Mike Gundy isn’t sitting here saying that his team would have beaten whoever it played in the national championship game. He is ultimately saying, however, that his Oklahoma State Cowboys likely would have made for a more entertaining game against LSU.
The Cowboys ranked second in the FBS in scoring and passing offense and third in total offense this season and lost just one game but missed out on the BCS national championship game because that loss came to Iowa State. Gundy says he would have pushed the tempo and passed the ball 50 or 60 times just to see what would’ve happened. I imagine many of you would’ve rather seen that than what occurred on Monday.
Mike Gundy joined 790 The Zone in Atlanta with Mayhem in the A.M. to discuss what he would have done in the title game, Oklahoma State’s style of play, if it would have made for a more entertaining game, if university presidents and athletics directors and other officials need to listen more to coaches, the players not having a take and what he would’ve wanted when he was a player.
What would you have done if you were playing in the national championship game Monday night?:
“We throw the ball around quite a bit. A guy asked me what I would’ve done. I watched those two teams play for about a quarter and I was very impressed with what they were doing up front. I said, with us and who we are, we’d probably throw it 50 or 60 times and just see what happens.â€
Isn’t that what Oklahoma State football is all about at this point?:
“That’s what we do. We’ve got a great quarterback and great receivers and we’ve got running backs that make plays and we get rid of the ball fast. We would have tried to use as much tempo as possible. I think it’s important that everybody realizes, I understand the defenses that were in the game, but for us, we certainly would have tried to throw the ball down the field and move as fast as possible to see what happened.â€
The Pac-12 and Big Ten have an agreement to have teams square off in a series starting in 2017. Would you like to see something similar between the Big 12 and the SEC?:
“Boy I don’t know. With the league that we play in and the games that we have, I don’t know if you can take on an opponent in a non-league game and be able to withstand the wear and tear during the schedule. I know there will be talks about that. … But we would really have to look into that to see what’s there. Ultimately, before we do any scheduling, we want to do everything we can to give ourselves the best chance to win our conference and potentially be a national champion.â€
You aren’t saying that you would have won the game Monday night, but are you saying it would have at least been a more entertaining game?:
“Somebody else has to make that decision. College football fans obviously have to decide that. … My only comment was that the guy called and said, ‘What did you think?’ I said that I felt like it moved pretty slow and we would’ve used as much up-tempo as possible.â€
Do officials need to listen to coaches like you and players and finally decide it’s time to come up with something more beneficial for everybody?:
“I don’t think there’s any question about that. I think that there’s people that are listening right now. I think the plus-one, or what I call the Final Four, is a real possibility, which will give us two more games to allow teams to play to get to the final game. I think that can happen. We’re getting close. You’re just trying to get presidents of universities and athletic directors and people on the same page. And I do believe there needs to be more coaches involved.â€
And players, too, don’t you think? I don’t know if a player has ever been asked what they want:
“I agree with that. I don’t know that they’ve ever asked them, either. It’s interesting that you usually want to get the information from the guys that are out there getting their hands dirty on what they should do. That’s probably a good suggestion.â€
When you were a player, would you have wanted a playoff?:
“No question, you’re right. There’s not any question about that. Of course, television dictates so many things now, the money from TV. … It’s about the student-athletes. They’re the ones out there paying the price. They’ve paid the price for four or five years. You just want them to have the chance to compete and find out who’s the best in the country and make for an entertaining game.â€
Listen to Mike Gundy on 790 The Zone in Atlanta here
Tags: Alabama Crimson Tide, BCS national championship, BCS vs. Playoff system, Big 12 football, College Football, LSU Tigers, Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State Cowboys
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