Oklahoma and Louisiana Tech’s worlds will collide Saturday

No one would argue Oklahoma and Louisiana Tech come from two different spectrums of college football. These two have never met on the gridiron, but they will for the first time Saturday.

Without teams like Oklahoma, college football isn’t the sport it is today. OU is one of the blue bloods that consistently brings in major revenue and competes for championships.

The same can not be said for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs of Conference USA.

The Bulldogs compete in a league that does not receive the national attention the Big 12 offers. However, Louisiana Tech did not earn a lot of respect for themselves in 2013.

Skip Holtz’s first season as La. Tech’s head coach was very forgettable, as the Bulldogs posted a dismal 4-8 record.

Oklahoma went 11-2 and ended their year with the school’s most impressive postseason victory since OU beat Florida State for the 2000 National Title.

In a few ways, Oklahoma and Louisiana Tech played very opposite 2013 seasons.

Under long time head coach Bob Stoops, the Sooners picked up a few early wins, struggled mid-season with inconsistency at the quarterback position, but ended on an extremely high note.

The Bulldogs, on the other hand, were tossed around like a rag doll the first month of the season, hit their stride in the middle of their schedule, but everything came crashing down at the end.

Louisiana Tech’s 4-8 record came against what Sports-Reference.com rates as 2013’s weakest schedule in college football. Oklahoma’s 2013 slate ranked 31st.

Last season was simply an odd year for both teams. Oklahoma and Louisiana Tech struggled with their quarterback situations, but the Sooners were able to find their guy at the end of the year. Though, Louisiana Tech will start incoming transfer Cody Sokol from Iowa over their top passer in 2013, Ryan Higgins.

Things were not easy on Skip Holtz in his first year. It is worth noting, however, his predecessor, Sonny Dykes, needed just one season to turn things around for Louisiana Tech. Dykes went just 5-7 his first year in Ruston, Louisiana. That 5-7 record was followed by an 8-5 record in 2011 and a 9-3 season in 2012. All it takes is a little time and some good coaching.

It would certainly help if Holtz had Colby Cameron to work with at quarterback. Plus, he is going up against a tougher conference.

And the Sooners are not the only big name school Louisiana Tech will face this season. The Bulldogs will travel to Auburn for a late September match-up against the defending National Title Game runner-up.

Oklahoma will, also, play an SEC team out-of-conference, but their opponent isn’t coming off an SEC Championship season.

These are two very different worlds. One side expects this to be a blowout. And the other hopes their team can at least compete for a few quarters.

OU and Louisiana Tech will not be seen on any basic channels. So no matter how thing goes, fans will have to either shell out the money for the pay-per-view or find a sports bar kind enough to show the game.

The Sooners and Bulldogs will kick off at 6 p.m. CT. Make sure to get to Oklahoma Memorial Stadium at least two hours before game time to see the Oklahoma football team arrive and enter the stadium during OU’s newest tradition called the “Walk of Champions.”

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