The Current Buzz Newspaper One 12 | Page 35

December 31 DangerZone Bull Riding & Futurity Claremore Expo Center Claremore, OK 918-341-8688 or www.visitclaremore.org December 31 New Year’s Eve Powwow Student Life Center Muskogee, OK 918-639-7999 or choctaw1865@yahoo. com SPORTS BUZZ Rematch? Oklahoma, Okla. State on track for Big 12 Championship game By John Tranchina December 31 Opening Night Downtown OKC, OK 405-270-4848 or www. artscouncilokc.com/ opening-night or info@ artscouncilokc.com December 31 OKC Thunder vs. Dallas Mavericks Chesapeake Energy Arena OKC, OK 405-208-4800 or www.okcthunder.com December 31 OSU Cowboys vs. Kansas State Wildcats Gallagher-Iba Arena Stillwater, OK 705-744-5745 or www.okstate.com December 31-January 1 World’s Richest Calf Roping Expo Square Tulsa, OK 405-880-2751 or www. johnsonsportline.com or johnsonsportline@ yahoo.com VISIT US ONLINE FOR EVEN MORE INFORMATION REGARDING THESE AND OTHER EVENTS GET BUZZ ’ED Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from all of us at THE BUZZ NORMAN, Okla. – After the fireworks and excitement generated by the first meeting, a thrilling 62-52 win by Oklahoma on Nov. 4 in Stillwater, state football fans can only hope there will be an Oklahoma-Oklahoma State rematch in the Big 12 Championship Game on Dec. 2. It looks like a strong possibility, too, after the Sooners dismantled then- No. 6 TCU 38-20 on Nov. 11 and the Cowboys escaped then-No. 24 Iowa State with a 49-42 comeback victory the same day. Oklahoma (9-1, 6-1 Big 12) is now ranked No. 3 by AP and No. 4 in the College Football Playoff ranking. They will be in the Big 12 title game if they can win remaining regular season games against pushover Kansas and No. 24 West Virginia (7-3, 5-2). As usual, the Sooners have been led by quarterback Baker Mayfield, who has made a late push for Heisman Trophy consideration with masterful performances against OSU and TCU on back to back weekends. His 598 yards passing against the Cowboys set a new school record and he followed that up by throwing for 333 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for 50 yards, against TCU. help the cause. He was excellent in the win over Iowa State on Nov. 11, completing 25 of 31 passes for 376 yards – 304 in the second half alone – along with three touchdowns. As for Oklahoma State (8-2, 5-2, ranked No. 10 by AP and 15 by the CFP), they need to win home games against Kansas State (5-5, 3-4) and Kansas, combined with an OU win over West Virginia, to make the Big 12 Championship Game rematch a reality. The Big 12 rematch could very well also decide the Heisman, as well as the conference championship. If the Sooners win, they should make it into the College Football Playoff, but OSU will be a longshot if they claim the title. If OU somehow loses to West Virginia, it would set up a three- way tie atop the Big 12 standings and would incur a complicated formula to determine the two title game participants that depends on the margin of victory of that game. OSU beat West Virginia 50-39 back on Oct. 28, so that helps their cause. Cowboys quarterback Mason Rudolph is also a top Heisman contender, although the loss to OU (and Mayfield), even though he passed for 448 yards and five touchdowns in that game, doesn’t The state’s other Division I football team, the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, has not fared nearly as well. After getting hammered 41-14 at home by No. 18 Memphis on Nov. 3, their third straight loss, Tulsa sat just 2-8 on the season, with a disappointing 1-5 mark inside The American Athletic Conference. The Golden Hurricane will go on the road to face No. 23 South Florida on Nov. 16 and then close out the year at home against a 5-5 Temple squad on Nov. 25. www.thecurrentbuzz.net | 35