CRFF Roundtable: Post Bedlam Edition

The regular season is over, which means we can now turn our attention to basketball.

Before we get to that though, let’s take a look back at Bedlam and the Gundy rumors. As always, leave your thoughts in the comments section below!

Let's start with a look back at Bedlam. What are your final thoughts on the game?

Tyler Weiderhoft: I'm ready to put it behind me and move on to beating Colorado. I don't think I have anything good to say about Bedlam this year.

Will Hendrickson: I was disappointed. With the way we ran the ball I thought we had a solid shot to steal this game from OU. But Gundy's conservative gameplan, Rudolph's poor play, and our indefensible 3 man rush against Baker Mayfield pretty much ruined any chance of a Bedlam victory. As good as Rudolph has been at times this season, he played by far his worst game in the biggest game of the year. The lack of creativity from our offense was so frustrating. We had a number of opportunities to be creative, mix it up and take some chances. Instead, we called the game like we were the better team, and playing not to lose. Is there no trickeration in the play book? Why did we only throw it deep 3 times? I don't understand. I was also equally as frustrated with our 3rd down pass rush. Rushing three and giving Mayfield 10 seconds to throw the football will get you burned ten times out of ten. Glenn Spencer wanted to learn the hard way I guess.

Christopher Snodgress: It was frustrating. I am in the minority in that I lay the blame first at the feet of Rudolph. Or, really, on his right arm. While there is no arguing against the fact that the game was called exceedingly conservatively, watching the game unfold and listening to both Gundy and Rudolph in their postgame interviews, I think Rudolph's poor play influenced the way the game was called. You aren't going to air it out when your quarterback is struggling to complete a pass. I've seen the "3-3 on deep balls" stat, but that means he was 8-22 on everything else. Yes, there were some drops, but there were many more poor throws by Rudolph. He looked uncomfortable, out of sync, and like he was (again) struggling to control the ball. I will say that there was a point in the game when I felt Gundy should have thrown out the game plan and risked it even with Rudolph's struggles, but I don't think it would have gone any better if he had. But that's definitely a risk you have to take at that point. I said before the game that I expected OU's offense to hold up in the bad weather better than OSU's, and that's what happened. OU is the more talented team. OSU still had a chance to go into Norman and win the game, but in my opinion, there was no play calling that would have overcome Rudolph's poor performance on that particular day. It became clear that all OSU had going was the run game (what a freaking world) and once OU loaded up to stop the run and straight up dared the Cowboys to throw it, they could not do so effectively. Ballgame.

Sumer Wensman: I wanted to vomit. I cried a little. Gundy made a point earlier in the season about not trying to reinvent the wheel against tougher opponents, but I'm not sure even even tried to use a wheel. That was just a downhill fall. Overly conservative play calling. We're all kind of quick to blame Mason, however someone has to catch the ball, and that did not happen. I understand that the conditions were less than favorable, but I know these guys have played games in inclement weather before. And our defense was less than stellar. We weren't ourselves that day. I'm completely disappointed, but I cannot say I'm shocked.

Joel Penfield: It was sad to watch, especially the second half. This is the second year in a row I've seen OSU collapse in Bedlam. They got obliterated in every facet of the game. The saddest part of the game was seeing OU counter everything OSU did, and OSU making no adjustments to try and beat OU, that's just poor coaching.

While we still have a bowl game to play, go ahead and sum up your thoughts on the season as a whole in one word.

Tyler: Typical....as of late, this is a very average season. 9 or 10 wins, one bad loss (Baylor was not a bad loss at the time), lose Bedlam. I know all you older generations know times before Gundy, but I don't. Since I've known OSU football (3-4 years), this has been the norm for Gundy and the Cowboys.

Will: Exhausting.

Christopher: Typical. Which is more good than it is bad. It's typical that OSU lost a winnable game against OU and the regular season ended in disappointment, but it's also typical that OSU legitimately won ten games, which is a HUGE credit to Gundy and the program he's built. Count me among the fans who won't let a loss to OU completely overwrite a tremendous season or the fact that tremendous is what we've come to expect.

Sumer: Hellacious

Joel: Heart-attack inducing. (That’s not one word joel)

On a scale of 1 to 10, how worried were you about the “Gundy to Baylor and Oregon” rumors?

Tyler: Baylor - I'd say -4. Ask me two years ago, and I'd say like a 7 or 8 - especially with the money they reportedly offered. But these days, Baylor is actually a step down in my opinion, and Gundy would have wrecked his career by accepting Baylor. Oregon was about a 4. I thought it was more likely he could go out West, but I never really thought it would happen. If A&M and Florida couldn't lure him away, I didn't think Oregon would.

Will: I'd probably say 4 or 5. I didn't initially give the Baylor rumors much merit until Robert Allen started reporting on it. He seems like he would have a lot to lose if he was wrong about those rumors. I was never really worried abut the Oregon rumors though. Living in Portland, I never once heard the local media even mention Gundy's name in the coaching search.

Christopher: I'd say I was at a 2. Baylor wasn't happening. It just wasn't. Say what you want about Boone and all of the drama with him. Gundy wasn't going to Waco. Oregon was more concerning, but the rumors were also much less intense. I hoped Gundy would stay. Still do. Always will.

Sumer: I was more worried about the mullet leaving...

Joel: I know Gundy isn't going anywhere. It was a little concerning but I just cannot picture him coaching anywhere besides Oklahoma State.

With college football wrapping up, what sport or team will you now turn your attention to?

Tyler: Well, Cowboy basketball is fun to watch this year, so I'll continue to follow them, but as a born and raised Minnesotan, this is our season. IT'S HOCKEY SEASON BABY!!! *throws on hockey sweater*

Will: I'll still follow the NFL closely and shift my focus more on college basketball and the NBA. Particularly the Thunder and OSU basketball.

Christopher: Well, of course there's OSU basketball. My Colts aren't great but still in contention to win the division. I'll also turn my attention to the Thunder and to European soccer. The UEFA Champions League is getting into the knockout stage and the second halves of the LaLiga and Premier League seasons look to be exciting as well.

Sumer: Wrastlin' and the Thunder.

Joel: I'll watch just about any sport honestly. I'm looking forward to college basketball getting into conference play. Plus, baseball season is just around the corner.

Let's talk a little basketball; How far do you think OSU will go this season?

Tyler: I'm gonna predict they lose in the first round of the tournament. If they were in another conference (SEC maybe?), they would probably be killing it and get a high seed. But this is the Big 12. The best college basketball conference in the country. That hurts us, and while we still will get in the tourney, it won't be as high of a seed, resulting in us going into our first matchup as an underdog. I'm feeling about a 10-12 seed.

Will: Coming into the season, I didn't expect this team to go to the Big Dance. But now, after watching their first 8 games, I fully believe this team can get into the tourney and even steal a game in the first round. I love Underwood's brand of basketball so far and I think it will only get better.

Christopher: I really like Coach Underwood and I have high hopes for the trajectory of the program going forward, but I still have somewhat tempered expectations for this season. I think a tournament berth and competitive first round loss is probably the ceiling. I can't wait to see this team once they get into conference play.

Sumer: I can't help but feel a sense of relief for this team. I'm still convinced that Forte faked an elbow injury to get away from Ford. Underwood is what this program needs and deserves. I see at least getting to the round of 32.

Joel: This team can finish in the Top 3 of the conference. Brad Underwood's team would beat Travis Ford's team by 25. Size in the front court is a issue, but I feel there is enough shooters on this team that can be counteracted. I believe an NCAA Tournament bid can easily be attained, and I think we'll FINALLY see an OSU team make it to the Round of 32.