They're hoping Saturday's 26-10 victory at Missouri will change all that.
Outside the OU locker room at Faurot Field, Sooners running backs coach Cale Gundy used the opportunity afterward to chastise some of the offenders.
"How many of ya'll picked us to win today?" Gundy yelled to the media masses, who had little, if any, reaction. "Next time, ya'll might want to do your homework."
Actually, our homework found little to suggest the Sooners would absolutely, positively beat the Tigers for the 16th time in the last 17 meetings.
The OU defense stunk early this season, and the offense had sputtered more than a few times, even when it had a healthy Adrian Peterson.
In their two statement games — at Oregon and against Texas — the Sooners went 0-for-2.
We non-believers had plenty of evidence to side with Missouri.
Saturday's game was a coin toss, whether or not anyone on the OU side is willing to admit it.
Statistically, the 19th-ranked Sooners had more first downs (21-20) and the 23rd-ranked Tigers had more yards (360-358).
But on the scoreboard, the game was a mismatch. And the scoreboard matters most.
OU should be praised, but MU also should be thanked.
No telling what the score would have been had the Tigers:
• Not dropped a wide-open, 67-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter that would have given them a 10-0 lead.
• Not had a punt blocked for a safety.
• Not had four turnovers that led to 17 points for the Sooners.
• Not had eight penalties, three of which resulted in key first downs for OU and a roughing-the-kicker call that eventually led to a touchdown.
• Not been able to score despite having a first-and-goal at the 2-yard line.
"We're good enough (to win), but you can't make the mistakes we made today," Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said.
To the Sooners' credit, they capitalized on those opportunities. They were the ones who pounced, not the Tigers.
That's why in the locker room afterward, OU coaches beamed about how well their team complemented each other.
"We fed off one another," defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. "We worked together, instead of against each other. I think you've seen that trend here, as of late."
The Sooners indeed are on a roll at 6-2, having won three straight.
Beating Missouri made them bowl eligible, an achievement greeted with a collective yawn among players and coaches.
Standards are significantly higher inside the OU program, so it only stands to reason those standards also are high outside the program.
While Gundy bluntly shouted his objections to doubters, offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson spoke in a much gentler voice.
"It seems like all year we've had this negative deal," Wilson said. "Things happened and we've fallen in people's eye, and I don't know what we've done (wrong). You know, there are just as many good things as bad things, but you've got to make some good things happen. You can't hope for it. You can't sit around. And you can't want it to happen. You have to go out and play fast and play hard and be aggressive.
"We talked about playing as a team, playing with some enthusiasm, pulling for each other. It seemed there were more positive things happening today."
Saturday's victory warrants good vibrations for the Sooners. No more bad vibes.
Venables nodded in agreement and said, "There were parts of the game where you could see some real growth."
OU ventures to Texas A&M on Saturday in what will likely be viewed as yet another tossup game.
Though College Station has been scary territory in the Bob Stoops era, an early peek at this week's homework suggests giving the nod to OU.
But just to be sure, I'll still flip a coin.
[12 hrs ago]
