FSU football: Best things about landing in Cheez-It Bowl against Oklahoma
By Kelvin Hunt
Blueblood
No disrespect to Minnesota, Maryland, or Texas Tech, but FSU drawing the Oklahoma Sooners for an opponent was the best option.
Oklahoma has more brand recognition, and the Noles have much more history with them than the other potential opponents. FSU won the first matchup between the two teams, but Oklahoma has rattled off six consecutive wins.
The Sooners defeated the Noles in the 2001 Orange Bowl to prevent back-to-back national titles for Bobby Bowden. A Bob Stoops-led Oklahoma squad rudely welcomed Jimbo Fisher to Norman, Oklahoma, in a 47-17 thumping in Fisher’s first year.
The Sooners returned to Tallahassee the following year to pull out a thrilling 23-13 win in what many say is among the loudest games in Doak Campbell Stadium history. The two teams haven’t met since then, but FSU fans have some familiarity with Oklahoma’s new head coach, Brent Venables.
Venables was the defensive coordinator at Clemson for over a decade, and many FSU fans were glad to see him leave as he often helped Clemson field great defenses.
The good news is he hasn’t been at Oklahoma long enough to have that much of an impact on their defense, who will be among the worst FSU has faced this year.