"10 Wins And No Excuses" - Mark It Down Dec 15th, 2008 at 10:58pm

I voted for the last one, I don’t know that I would say we are even a 7-8 win team but I do like that he is putting this out there before we get into the season as hopefully everyone will be super motivated in the spring. Where the team ended up during the season was the kind of place that we need a full good spring to set us up to be successful next year, and it is going to require a lot, so hopefully he recognizes that and will bring us something good. On the other hand, part of me thinks he is just doing this to diffuse and preempt the current situation. Time will tell I guess.

The big issue will be what can they do about injuries and eligibility. I am not expecting any immediate impact from this years class, but if we can get healthy and get these guys heads screwed on straight, I think a Big 12 north title is not out of the realm of possibilities. I would hope that could end up in a BCS title game, but with Colt McCoy coming back, I think we will have our hands full with Texas in the BCS title game next year. I am guessing Bradford will bolt for the NFL, so I expect that Oklahoma will be down next year.

Coaches always talk a bunch of trash at those banquet things and he may regret saying it later, but I like it too. Honestly, going into this year I thought we would win about 7 and then go to the Big 12 title game and win 10 in 2009. I THOUGHT 2009 would be our year to really bust onto the scene again, but those thoughts changed a bit after this years disaster. Who knows though, maybe with all the injured players coming back and some good coaching it is possible.

I won’t be all that surprised if we win only 6 games next year, nor will I be terribly surprised if we win 10. Anything can happen in college football (see Montana St., the Miracle in Michigan, and the 2008 injury list for a few examples), and that’s why it’s so damn addictive and fun to watch. That being said, if I was a gambler, I wouldn’t put my money on 10 wins. But I’m glad to hear Hawkins is setting the bar high. Hopefully he’s communicating the same message to recruits.