Daily Bullets (Jan. 18): 3-2-1, Football Carrying Optimism

 Yo – I’m trying a little different format for today, mimicking a newsletter/format I read weekly. Feedback in the comments is great 

Bullets Rundown

• Gundy is great and limiting
• Portal is for four-stars
• First-Win February

Scores

• Wrestling: Pokes 37, West Virginia 9
• Men’s Tennis: Pokes 7, Lamar 0 -> Pokes 7, Bryant 0

 Three OSU Ideas

• Here are two truths about Oklahoma State Football that collide with each other but are true regardless:
– Mike Gundy is a program-builder capable of taking a tired brand to be a consistent winner (and is worth every dime of $5m as a result).
– Mike Gundy’s recruiting methodology prevents OSU from being in the College Football Playoff.

• A commenter had a solid take today on the site – what if OSU made recruiting four-stars via the portal a priority? Hearing that Levi Draper (former Cowboy commit) is leaving OU was interesting – would his decommitment from the Pokes be a deal-killer?

Budgeting spots for talented transfers is surely in place but planning on taking some calculated risks there is a great idea.

Jeremiah 29:11 pic.twitter.com/d8Q84YdzBk

— Levi Draper (@ladraper_6) January 17, 2020

• I’m not a betting man but if I were – I’d guess that OSU doesn’t get their first conference win until February. 2/1 when they travel to Norman seems like a good projection – just look at this schedule:

Remaining Schedule: Baylor, @ Iowa State, @ Texas A&M, Kansas, @ Oklahoma, TCU, @ Baylor, @ Kansas State, Texas Tech, @ West Virginia, Oklahoma, @ Kansas, Iowa State, Kansas State, @ Texas [Rivals]

Two Quotes

• How much of the future could Mike Gundy have known about the next few weeks when he made this comment?

“I am so excited about the future of Oklahoma State football,” he said that night at NRG Stadium in Houston. “I can’t wait to get started.” [NewsOK]

•  Mike B. brings some much-needed optimism.

“It just takes one to get the ball rolling,” Boynton said. “That’s my job as a head coach and our job as a staff to make that happen.” [PFB]

One Question

• How long has it been since OSU had a secondary as talented as they did last year?

Two safeties are considered some of the best returning in the country – that to go with an NFL cornerback and another… who might be in the NFL after his senior year.

Non-OSU Bullets

• Fun NYT piece on a pro hockey player from the Yukon territory
• Thunder’s rebuild has hit the NBA sweet spot (another reason why I love Presti)
• Pretty funny – looking at 18 different sleeping positions on a plane