Bullets: Can Marcus Smart’s shoes be filled?

If any of you are headed to OSU-Baylor in a couple of weeks the Texas Sports HOF is offering a special for PFB readers. They have a VIP tailgate — Walt Garrison will be there — and you can get tickets at a discounted rate. Just call (254) 756-1633 and tell them you’re a PFB reader.

Football

Good news on the recruiting front — Ronald Jones doesn’t seem too worried about his verbal to OSU. (NewsOK)

How networks pick which games to show is a whole bunch of “what the…?” (NewsOK)

Why is OSU’s defense getting a free pass this season? It isn’t that much younger than the offense… (PFB)

The weekly “What We Learned” is nothing if not entertaining. (CRFF)

Wow, $717 for a football helmet?! (Yahoo)

This on what the playoff committee is doing is really entertaining. Two smart dudes trading emails back and forth on the best teams in college football. Stunningly, OSU is not mentioned. (Football Study Hall)

TCU owes success to frequent crying. (PFB)

I think when OSU is going good we like to prop up Gundy as this goofball success who wins games because he’s quirky (a middle class man’s Les Miles) and then when it goes badly we rip him apart as being unengaged or dumb. Seems a little unfair. (Tulsa World)

Sam Mayes is all in on Robert Allen. (PFB)

Good stuff here on Kendall Hunter’s contract extension. All of the incentives! (ESPN)

TCU’s remaining schedule tho. (Yahoo)

This looks awesome.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0oqSquiQ54

Hoops

Can Anthony Hickey fill Marcus Smart’s shoes? He certainly thinks he can. Not getting suspended for 15 percent of the Big 12 schedule would be a nice start. (O’Colly)

Travis Ford: “I can’t underestimate how impressive this team is.” Oh.. (O’Colly)

Personally I’m shocked that students transferring to better basketball programs because they offer a graduate degree not offered at their current school don’t have a high graduation rate. (Yahoo)

Everyone continues to act like Mike Cobbins is the greatest center in Big 12 history. (O’Colly)

I think OSU inadvertently put its secret scrimmage stats from the Louisiana Tech game online here. Forte had 29, Nash had 18-14, Hickey with 1 assist. (okstate)

Nash: “Coach Ford trusts me more and more on the perimeter.” NOOOOOOOOOO! (O’Colly)

I wrote about Mike Cobbins on Thursday — it’s a good thing that he’s back, but who’s the wingman? He’ll need one. (PFB)

Marcus Smart tries to crossover Kyle Lowry. It goes badly. (Big Lead)

Speaking of Smart, these new Celts threads are awful. (Deadspin)

Can Roshunda Johnson fill the Tiffany Bias-sized hole on the OSU women’s team this season? (O’Colly)

How good will Leyton Hammonds be? I’m a fan. Also, good question, Robert Allen.

More stuff I’m reading

Seven pieces of wisdom that will change the way you work. Sounds like a BuzzFeed headline but these are actually pretty good. (99U)

Interesting post here on the banner ad. I’ve struggled with its viability and aesthetic. (NYT)

Maybe Simmons will take over PFB if my resignation goes through. (Big Lead)

I couldn’t stop watching this — I don’t even know why.