texas (35:25)? We don't know who will be playing against Texas because there's so many unknown OU injuries (40:30). What's the deal with the major busts in OU's secondary (43:55)? We share our "gut feelings" on how OU-Texas will play out. Lee has a positive note about Davis Beville and it would be fun if Jaren Kanak played QB at times against Texas (47:20). Once again, there's some interesting matchups in the Big 12 this week (54:50). Time to make our picks, which were pretty good last week. Tennessee-LSU/TCU-Kansas/Utah-UCLA/Washington State-USC/Florida State-NC State (59:10). Grab bag topics at the end include Baker Mayfield playing bad football, Jalen Hurts looking great, and Tua's concussion (1:14:25). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

It was one of the worst OU football games in years as the Sooners were smoked 55-24 by TCU in Fort Worth. The defense was even worse than a week ago. What's up with the outrageous busts in the secondary? Injuries were everywhere. Before his exit, Dillon Gabriel was missing way too many throws. We read your "3 Word Reviews" and do our best to provide some psychological relief after what we saw on Saturday. | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

In the opening take, Lee explains how it took just 4 games for him to completely change his mind about a particular aspect of this OU football team. Then Grant joins to talk more about that stupid loss to Kansas State and how Brent Venables seemed super solemn at his weekly news conference. Plus Lee has more thoughts on that fateful 3rd & 16 play (2:20). We look at the positives of the K-State game, which includes Eric Gray's performance and the way OU ran the ball against K-State. Also, Dillon Gabriel played pretty well against K-State, save from 3 throws (22:20). Grant says one of the most impactful moments of the game was when OU was called for delay of game after K-State slow played their substitution on 4th down (27:30). OU's a 6.5 point favorite against TCU. The Frogs have an awesome offense and it's impossible to predict which OU defense we will see Saturday. OU's got some problems at linebacker and at safety (32:50). TCU's defense looks a lot like K-State's defense, which makes us feel pretty good about OU's chances of moving the ball (41:45). 5-star DL David Hicks commits to Texas A&M and Grant is shocked (50:00). The entire Big 12 slate is interesting this week. Will KU beat Iowa State? Texas will probably beat WVU (59:00). Our picks were bad last week. Grant thinks Arkansas will beat Alabama outright, and that's not even one of our official picks. We take a stab at Washington-UCLA/Kentucky-Ole Miss/Texas Tech-Kansas State/OSU-Baylor/NC State-Clemson (1:02:00). Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

Well, we didn't see that coming Saturday night. OU's defense was really bad against an offense that played its best game of the season. We complain about a lot of stuff, read your "3 Word Reviews", and get a lot of frustration off our our chests. Meanwhile, the Sooners' offense was pretty good against the best defense it had faced so far this season. | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

No opening take. The guys immediately address whether they think Brent Venables will have OU ready to play by kickoff Saturday night (1:30)? Brent Venables said the Nebraska game wasn't bigger to him than other games, which leads to Lee ranting about how Texas has been able to play OU close and beat them over the last decade. Grant doesn't buy it though (7:10). Will it be easier to predict what kind of OU team we will see week to week under Brent Venables (12:20)? We hope this is the most nuanced, intelligent discussion regarding the end of football Bedlam that you'll hear (14:40). What do we make of Adrian Martinez's slow start so far at K-State (30:45)? Deuce Vaughn's still K-State's best player, but he did not do a whole lot against Tulane (36:45). Brent Venables and OU's defense gave up a healthy amount of points to K-State from 1999-2011 (41:00). Malik Knowles and Phillip Brooks are still on the K-State roster, but zero wide receivers are over 100 yards receiving (43:35). K-State's defense is really good. Could it end up being the best defense OU sees during the regular season (44:55)? OU will have to run the ball effectively through K-State's 3-3-5 look. What will Jeff Lebby's game plan look like (51:45)? Lee struggles to explain why he thinks OU -12.5 has a lot of value. Does it make sense in the end? You decide (56:10). Dillon Gabriel has not played well against high level defenses in his career. Will that trend continue Saturday (1:03:15)? Over to the Big 12. West Virginia may be the worst team in the conference. KU is favored to beat Duke. We don't know anything about TCU yet. Grant like Tech to beat Texas outright (1:04:30). The guys are each 10-5 so far this year on their weekly picks. Our 5 games this week are Clemson-Wake Forest/Baylor-Iowa State/Washington St.-Oregon/Arkansas-Texas A&M/USC-Oregon State (1:09:00). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

OU dominated Nebraska on the road and there's not many things we can complain about. Dillon Gabriel certainly answered the call, the defense was fantastic (after the first series), Eric Gray made us look really stupid, and yay Jaren Kanek! | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

In the opening take, Lee takes a look at some interesting developments in the movement of the OU-Nebraska betting line. Then Grant joins to go over some of the latest news surrounding the Sooners including the upcoming return of Wanya Morris, an injury update from Brent Venables, and future series with Georgia and Tennesse getting canceled (3:00). Turning our attention to OU-Nebraska. This will be the most hostile environment Dillon Gabriel's ever played in (13:45). Nebraska's offense is very good, led by Casey Thompson (26:10). Nebraska has the worst defense in P5 football (40:00). Lee tells you his OU-Nebraska prediction, although he doesn't love the pick. Plus we give final thoughts on the matchup (51:05). We read questions and comments from the "West of Everest" Facebook page (58:25). Let's talk about the Big 12, but first Lee has to rant about hating Iowa. K-State blew out Missouri last week, Kansas looks competent, and we were both dead wrong about the Texas-Alabama game (1:02:40). We do our weekly picks which include BYU-Oregon/Penn State-Auburn/Texas Tech-NC State/Michigan State-Washington/Miami-Texas A&M (1:14:25). Fresno State-USC could be interesting (1:27:40). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

After a bizarre first half, the Sooners righted the ship after halftime and took down Kent State 33-3 Saturday night in Norman. The guys talk about the last time OU allowed 3 or fewer points to a FBS school, before going into detail on the excellent effort put forth by the defense (7:45). It was a tale of good & bad for the OU offense against Kent State (31:45). The Memorial Stadium in-game experience was different Saturday night, plus we read your "3 Word Reviews" (53:10). We finish up by hitting on USC's elite offense and our early thoughts about OU-Nebraska (58:50). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

In the opening take, Lee's happy the CFP will expand relatively soon, but the new system could be even better. Then Grant joins to provide his thoughts on the Playoff expanding to 12 teams. Lee is trying to be open minded about why some people do not want the Playoff to expand. The guys talk about a Twitter exchange by Joel Klatt and Josh Pate (5:45). What defines success in a college football season? Who defines success for each team (17:45)? Lee explains why college football (and football in general) will continue to be popular year in and year out (25:00). Are we being too hard on Dillon Gabriel? Grant likes Jalen Hurts in the NFL, Lee does not (27:50). Brent Venables provided a Wanya Morris update this week. Is the OU O-Line going to underachieve? Upon review, Lee thought OU ran the ball pretty well against UTEP (34:55). Brent Venables loves Gavin Freeman (40:20). OU's a massive favorite against Kent State. Kent State has an interesting QB and a couple of talented WRs, but man they are bad on defense (44:40). We go over this weekend's Big 12 slate including thoughts on Missouri-K-State, Houston-Texas Tech, Kansas-West Virginia, Arizona St.-OSU, TCU-Tarleton, and of course Iowa St.-Iowa (1:08:40). Grant was 5-0 ATS last week. We make our picks for South Carolina-Arkansas/Alabama-Texas/Tennessee-Pitt/App State-Texas A&M/Baylor-BYU (1:18:50). We finish up with our thoughts on the end of the Florida State-LSU game (1:32:00). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9