🏈 Grinch eyeing Lubbock?
🏈 Grinch eyeing Lubbock?
Oklahoma defensive coordinator Alex Grinch is reportedly in talks with Texas Tech for its open head coaching position. So, what's next?
✌🏽 Happy Friday, friends. There’s no Oklahoma football game tomorrow. Still, let’s ride.
🤔 Trivia: How many games has Lincoln Riley won as Oklahoma’s head coach during the month of November? [Answer in footnotes]
🚨 Grinch situation
Oklahoma defensive coordinator Alex Grinch is reportedly a candidate for Texas Tech’s vacant head coaching position, according to SoonerScoop.com’s Carey Murdock.
It’s not the first time the Sooners assistant coach has been linked to a head coaching search. He interviewed for the open Arizona job last December.
So, is this cause for concern? No, not yet.
But does it make sense? For Grinch, yes.
Alex Grinch’s success at Oklahoma has been predicated on players buying in to his unique culture. At a place like Texas Tech, getting players to buy in to its unique culture is a requirement. He already has a solid recruiting connection to the state of Texas and would be leading the program as it enters a new era for the conference.
Grinch has worked with plenty of talented offensive staffs, from Oklahoma to Ohio State to Washington State, and should easily be able to find a trustworthy offensive coordinator and support staff.
Based on SoonerScoop.com’s report, Grinch isn’t the program’s top target. But it’s not hard to imagine Texas Tech giving Grinch a shot if other coaching vacancies strip it of an opportunity to get its first choice.
📺 Big 12 on TV
OU and Texas Tech are off tomorrow, while the rest of the Big 12 chugs along. Ranking this week’s schedule:
No. 11 Oklahoma State at West Virginia (2:30 p.m. CT, ESPN): Oklahoma would love for the Cowboys to keep winning before Bedlam for the sake of building its playoff resume. The Mountaineers have shown the ability to compete with a few of the Big 12’s best — losing to OU by three points and beating Iowa State. Picking the Cowboys to win a close one here.
Texas at Iowa State (6:30 p.m. CT, FS1): Pretty incredible how unimportant this game is, compared to preseason expectations, in the current Big 12 championship race. It still remains an important contest for both schools. Iowa State is trying to maintain its slim chances of making the Big 12 title game, while Texas is looking to avoid a 4-5 start to its season.
No. 12 Baylor at TCU (2:30 p.m. CT, FOX): The Bears are a 6.5-point favorite, which feels low, considering how bad the Horned Frogs have been this season. The Bears’ biggest obstacle might be avoiding a letdown before the eighth-ranked Sooners visit town a week later.
Kansas State at Kansas (11 a.m. CT, FS1): Hot take? Kansas covers the 24-point spread.
🎧 New podcast!
The bye week felt like no better time to take a break from talking about football, and instead, do an entire podcast about Norman food.
To assist with this endeavor, I invited The Oklahoman’s Ryan Aber and SoonerScoop.com’s Eddie Radosevich to join the program and fantasy draft Norman restaurants.
Sorry for the lack of football commentary. But hope you enjoy this very gluttonous audio experience.
Where you can subscribe to the Eyes on Oklahoma podcast: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • Stitcher • Google • TuneIn
⏰ On this day
Thirty-three years ago today, No. 8 Oklahoma edged No. 12 Oklahoma State 31-28 in Stillwater.
Fourteen.