Transfer Portal Nightmare Potential Scenarios: Ollie Gordon to Oklahoma
The post-Spring transfer portal window is coming, and many voices around college football are warning folks that a storm is coming.
Being of Midwestern descent, I know that anytime the storm sirens come on, it’s time to get to the cellar or take cover in a small room in the inner-most section of my home. Well, it’s time to start doing the same thing in preparation for the upcoming portal window, as there’s a good chance some of your most beloved players could be on their way out the door, window, or whatever opening they can find.
Josh Pate has warned us on multiple occasions that something big is coming, and it could be what finally sparks change in the sport. So, what kind of things would we have to see to make the Kadyn Proctor Saga forgettable? We’re talking about the stuff of nightmares for some fanbases.
So, in the spirit of the season, I decided to paint some hypothetical nightmare scenarios out of jest with Big 12 superstars at the center. Our first scenario?
Ollie Gordon to Oklahoma?!
All is well in Stillwater, Oklahoma on the morning of Monday, April 15. That is, until phones all around campus start to buzz with Twitter notifications from Steve Wiltfong and Pete Thamel.
“According to sources, Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon is expected to enter the transfer portal. The 2023 Doak Walker Award winner will immediately become the top overall available player.”
Amid the panic and chaos, some of you try to keep a level head about things. You think, “Nah, he’s not going anywhere. This is just how agents work to get him a better NIL deal.” Except, this time around, it is the real thing and by Wednesday, his name is in the NCAA Transfer Portal.
Oklahoma State wasn’t getting any respect from Vegas to win the Big 12 in 2024, and there were a ton of Cowboy fans that were excited about the prospect of returning nearly everyone but still being doubted.
Now, those same fans are wondering how they’ll find a way to produce any offense at all without the best running back in the country and Alan Bowman is now the guy that will have to will this team to wins.
All the insiders and reporters suggest that Oklahoma State is doing everything it can to get Ollie back in Orange and Black, but after the week turns to the weekend, the hope is all but lost.
Then, on Saturday afternoon, the worst report imaginable comes across your feed: “Ollie Gordon to Oklahoma is starting to pick up some steam.” What? How? He beat the Sooners last year? Why in the world would he want to go there?
Before long, the rumors turn to reports and before you know it, you’re seeing the unthinkable: Ollie Gordon edits in an Oklahoma uniform.
It’s enough to make any Oklahoma State fan puke.
Gordon posts a message of his own, saying his desire to stay close to home and play SEC football is what brought him to OU, sparking outrage of unseen proportions from Oklahoma State Twitter. Before the month is over, OSU fans have gone from optimistic to no longer interested.
In the first week of May, Oklahoma State’s softball team travels to Norman and faces Kelly Maxwell in a losing effort, and Gordon is there in the front row wearing OU gear, pouring even more salt into and open wound.
Then, for a few months, things go quiet. Oklahoma State establishes its offense behind Arkansas transfer RB A.J. Green, who is a playmaker in his own right, and the hope slowly starts to trickle back into Stillwater.
Meanwhile, Gordon is making noise in Norman and quickly supplants Sooners’ running back Gavin Sawchuk as the No. 1 option alongside Jackson Arnold.
As the season starts, Gordon’s addition to Oklahoma’s backfield makes them the talk of all the local newspapers and online media outlets: “With Arnold and Gordon Leading Sooners’ Offense, OU Looks SEC Ready.”
Meanwhile, Oklahoma State, picked to finish sixth in the new-look Big 12, gets off to a good start against South Dakota State, beating the defending D-II National Champions 34-14 in the first game of the year. Week 2 brings Arkansas to Stillwater and A.J. Green goes wild against his former team, ripping off 139 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a solid 28-10 start for the Cowboys. A week later, the Pokes are 3-0 after beating Tulsa and will welcome in Utah for their Big 12 opener.
Kyle Whittingham’s Utes come into Stillwater and give us the first glimpse at a potential issue for the Cowboys. With the running game lacking the same physicality that it had with Gordon in the backfield, the Pokes can’t sustain long drives. Eventually, we see Cam Rising lead the road team to a gut-wrenching 24-21 win.
In Norman, Gordon has started off the 2024 season with three 100-yard showings in the first four games, including a 190-yard day against fellow Big 12 member Houston. With the Sooners offense rolling, they’re off to a 4-0 start.
Fast forward to November and Oklahoma State is still in the Big 12 race after dropping its first Big 12 contests to Utah, with Mike Gundy’s team working it’s way to 7-1 and ranked 11th in the country. Oklahoma is also 7-1 at this point, and ranked ninth in the country after taking down a top-five Ole Miss team on the legs of a classic Ollie Gordon performance. He ranks second in the nation in rushing yards and leads all running backs with 12 rushing scores through eight games.
The final week of November has No. 6 Oklahoma State (10-1) in the driver’s seat of the Big 12 race with one win over Colorado (5-6) separating them from a second-straight trip to Arlington. A loss would force them to hope that No. 7 Arizona (10-1) drops their contest to Arizona State
Unfortunately, A.J. Green is out with an injury and the forecast in Boulder calls for snow. The Cowboys’ offense can’t get things going without a proven commodity in the backfield and Shedeur Sanders finds a a way to will the Buffs to an unlikely victory, and a bowl berth.
Nearly 1,300 miles away, Gordon and No. 10 Oklahoma (9-2) watch as their in-state rival’s loss presents them with an opportunity to sneak into the College Football Playoff if they can beat LSU in Death Valley. With a stingy defensive performance and a grind-it-out offensive attack centered around No. 0, the Sooners pull out a 27-21 win, bringing them to 10-2 on the year. To make matters worse, Arizona buries Arizona State, 41-13, and knocks the Pokes (10-2) out big Big 12 title contention.
Arizona (12-1) goes on to win the Big 12 Championship and claims the auto-bid for the conference, but there is some movement after some chaos in the other conference title games.
Going into Selection Sunday Oklahoma State is one of several 10-2 teams with a chance to make the 12-team CFP field. After falling just four spots in last week’s poll, the Pokes are at No. 10 and feeling pretty good. The No. 12 spot is likely reserved for Liberty (12-1), who just won another conference title, so the No. 11 spot is where the final at-large spot is likely to be taken.
As the at-large bids start to roll along to teams from the SEC and Big Ten, Oklahoma State fans are feeling good about their chances to be the Big 12’s second representative when the No. 11 spot comes up on the show.
The candidates? Oklahoma State (10-2), Penn State (10-2), and Oklahoma (10-2).
After plenty of drama and build up, the logo flashes on the screen… and it’s OU. The Sooners’ win over LSU in Death Valley propels them to an unlikely playoff berth after losing to SEC champion Texas and Alabama in a close game.
As OSU fans around the state throw hats and break TV’s, you hear Kirk Herbstreit say, “Well that’s tough for the other teams, but how do you leave the Heisman front-runner, Ollie Gordon, out of the Playoff?”
