Preseason Magazines Hitting Newstands and Pokes and Spencer Getting Good Pub

STILLWATER – Many of you have known me over the years and realize that I am a confessed preseason football magazine-aholic. I can’t help myself every year. I grad every one of those magazines that I can get my hands on. The king of preseason football magazines is Phil Steele’s College Football Preview.  Since I help Phil Steele with his Oklahoma State preview and give my opinion on the Big 12 race, he sends me complimentary copies. I write the Oklahoma State preview for the Oklahoma Pigskin Preview, so I get paid and get copies of that magazine. My daughter gives me a subscription to Texas Football for Father’s Day. The first two are in my hands now as Lindy’s won the battle of first and Athlon’s was a close second.

As usual, they have custom Oklahoma themed covers with Spencer Sanders of Oklahoma State and Marvin Mims of Oklahoma on both magazine covers. Lindy’s used action shots of each and Athlon’s used staged shots of each. I like Sanders laughing and wearing the straw Cowboy hat in the Athlon’s cover. Kind of makes me wonder if Sanders and Mims got any NIL rewards for being on the cover. Personally, I like the Athlon’s cover better.

Phil Steele

Spencer Sanders on a Phil Steele custom cover.

I am excited about the Phil Steele custom cover that features Sanders on the same front as Oklahoma’s Eric Gray, Arkansas quarterback K.J. Jefferson, and Kansas State running back Duece Vaughan. It has been a while since Oklahoma State had a player on a Steele magazine cover. I always love when my copy of Phil Steele hits my mailbox.

Now, I’m not going to divulge all the material in Lindy’s and Athlon’s publications. Suffice to say that Oklahoma State made their national top 25. Lindy’s is higher on the Pokes as they picked them to win the Big 12. Longtime Big 12 observer and former Fort Worth Star-Telegram sportswriter Wendall Barnhouse wrote the Lindy’s Big 12 Conference preview. It is fair and accurate, but the actual Oklahoma State preview was written, I believe by John Hoover, and is one of the more negative and suspicious team previews for a team picked first. I call it as I see them. Read Lindy’s Oklahoma State preview and Oklahoma preview and you will swear they picked Oklahoma first and Oklahoma State second. It’s a fun exercise.

Robert Allen - Pokes Report

Oklahoma State football previews in Athlon’s and Lindy’s/

Athlon’s picks Oklahoma State third behind Baylor and Oklahoma. No problem with those picks. I really believe that those three schools and possibly Kansas State could be neck and neck throughout the campaign. John Helsley may be a full-time teacher and advisor to The Daily O’Collegian but he still writes the preview for Athlon’s and does a good job.

Okay, one of the aspects of Athlon’s that I love is their “Scouting Report” where they use a coach, likely an assistant or maybe more than one to give their opinion on other teams in the conference. I usually read those first.

This I will pick apart. For Oklahoma State it read …

“If (DC) Jim Knowles hadn’t left, we’d expect them to be right where they were last season. They’re a more consistent program these last few years than in previous seasons. … It feels like year in, year out, they always find a really good top end running back, and an offensive line is good no matter who they just lost. Mike Gundy’s touch is that they don’t really beat themselves on offense. They don’t do stupid things. …”

Robert Allen - Pokes Report

The Athlon’s famed Scouting Report.

I agree with most of that, but that first line. Remember, I’m a big fan of Jim Knowles, but Mike Gundy hired Derek Mason, a veteran defensive coordinator and Mason is going to use the OSU playbook, keep the verbiage and terminology the same. He will add some of his own schemes, but defense didn’t leave with Knowles.

“Spencer Sanders is sneaky good right now, but he could take that next step this year. That is the thing to watch. You can see him playing undisciplined or just too hot on film, but it seems like he found a good groove later on last season. …”

Sanders did indeed find his groove and in spring he certainly seemed like he kept it. He didn’t lose it.

“Defensively, they lose their coach, but they are turning over a lot (personnel) too. Honestly, that scheme they were running was flat out too complicated for a lot of teams in this league. That freshman DE (Collin Oliver) was a beast last year; he’s definitely one to watch. … We consider the offense a known quantity, so we’re just focused on the defense. How different will it be? This is the team that throws lots of fronts on you. They’d zero blitz, take big gambles and knock you around. Are they still going to come at you like that? Can they even pull it off with so much personnel change? If the defense is on par, they can win the league.”

I have news for that coach. The defensive line is back nearly completely intact. Oliver is back with Brock Martin, Tyler Lacy, Kody Walterscheid, and also back from injury is Trace Ford. Inside there is Brendon Evers, Sione Asi, and Samuela Tuihalamaka. Xavier Ross is coming on too.

We’ll see but that entire defensive staff coached that scheme and in the bowl win over Notre Dame, Joe Bob Clements called it. Now Derek Mason will call it and add to it. Mike Gundy says he believes his team will still have an aggressive and potent defensive unit. We’ll see.