Oklahoma is a week away from making its first trip to San Antonio for the Alamo Bowl, where it will meet Oregon for the first time in 15 years.

So, let’s get to know the Ducks.

🏟 Game details

• Time: 8:20 p.m. CT

• TV: ESPN

• Radio: Sooner Sports Network (107.7 FM in Oklahoma City)

• Place: Alamodome, San Antonio

• Records: No. 14 Oklahoma (10-2, 7-2 Big 12); No. 15 Oregon (10-3, 7-2 Pac-12)

• Spread: Oklahoma -4 … O/U: 61.0

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🏈 The big story

Two of college football’s top programs will meet in the Alamo Bowl with interim head coaches and without key players that have already started training for the NFL draft.

Lincoln Riley left OU in the middle of the night to pursue a rebuilding job at Southern Cal just a day after the Sooners’ regular-season slate ended in Stillwater. Oklahoma fans were pleased to see Bob Stoops step up and retake control of the program for the bowl game before ultimately handing the keys off to his former assistant and new OU head coach Brent Venables.

Oregon fans also dealt with its head coach departing for a program well past its prime. Mario Cristobal at least can point to Miami being his alma mater and the area in which he grew up. Still, neither fanbase has felt particularly great about their situations.

The future looks bright for both with Venables in place at OU and Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning heading to Eugene, Oregon. As for the present, this bowl game is about one fanbase feeling a win for one final time this year and the other just happy to fully move on to the offseason.

It’s hard to predict a game like this with so many opt-outs. But the Sooners have a chance to end 2021 on a high note with Caleb Williams and OU’s offense mostly still together, plus a new play-caller in co-offensive coordinator Cale Gundy with Riley out of the picture.

👋🏽 Who’s out?

Oregon bowl opt-outs (** = transfer portal)

• **CB DJ James (46 tackles, 4 pass breakups, 2 interceptions)

• **DT Jayson Jones (19 tackles, 1.5 sacks)

• DE Kayvon Thibodeaux (49 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 8 quarterback hurries, 7 sacks, 2 forced fumbles)

• WR Devon Williams (557 receiving yards, 35 catches, 4 touchdown receptions, 15.91 yards per catch)

• CB Mykael Wright (65 tackles, 4 pass breakups, 3 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble)

Oklahoma opt-outs (* = transfer portal)

• LB Brian Asamoah (89 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles, 1 sack)

• LB Nik Bonitto (39 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 9 quarterback hurries, 7 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries, 1 forced fumble)

• **WR Jadon Haselwood (399 receiving yards, 39 catches, 6 receiving touchdowns, 10.2 yards per catch)

• **LB Jamal Morris (3 tackles)

• **QB Spencer Rattler (1,483 yards passing, 11 touchdown passes, 5 interceptions, 74.9% completion percentage)

• **HB Austin Stogner (166 receiving yards, 14 catches, 3 touchdown receptions, 11.9 yards per catch)

• DL Isaiah Thomas (38 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 8 sacks, 4 pass breakups, 3 forced fumbles, 3 quarterback hurries)

• DT Perrion Winfrey (23 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble)

Notes: Stats are for 2021 season only.

📚 Read options

• Bob Stoops the leader in public, private (Read at SoonerScoop.com)

• 'I never thought about it': Why OU running back Kennedy Brooks isn't opting out of the Alamo Bowl (Read at oklahoman.com)

• Reggie Grimes ready for 'whatever role that's given to me' (Read at soonerswire.usatoday.com)

• Oklahoma Announces Two-Deep Changes, Coaching Duties for Alamo Bowl (Read at si.com)

• Theo Wease withdraws from NCAA Transfer Portal, returns to Sooners (Read at oudaily.com)

Question of the day

As an Oklahoma fan, you’re allowed to remove one loss from the Sooners’ record books and you can only pick between OU’s controversial loss to Oregon in 2006 or its Fiesta Bowl loss to Boise State later in the year. What game are you getting rid of?

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