Sizing up the schedule

Published: July 3, 2006

Sept. 2 UAB ... Head coach Watson Brown, OU’s offensive coordinator in 1993-94, gave current OU assistant Cale Gundy his first job.

Sept. 9 Washington ...Head coach Tyrone Willingham threw out the first pitch at Seattle Mariners game on June 16. Considering he was a center fielder for Michigan State when he wasn’t playing football for the Spartans, it wasn’t too tough of a chore to get the ball to homeplate.

Sept. 16 @ Oregon ... Well-known for their eye-catching (blinding?) uniforms, the Ducks will not only have four different colored jerseys this season, they’ll even have three different helmets.

Sept. 23 Middle Tennessee ... Quarterback Clint Marks made the Street & Smith’s 2006 football preview All-America team, albeit on the honorable mention list.

Oct. 7 Texas ... Forget the national championship ... Longhorns are up for six, count ’em, six, ESPY awards.

Oct. 14 Iowa State ... Quarterback Bret Meyer made the Street & Smith’s 2006 football preview All-America team, albeit on the honorable mention list. Who didn’t?

Oct. 21 Colorado ... University of Colorado freshman quarterback Cody Hawkins will be featured on a reality series on ESPNU, called ESPNU Summer House, where six of the nation’s top incoming college freshmen spend a week living together in a house in the Lincoln Park district of Chicago..

Oct. 28 @ Missouri ... Last time Sooners were in Columbia, former OU offensive lineman Chris Chester was a tight end, and former Mizzou quarterback Brad Smith was a freshman. Both are trying to make NFL squads now. Although Smith burned the Sooners all day, then little-known Chester won the game on a fake field goal TD reception.

Nov. 4 @ Texas A&M ... Sooners are 2-5 in last seven trips to College Station - and both wins (2000, 2004) were by the skin of their teeth.

Nov. 11 Texas Tech ... Tech is selling off strips of its old Astro Turf for $500 and $200 a pop. One of the selling points in the marketing campaign on the school’s website is that fans can buy a memento from the field where “Taurean Henderson’s goal line stretch gave Tech the win over Oklahoma last season.”

Nov. 18 @ Baylor ... Let us not forget, the once-pushover Bears took the Sooners to overtime in Norman last season.

Nov. 25 @ Oklahoma State ... Can Adrian Peterson terrorize the Pokes again? Running back has gone for 486 yards in two games against OSU.