In the opening take, Lee addresses the recent departure of OU Defensive Coordinator Ted Roof. Then Grant joins to give his thoughts on Roof being relieved of his duties. We then talk about the reported hire of Zac Alley (5:00). Woodi Washington recently announced he will return in 2024. We take a look at the cornerback room at the moment (20:45). Lee likes the addition of Miami OH DE Caiden Woullard, but can we get excited about another transfer DE after Rondell Bothroyd did not record a sack in 2023? Lee finds a troubling trend involving Brent Venables defensive ends over the last handful of years (26:20). OU picks up some offensive line depth and gets a new kicker from FSU (43:00). Thoughts on some of the bigger bowl games including Missouri's win over Ohio State. Will Howard is transferring to Ohio State (49:00). The Pop-Tarts Bowl ending was hilarious and you got to give credit to the Cheez-It mascot as well for providing some bowl season humor (53:40). Georgia's 60-point win over FSU was stupid and Grant wants to rant about players opting out of bowl games (57:45). Lee was happy to see Penn State lose to Ole Miss and takes this chance to rip on Penn State's offense (1:03:30). Lee wants to know if Liberty can compare to the 2006 Boise State team that beat OU? Grant says it's not close and is asks if it's a good idea for the new 12-team playoff to accept the top G5 team (1:06:55)? Grant praises Iowa for losing by 5 TDs and still hitting the under (1:10:00). Grant nailed both Playoff semifinal games (1:14:05). Both guys are on Washington to win the National Championship (1:28:20). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Ep. 304 - We Bid Farewell to the Roofer

No opening take today as the guys briefly talk about the sad state of affairs we are dealing with now that college football is over. Zac Alley has been officially announced as OU's new co-DC/LB coach (07:00). Trace Ford is coming back in 2024 (12:00). OU picks up TE Jake Roberts from Baylor and North Texas. Lee watched some of his tape and likes what he sees. Plus this could give OU an edge at recruiting Roberts' younger brother. OU's TE room is already much improved from 2023 (15:45). Casey Thompson is going to be OU's backup QB. Lee watched some Michael Hawkins highlights for the first time  (27:00). The offensive line has been a popular topic of late. We go to the WoE Facebook page to read comments about the offensive line. Grant explains what he thinks may be the main gripe from those who are skeptical of OU's offensive line. Lee looks back at all the O-linemen who've been drafted since Bill Bedenbaugh's been at OU. We look ahead to 2024's o-line group (38:00). Will OU have a chance at any of the transfer players from Alabama and Washington? Grant calls Nick Saban's retirement an "earthquake" across college football. The guys agree Kalen DeBoer is an excellent hire for Alabama (1:01:30). Michigan wins the National Championship. Michael Penix did not play well. Grant's kind of jealous of Michigan fans. Why did OU always have to play awesome teams when the Sooners were vying for national titles? Was Washington's running back room somehow worse than OU's group (1:13:15)? Marcus Major is transferring to Minnesota. Will he do anything in the Twin Cities (1:34:25)? Lastly, the basketball team still can't win in Lawrence (1:38:30). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Ep. 305 - The TE Room is Already Better & Offensive Line Questions

No opening take, as the guys jump into some Danny Stutsman talk. Chris Low's got Stutsman as an All-American for 2024 (2:45). Billy Bowman's not on Chris Low's list. Maybe OU won't have the best safety in the SEC. What other OU defensive player would you like see make an All-American team in 2024 (12:30)? Dillon Gabriel's listed as the 2nd team QB on Chris Low's list. What else stands out from this "way too early" team (21:50)? Zac Alley's bringing a friend with him from Jax State (31:20). Alex Grinch is headed to Wisconsin. We go over Grinch's time as a DC at OU and USC. We take a look at the defensive backs that Grinch brought in to OU-- and it's not good at all. But hey, we like Alex Grinch and we hope he figures it out at some point (33:20). Jim Harbaugh is leaving Michigan for the NFL. Grant says Michigan will take a step back and Lee tends to agree (49:40). Former LSU WR Kayshon Boutte is in a lot of trouble because of underage sports betting. Lee finds many aspects of this story interesting and entertaining (56:15). Some thoughts on Baker Mayfield's recent playoff game against the Bucs. We thought he played pretty well. And what was with the Bucs not calling a timeout when Detroit was taking knees at the end of the game (1:05:25)? Thoughts on the AFC & NFC Championship matchups. Are you sure you want to bet against Patrick Mahomes (1:17:20)? OU men's basketball is reeling after back-to-back home losses. Grant has many thoughts (1:22:00). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Ep. 307 - "Way Too Early" Talk & Alex Grinch is On to Wisconsin

Brent Venables opened up practice for quite a long time to the media this week. Plus many players conducted interviews, including Jovantae Barnes. We begin the show by jumping into Barnes and what the heck is going on with his foot and his potential availability for the 2024 season. Lee goes through the timeline of his foot injury dating back to last spring and we try to figure out if he's ever going to be healthy--or maybe Barnes just simply isn't very good (3:00). Grant points out that the two players atop the RB depth chart are injury prone, so potentially all RBs have a chance to get some run this year. We relitigate the final quarter of the Kansas game and ask why Barnes was in the game and not Gavin Sawchuk? We also continue to question DeMarco Murray's management of that room (17:20). We move over to Jackson Arnold and what he's working on this spring. Is he really off of social media? Grant is expecting a big season from Arnold, but Lee can't help but think of the worst case scenario. What if Jackson Arnold plays as well as Spencer Rattler played in his RS-Freshman year? Would we take that (30:15)? I think we continue to get evidence the TE room is much better than it was a season ago. Thoughts on Davon Mitchell and Kaden Helms (40:45). David Stone and Jayden Jackson are making really good first impressions (47:40). I think we learned a lot from Dasan McCullough's availability this week. Grant's afraid he does not have a true position anymore, while Lee is hoping that maybe Will LB is a spot that can allow McCullough to contribute and make plays (53:40). Woodi Washington is repping at basically every secondary position. Lee's not sure this is a good thing for Woodi. Grant wants to remind everybody that while OU's secondary looks to have a lot of depth, the pass defense was still bad in 2023 (1:00:30). All we're getting is good vibes from Zac Alley and it sounds like he's simplifying the defene for everybody. Does that sound too much like Alex Grinch's Speed D (1:12:00)? Thoughts on Justin Harrington and his recovery from injury. Grant wants to make sure he brings up Deion Burks and the rave reviews he's been getting. Plus there were reports that Troy Everett suffered some sort of an injury this week (1:17:00). Lastly, Lee doesn't care at all to hear about Casey Thompson right now. Grant defends Casey (1:24:50). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Ep. 315 - What the Heck is Going on With Jovantae Barnes and His Foot?

In the opening take, Lee gives his thoughts on Zac Alley's departure from OU's coaching staff. Then Grant joins to give his take on the matter and what it may mean (7:40). Who's going to be hired as the next defensive coordinator? What will it tell us, if anything (17:00)? OU has gotten some good news lately with some important players announcing their returns in 2025. What's up with that cryptic R Mason Thomas post? Plus we look at what you can hope for if things are going to go well for OU in 2025 (29:25). Lewis Carter entered the portal and OU has not made any staff changes. Plus we go over some other news and notes after OU adds some more random guys from the portal (48:20). Some College Football Playoff talk as Grant laments Texas and their path. Plus it's clear the seeding format needs to be tweaked (56:00). The guys make their picks for the CFP Semifinals (1:03:10). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Ep. 370 - Zac Alley Leaves & OU Does Get Some Good News for 2025

Opinion and analysis of Oklahoma Sooners football from the viewpoints of a local media member and an OU fan living outside The Sooner State. New episodes every Thursday during football season.

New tracks tagged #zac alley