PHOENIX — No offense to the fine promoters of the Valley of the Sun, but what in the name of Shreveport is going on?
Temperature at Independence Bowl kickoff Thursday: 67 degrees.
Temperature at conclusion of Oklahoma football practice around 4 p.m. Friday: 54 degrees.
It's a world gone crazy. If you have to go to the banks of Bossier City to find balmy weather, and you curse the lack of an overcoat in Phoenix, anything can happen. So beware the OU-Boise StateFiesta Bowl.
Three things to ponder as we count down to Cinderella vs. the Schooner:
•1. Does Bob Stoops miss Mike Stoops?
This was hot debate in September, when OU's defense couldn't stop a nosebleed, but since then, Brent Venables has reconfirmed his status as a world-class coordinator.
But there always was a little magic in the Brothers Stoops, which was rekindled Wednesday and Thursday when Mike attended OU workouts at Pinnacle High School.
Strange but true: Mike departed for Arizona in December 2003. That's the same time Bob's trick plays went bye-bye.
Think about it. The fake field goal vs. Texas. The fake field goal vs. Missouri. The fake punt vs. Alabama, a call so utterly fantastic that Tide fans still rave about it.
All before 2004. All came with Mike Stoops on the sideline.
Is it possible that Bob relied on Mike as a sounding board? That Bob trusted Mike, and maybe only Mike, to endorse edgy decisions?
That would make sense, don't you think? Brothers who grew up in the same bedroom provide each other a comfort level that other coaches can't provide.
Not that Bob no longer thinks like a gambler, but he doesn't have that confirmation from a familiar voice.
Bob, no surprise, bristled at the suggestion.
"No,” he said. "No. No. Mike? No ... that's hysterical.”
Maybe. But consider the timing. The trick plays, the epic gambles, disappeared with little brother.
•2. Ex-OU quarterback Dave Robertson expects a good ballgame, and Robertson might be the most qualified person in America to comment.
Robertson, who led the Sooners to the 1972 Big Eight title, now is in business in a place of some relevance to the Fiesta Bowl.
Boise, Idaho.
"
