The oklahoma Sooners will most likely beat Tulane on Saturday, but that is not the purpose of talking about the game. There is no amount of analysis that can explain why the Sooners beat Tulane other than a major gap in talent. Of course we expect the Sooners to win, but it is the score of the game that we must watch closely. There are two types of coach in football, and we must determine which kind Lincoln Riley is. We should discuss these two types of coach so that we know what we are looking at going forward.
The blowout coach
Certain coaches will run up the score regardless of the circumstances of the game.
They will see 63 points and think that they should get to 70. They will imagine getting to 80, and they will dream of 100. They may keep their starters in the game a little bit longer than is wise, but they will create a flashy win that everyone notices. You turn to your wife when the game ends and tell her, "babe, they just put up 80 points." She will be impressed, and she will remember later in the year that Oklahoma put up that many points even though she could not care less about football.
The extended planner
The coach who is an extended planner will put out plays in a game against Tulane that are experimental specifically because they know that they have no chance of losing the game. They will toy with Tulane, and they will put the game away in the latter part of the second half.
The wait could be excruciating, but they score a bunch of points at the end of the game when the other team is dead tired. This kind of coach does not overuse his players, but he does not create signature wins. He does not push as hard as other coaches, and that could cause problems in big games.
Who do I think Lincoln is?
This writer believes that Lincoln Riley is the blowout coach.
He pushed Ohio State hard in a signature win in only his second game as a head coach, and he will likely plan to blow out Tulane. He will put the pedal to the floor against every time he plays, and he may need that because there is a team in the Big 12 that is challenging the surging Sooners. Oklahoma State is very good, and these two teams play in a little game called "Bedlam" every year."
Biggest game of the year
Bedlam is the biggest game of the college football season without question.
If the Sooners and Cowboys can go into that game undefeated, they will likely play for a spot in the playoff. Moreover, they will likely play to be the favorites in the playoff over even the mighty Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa. Lincoln can win that game because he is the coach who makes blowouts happen.
