Stoops not concerned about big expectations

MIAMI (AP) -- Barry Switzer used to call it "feeding the monster," that constant effort to maintain the success that Oklahoma fans had grown accustomed to under Bud Wilkinson.

Switzer did his part, matching Wilkinson's three national championships and winning a dozen conference titles during a 16-year run. Now it's Bob Stoops' turn.

In just his second season, Stoops has a national championship.

The Sooners' 13-2 victory over Florida State in the Orange Bowl Wednesday night completed an unbeaten season and proved that Oklahoma, after several lean years, really is back.

If Stoops is concerned about trying to stay there, it doesn't show.

"I've said for two years that I wanted expectations to rise, that we should expect to win and compete for championships," he said Thursday morning after a night of no sleep. "So I welcome that, and certainly that's what we're going to push for every year."

Oklahoma won its seventh national championship, which is second only to Notre Dame's eight. The 13-0 season came just 25 months after Stoops was hired to resurrect a program that had won 12 games in the previous three years.

Oklahoma had never gone 12-0 before Stoops; the Sooners reached that mark by winning the Big 12 championship game, then closed out the baker's dozen with the school's 12th Orange Bowl victory in 17 visits.

About the only way to top it, Stoops said, would be to play a preseason game next year and run the table again.

"That would be about the only place you can go from here," he said. "But doing it again would be pretty special, too, and Oklahoma's done that before, I think."

Twice, in fact. Two of Wilkinson's national titles came in succession, in 1955 and 56, and Switzer pulled off the same feat in 1974 and '75. Nebraska and Alabama also have won back-to-back titles twice; a repeat by Oklahoma next year would make the Sooners the first school to do it three times.

Oklahoma has a good many pieces in place to make a run at another title.

There are 23 freshman and sophomores on the depth chart. The bulk of a young and talented secondary will return. All the receivers and most of the running backs will be back. There will be holes to fill in the offensive and defensive lines.

"There's no question the foundation, discipline and hard work and toughness that these seniors have started in the last two years will carry on to those younger players and it will only help,"

Stoops said. "We expect to continue to have great years."

The two greatest losses figure to be Heisman Trophy runner-up Josh Heupel at quarterback and linebacker Torrance Marshall, who was voted the Orange Bowl MVP.

Heupel will leave the biggest void. His ability to run Oklahoma's spread offense and his knack for making adjustments at the line of scrimmage will be difficult to replace. The Sooners have three big, strong candidates in line to take over, but how well they're able to pick up the nuances in the offense could go a long way toward determining Oklahoma's success next year.

"What sets you apart in this offense is not so much what you can do physically, but what you can do mentally," quarterbacks coach Chuck Long said. "It takes a great deal of reading and understanding."

It took a great deal of retraining to get Oklahoma turned around so quickly. Stoops said he and his staff never talked right away about how many games they might win. Instead, they focused on going through offseason workouts the right way, bolstering the players'

bruised psyches and learning how to play at what Stoops calls a winning level.

That resulted in a seven-win season and a bowl trip in 1999, and was followed by another rigorous offseason program. Combined with more knowledge of the offensive and defensive schemes, it translated into even more success on the field.

Oklahoma knocked off No. 11 Texas, No. 2 Kansas State and No. 1 Nebraska in October to move to the top spot in the poll, and never looked back. The Sooners beat Kansas State again in the Big 12 title game, and finally upset the heavily favored Seminoles.

"I try to relay this to the players and I've spoken to them several times about this," Stoops said. "The best part of this is the pursuit of it, and being in the championship game and being in the middle of the game and the practices and the preparation leading up to it. The pursuit of it is what's so rewarding and the most fun.

"Once it's over, it's sort of anticlimactic, it's 'Well, what now?' So now you've got to go try and do it again, and that's what we'll do."