West of Everest: An Oklahoma Football Podcast

Ep. 250 - Defense Shines on Jekyll & Hyde Night for OU Offense

After a bizarre first half, the Sooners righted the ship after halftime and took down Kent State 33-3 Saturday night in Norman. The guys talk about the last time OU allowed 3 or fewer points to a FBS school, before going into detail on the excellent effort put forth by the defense (7:45). It was a tale of good & bad for the OU offense against Kent State (31:45). The Memorial Stadium in-game experience was different Saturday night, plus we read your "3 Word Reviews" (53:10). We finish up by hitting on USC's elite offense and our early thoughts about OU-Nebraska (58:50). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

Ep. 249 - Happy for CFP Expansion & Kent State Poses an Interesting Test

In the opening take, Lee's happy the CFP will expand relatively soon, but the new system could be even better. Then Grant joins to provide his thoughts on the Playoff expanding to 12 teams. Lee is trying to be open minded about why some people do not want the Playoff to expand. The guys talk about a Twitter exchange by Joel Klatt and Josh Pate (5:45). What defines success in a college football season? Who defines success for each team (17:45)? Lee explains why college football (and football in general) will continue to be popular year in and year out (25:00). Are we being too hard on Dillon Gabriel? Grant likes Jalen Hurts in the NFL, Lee does not (27:50). Brent Venables provided a Wanya Morris update this week. Is the OU O-Line going to underachieve? Upon review, Lee thought OU ran the ball pretty well against UTEP (34:55). Brent Venables loves Gavin Freeman (40:20). OU's a massive favorite against Kent State. Kent State has an interesting QB and a couple of talented WRs, but man they are bad on defense (44:40). We go over this weekend's Big 12 slate including thoughts on Missouri-K-State, Houston-Texas Tech, Kansas-West Virginia, Arizona St.-OSU, TCU-Tarleton, and of course Iowa St.-Iowa (1:08:40). Grant was 5-0 ATS last week. We make our picks for South Carolina-Arkansas/Alabama-Texas/Tennessee-Pitt/App State-Texas A&M/Baylor-BYU (1:18:50). We finish up with our thoughts on the end of the Florida State-LSU game (1:32:00). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

Ep. 248 - A Successful Start for OU, But There’s Plenty of Room to Grow

In an effort to get the podcast uploaded as quick as possible, we are not including timecode details for this episode. We take the "grab bag" approach to OU's 45-13 win over UTEP by pointing out what we liked and didn't like. At the end we read your "3 word reviews", and talk a little bit about the rest of Week 1 of college football. Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

Ep. 247 - Depth Chart Release, UTEP Preview, & Week 1 Picks

No opening take as the guys open the show by celebrating Game Week, before jumping into what caught their eye on the depth chart release. Will Marcus Major take advantage of his opportunity? We're super happy for Jaden Davis. Could the offensive line have an unexpected absence in Week 1? Plus so many other depth chart stuff (1:35). Let's talk UTEP. We go over our takeaways from the Miners' first game against North Texas and tell you the most important things we know about OU's opponent (27:05). What will we be watching for from OU's offense and defense against UTEP (37:20)? We're kind of out on making game predictions, but Lee makes one anyways (49:00). We slide over to the Big 12 slate... it's not all that interesting in Week 1 (53:00). Time to pick the 5 most interesting games of the week. WVU-Pitt/Oregon-Georgia/Cincinnati-Arkansas/Utah-Florida/Notre Dame-Ohio State (57:20). Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

Ep. 246 - Time to Shake Up the Big Season Preview

No opening take, so we get straight to talking about the latest on Anton Harrison and the OU offensive line (0:50). Brynden Walker retires from football (5:20). The "Big Season Preview" is different this year. We take the opposite side of OU and play devil's advocate on many positive things we've said about the Sooners' potential in 2022 (12:00). Grant doesn't think the Big 12 is going to be very good this year. He tells you why, and we hit on all the stories that interest us about the conference (47:00). Should we care about Stew Mandell's OU prediction (59:50)? We turn our attention to the national scene. Lee asks if we're sure Ohio State should be considered as good as Alabama and Georgia? Lee's also curious about Clemson post-Brent Venables. Grant has thoughts on miscellaneous schools including Utah, NC State, Oregon, and others. There's also Mario Cristobal and Mel Tucker criticism because that's what this podcast is all about (1:01:20). We answer a couple of listener questions about Dillon Gabriel using his legs in 2022 and transfers who may not play much this season (1:22:00). Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

Ep. 245 - How Much Should We Read Into Venables’ Comments on the O-Line?

In the opening take, Lee reminds everybody that OU's in need of a new kicker in 2022. Then Grant joins to lambast Lee's decision to talk about kickers in the opening take (5:05). What's going on with the offensive line? We play Brent Venables' comments on the OL from Tuesday that leave out Anton Harrison when seemingly discussing the top tackles on the team (9:50). How good might freshmen Jake Taylor and Jacob Sexton be (20:55)? Who are the five players on the inside of the offensive line that Venables was talking about (24:20)? Billy Bowman's playing better than anybody else on defense right now. Is this finally going to be the year we are super high on the OU secondary and they finally don't disappoint us (25:10)? Brent Venables fears that LB T.D. Roof has a season-ending biceps injury. The linebackers are the biggest question mark on defense, so it's a good thing Venables coaches these guys (37:00). Marcus Major is playing his best ball -- does it matter (43:30)? No updates on Jalen Redmond, but Lee did see a positive sign at practice Tuesday (47:00). Over to the WoE Facebook page where we field comments on listeners who are fully buying in to OU being a Playoff contender this year. Is this the most excited you've ever been for an OU football season? And what do we know about the new tailgating developments at OU (48:40)? Brief talk about Jacobe Johnson committing to OU and a different 2023 OU commit got a 5th star. Lee also shoehorns a "Varsity Blues" reference in (1:04:00). Old news that we never talked about on the podcast: Kyler Murray's weird contract situation (1:07:30). Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

Ep. 244 - Cale Gundy Resigns. What Now?

No opening take today. We're the last people to comment on Cale Gundy's resignation (1:25). How fast can OU move on from this situation? Lee talks about what he saw at practice this week (19:25). Have we seen evidence that Jerry Schmidt has evolved over the years (26:30)? Lee goes over his notes from Brent Venables' Wednesday press conference. All of the team and culture building over the last 8+ months will come in handy now (31:35). Matt Wells will have more influence now that Gundy is gone. Jalen Redmond is dealing with an injury. And how funny would it be if Justin Harrington and Eric Gray have massive years in 2022 (35:45)? Lee details a couple of players he saw working at practice off the the side. Plus, the Sooners are moving practice to the rugby fields moving forward. More Jalen Redmond talk and Lee rips on "Speed D" (40:45). Are you excited about Baker Mayfield starting in Carolina? Lee defends Matt Rhule. Grant argues against himself about the effectiveness of former LSU passing game coordinator Joe Brady (47:25). And as the show winds down we briefly hit on "Hard Knocks" and Grant's experience watching the "in season" Colts version of Hard Knocks last year. Finally, Lee wants you to know about two of his favorite sports movies (54:50). Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

Ep. 243 - OU Media Day & Critiquing Those Skeptical of the Sooners

In the opening take, Lee's ready to see if all the good work Brent Venables and Oklahoma has done over the last 8 months will lead to a special 2022 season. Then Grant joins as Lee asks for an apology after some "fake news" was spread last episode. Also, Grant recently watched a game from 2003 and we talk about how time starts to go by faster as you get older (6:25). Lee shares his biggest takeaways from OU Media Day. "Schmitty" seemed to be the star, even though he wasn't there. Does everybody have injuries, or does OU get injured more than everybody else? It was good to hear about some of the guys who've transformed their bodies this offseason (17:40). We take an early look at the first part of OU's schedule that intrigues Grant. Why is K-State's season win total only 6.5 and is Deuce Vaughn the second best RB in college football (39:30)? We pick up on our NIL discussion from the last episode talking bout collectives, money, and incentives for people who get involved with this. Grant brings up a great Todd Bates quote about recruiting (50:00). We play a couple of clips from college football podcasts from pundits who are down on OU in 2022. We begin with Chris "The Bear" Fallica from ESPN (1:02:05). Next we go to RJ Bell and AJ Hoffman from the "Dream Preview" betting podcast. They bring up an interesting dynamic about OU that we haven't talked much about, before embarrassing themselves. Grant explains at the end why he's so confident about OU after being skeptical when Riley left and Venables was hired (1:15:55). We go to the WoE Facebook page to answer questions about OU's impending move to the SEC. How long will it take for OU to get to the SEC Title? And we finish up talking about the SEC cities we're most looking forward to visiting (1:39:10). Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

Ep. 242 - Jackson Arnold Deep Dive & NIL Promise Problems?

In the opening take, Grant wonders if an aspect of NIL will ultimately benefit the schools who have taken more of a "wait & see" approach. Then Lee joins in what turns out to be a show filled with a lot of recruiting talk. We begin by discussing QB Jackson Arnold, his tape, and what his commitment means big picture for OU in the new Brent Venables' era (8:10). Some brief Arch Manning conspiracy theory talk (28:00). OU's picked up 8 blue chip recruits recently and the early returns on Venables' tenure look to be even better than the beginning of Lincoln Riley's stint as OU's HC (34:30). Are some schools not delivering on NIL promises? Grant's skeptical that NIL money will continue to pour in for schools because there may not be guaranteed return on investment. Lee assumes all the boosters who've been donating to schools for years are just now donating to collectives -- which will allow NIL to continue to be a thing. No matter what's the case, it would appear OU is in a good position. Listen and make your own call (43:20). Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9

Ep. 241 - We’re Back! Is OU Going to be Good at Football This Season?

There's no opening take, but we do catch you up on what you may have missed on our last episode. We jump into the show by asking the simple question: Is OU going to be good at football this season (3:30)? Lee starts to put some stock into something Brent Venables said at Media Day -- but Grant jumps in and tells Lee to pump the brakes. This leads to a brief discussion about OU's secondary (17:15). Baylor has been picked to win the Big 12. We explain why that's kind of dumb and why OU should have once again been the preseason pick to win the Big 12 (22:00). We talk a little bit about OSU. Lee's skeptical about the Cowboys' defense, while Grant's skeptical about OSU's offense (30:45). Grant goes on a mini rant about Iowa State probably being bad this season (38:40). Michael Turk's the only OU player on the preseason All-Big 12 Team. Grant thinks the Sooners had three other players who had a case for the team, but ultimately it doesn't matter (40:50). OU went to the portal and got a new running back last month. He's got strong ties to Dillon Gabriel. Then Grant goes into something and then loses track of the point (45:40). C.J. Coldon is on campus which should further help OU's secondary (49:20). We go to the Facebook page for some viewer prompts. Who's going to be right about OU this season? Those that are close to the team -- or those in the national media? Also, Lee sometimes forgets that Eric Gray is on the team (52:10). Lee thinks the OU defense is going to be smarter and more fundamentally sound. Grant wants them to be more situationally aware (1:02:55). The offense is the question mark, but there's evidence to suggest the Sooners still should be pretty good on that side of the ball. Also, what's been up with OU's offensive line play over the last few seasons (1:10:20)? Will USC/UCLA moving to the Big Ten speed up the process of OU moving to the SEC? How much power will ESPN have in this process (1:17:50)? OU's win total has been set at 9.5 USC's win total has been set at 9.5. Is this a trap? These totals seem way too easy. Also, it's fun to see where Vegas has Baylor and OSU (1:27:40). Baker Mayfield's going to Carolina. We all hope it works out, but Ben McAdoo as Carolina's OC makes us nervous (1:36:35). We get a late breaking Facebook comment about Lincoln Riley/USC going to the Big Ten (1:41:50). Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonNews9