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West of Everest: An Oklahoma Football Podcast

West of Everest: An Oklahoma Football Podcast

101 episodes — Page 2 of 3

Ep. 371 - Great News for the Defense & Discussing a Dream Hypothetical

Grant opens the show with some recent news that required a visit to urgent care. We get past that to get to the great news that R Mason Thomas is coming back and FSU transfer Marvin Jones Jr. will join him on the defensive line (3:20) OSU transfer Kendal Daniels is joining the roster as well. What will be his role? Grant seems to think he could play more linebacker than DB (11:20). Lee saw a tweet that caught his eye that leads to a major hypothetical situation that involves OU's defensive coordinator opening (19:15). Joe Jon Finley and DeMarco Murray continue to be on staff. Is it possible Ben Arbuckle can improve the offensive staff as a whole (27:00)? We answer a listener question about the types of players OU has gotten out of the transfer portal so far. Brent Venables' formula for 2025 is looking more and more clear (34:20). We wrap it up with our final thoughts on the CFP semifinals and how the first year of the 12-team playoff has not been as fun as we had hoped (43:40). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Jan 9, 202554 min

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

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

Jan 4, 20251h 19m

Ep. 369 - Bad Bowl Loss Clinches Another OU Losing Season Under Venables

OU closed out the season with a 21-20 loss to Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl. The Sooners finish 6-7 for the second time in the last three years. Join us as we go over all the ups and downs of another OU loss, read your 3-word reviews, and try to figure out what's going to happen next in the world of OU football. | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Dec 28, 20241h 32m

Ep. 368 - What to Make of the Portal Additions & Armed Forces Bowl Preview

The first 10 minutes is Grant announcing this is now a basketball podcast, Lee asking Grant a pressing question about Colosseum in Rome, and the history of humans consuming combat sports. To OU football and the news that John Mateer received a call from Baker Mayfield. Lee wonders if Brent Venables is trying to recreate the Jeff Lebby/Dillon Gabriel recipe? Looking at OU's transfer portal additions, Grant wants to know what the goal is for next season (9:45)? Lee wonders if OU has a chance to get an offensive tackle from Washington State? Plus we talk about more former OU players finding homes at new places (30:15). We move our attention to the Armed Forces Bowl matchup against Navy. The betting line has moved significantly against OU. We talk about the interesting storylines and what we want to see in this game. Can this one bowl game mean anything for the future (37:00)? Grant did a great job predicting the first round of the CFP games. We have thoughts on people complaining about Indiana and SMU being a part of the tournament (54:10). We make some picks in random bowl games this week (1:08:15). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Dec 24, 20241h 19m

Ep. 367 - Great News as Mateer Commits to OU

Grant is back from Rome. Deion Burks is returning to OU. Grant is hoping OU is not breaking the bank for him. Lee struggles to care about all the money stuff (2:30). BREAKING: John Mateer commits to OU in the middle of the pod. Will/can OU now go get a top tier WR out of the portal? The tight end room looks to be a mess and an unknown (13:10). Is OU bargain shopping in the portal? Will Joe Jon Finley and DeMarco Murray be on staff after the bowl game (33:25)? OU got commitments from a tackle from Stanford and a punter from Kennesaw State. Grant goes over some defensive targets for OU (41:45). What's going to happen with Damonic Williams (46:50)? Jackson Arnold is off to Auburn and LSU is taking two of OU's offensive players. Kalib Hicks will look to get some playing time at OSU and Makari Vickers is off to Colorado (55:15). Alex Grinch is the new DC at UCF and Bill Belichick is going to be a head coach in college football (1:03:30). We make our Playoff picks against the spread and randomly also pick the Hawaii Bowl (1:11:20). Grant predicted almost exactly how the 2024 season would play out (1:26:00). Some parting thoughts about OU-Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl (1:27:00). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Dec 19, 20241h 32m

Ep. 366 - Can We Trust Venables to Reload & Retool OU Through the Portal?

In the opening take, Lee tries to figure out what OU's going to do to address their need for wide receivers in the transfer portal. Then Lee continues this solo show by talking about why he's struggling to find interest in all the recent OU news. He goes over some of the non-wide receivers who are departing through the transfer portal before taking a first look at the Sooners Armed Forces Bowl matchup with Navy. Lee has an issue with the way the Playoff teams are ranked, but he thinks the First Round matchups mostly have a lot of promise. He finishes up by taking a quick look at how OU's 2025 schedule sets up. | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Dec 13, 202431 min

Ep. 365 - Sooners Hire Intriguing Up-and-Comer Arbuckle to Fix Offense

The guys open the show briefly talking a little bit about Grant's upcoming trip to Europe, before getting into more important topics like Ben Arbuckle being hired as OU's offensive coordinator. We give our initial thoughts and go over some positive numbers. We also compare some of Arbuckle's numbers to Lincoln Riley and Seth Littrell (2:40). Venables announced that he will retain the offensive staff. Will that actually hold into 2025 (29:30)? Jackson Arnold is going to enter the transfer portal. Will Wazzu's John Mateer come to OU (42:50)? OU's going to need a lot of help on offense in 2025. Nic Anderson is entering the transfer portal as well. OU's injuries plus running back talk (53:30). Where do you stand on Deion Burks (1:02:50)? OU held on to Michael Fasusi, but the 2025 recruiting class is the lowest ranked for the Sooners in more than a decade (1:06:00). We read some comments from the WoE Facebook page (1:12:45). Discussing the College Football Playoff rankings. Grant's okay with Alabama being in line to get in. Lee thinks Miami is being under ranked. Grant was way out ahead of one very obvious problem with the current playoff system and Lee apologizes for going over the odds on who will win the National Championship (1:23:30). We finish up with our picks for Conference Championship Weekend (1:36:40). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Dec 6, 20241h 50m

Ep. 364 - OU Fails to Build Off Stunning Win as Sooners Lose at LSU

The guys discuss OU's 37-17 loss at LSU to close the regular season at 6-6 (2-6). It does appear the Alabama game was indeed an outlier outcome as the Sooners reverted back to what they've been for most of 2024. Grant has some historical analytical stats that show where the program is now compared to the 90s. After much big picture discussion, the guys jump into the actual game and go through all the big moments (and bad moments) that led to OU losing at LSU. At least one listener disagrees with our thoughts on Brent Venables and Lee brings up one coach who may be the best case scenario comp to Venables if he's going to succeed at OU. Plus we read your "3-Word Reviews". | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Dec 1, 20241h 29m

Ep. 363 - OU’s Latest Win Adds Extra Juice to Upcoming LSU Game

Brent Venables opens the show with his story of late night Taco Bell following the win over Alabama. The guys are incredibly excited about this development and go into detail about why (00:00). Venables admitted he failed on the Seth Littrell hire. Does this do anything for you? Did the Alabama game show us what OU could have been this season with a competent offense (10:10)? Venables joked about DeMarco Murray finally letting Xavier Robinson play more. We don't think this is a laughing matter (20:35). We look at the improvement in OU's rush offense in the four games since Joe Jon Finley has been calling plays (27:00). Doesn't sound like Deion Burks or Jalil Farooq will be available this week (33:05). We preview the LSU game with all of the most interesting aspects of this matchup. LSU's pass offense is elite. Can OU's DBs cover? LSU's defense is not good. Can OU's offense replicate the success they had against Alabama? Venables has a chance to prove the Bama game was not a fluke (36:45). Brief thoughts on the SEC slate, followed by our weekly picks. Games include Memphis-Tulane/South Carolina-Clemson/Notre Dame-USC/Miami-Syracuse/Texas-Texas A&M (59:10). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Nov 28, 20241h 27m

Ep. 362 - OU Does Indeed Stun Everybody & Beats Bama Comfortably

The Sooners proved us wrong in all the best ways by beating No. 7 Alabama 24-3 Saturday in Norman. The offensive gameplan was terrific and included a lot of creative designs in the run game. Xavier Robinson continued to look like the best running back on the team. Joe Jon Finley deserves a ton of credit for his gameplan and execution. OU's defense was fantastic against a great Alabama offense. That was the best defensive performance since when?? And we read your 3-Word Reviews. | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Nov 24, 20241h 14m

Ep. 361 - Let’s See if OU Can Stun Everybody and Beat Bama

The guys start out with some positive news about Xavier Robinson being available this week against Alabama. However, it slowly transitions into the negative because we have no interest in sugar coating this stuff (2:30). Do you want to see other QBs play the rest of the season? We revisit the Dillon Gabriel/Jackson Arnold discussion and Lee has came around closer to where Grant was months ago (11:40). Jackson Arnold just recently began getting some QB coaching (24:30). Why is Jacobe Johnson still repping at wide receiver? No matter how you spin it, much of this season looks very bad for Brent Venables (30:00). We read some comments about OU's offensive coordinator search from the WoE FB page. Lee is having a tough time getting into this because he doesn't think it really matters. What would Dan Mullen, Ben Arbuckle, or Joe Craddock do for you (35:50)? What would it take for you to take Lincoln Riley back at OC for OU (45:50)? Grant can't find many reasons to be compelled by this OU-Alabama matchup. We talk about it for a little bit, anyways (48:20). Grant does not like the super conferences and he is not enjoying this college football season. Lee is the exact opposite and says this season has been great. I guess it comes down to what you want out of college football (53:30). We make our picks against the spread in Indiana-Ohio State/Ole Miss-Florida/Penn State-Minnesota/Colorado-Kansas/Army-Notre Dame (1:03:10).

Nov 22, 20241h 15m

Ep. 360 - Venables Gets the Dreaded ”Vote of Confidence”

Lee tells us what's coming up on the show today before the guys briefly talk about OU's upcoming primetime kickoff against Alabama (0:00). Joe Harroz and Joe Castiglione gave Brent Venables a vote of confidence this week. For some reason the discussion leads Lee to think of former Tennessee HC Butch Jones (7:40). Joe Castiglione stopped short of committing to Brent Venables for next season (17:45). Turns out that OU giving Venables a new contract in June increased the Venables buy-out. This move looks horrible in hindsight and it's another reason why Grant is concerned about the future of OU (21:30). Lee found a former head coach that may end up being a very close comp to Brent Venables' time at OU (30:40). We look back at all the other notable head coaching hires from the 2022 cycle. It's pretty easy to tell if each team has found their guy, or not (38:00). Some brief CFP rankings talk. Grant's not loving the way this season is playing out (54:00). Taking a look at the SEC slate as well as a brief look back at the 2020 OU defense (56:30) before making our picks against the spread. Games include LSU-Florida/Nebraska-USC/Arizona St.-KSU/Tennessee-Georgia/Kansas-BYU (1:02:10). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Nov 14, 20241h 20m

Ep. 359 - It’s Over. We Just Don’t Know When it Will Be Made Official.

OU's loss to Missouri was more of the same as the Brent Venables era looks to be coming to a close. The only question is, "When?" | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Nov 10, 20241h 28m

Ep. 358 - Elevated Expectations for Night Game at Missouri

In the opening take, Lee talks about something very serious that impacts everybody who listens to this show. Please listen to this critical message. Then Grant joins to talk about getting after it a little too much bending the elbow and how to combat a hangover (4:30). Grant gives his thoughts on the OU-Maine game. Jovantae Barnes and Xavier Robinson are discussed. Jackson Arnold's play and the defense as a whole (7:30). Will Jalil Farooq and/or Deion Burks play against Missouri? Grant's got the SEC Availability report hot off the press. Jovantae Barnes is questionable. The O-Line is back to being injured (20:15). What's the most intriguing storyline for OU-Missouri? Missouri may start a backup QB in the game, which should be a chance for OU's defense to have a good time. Are both fanbases not expecting their team to win (32:10)? Is it a problem that people are asking if this is the most important game for Brent Venables since he's been at OU (44:10)? The CFP Rankings are out. Let's assess the projected matchups (53:15). Looking at the SEC slate. If Florida's QB was healthy, it may be interesting vs. Texas. SC-Vandy is a tough handicap, and would Josh Heupel run it up on Jeff Lebby (59:00)? We make our picks coming off a good week for Grant. The games are Georgia-Ole Miss/ISU-Kansas/Michigan-Indiana/Colorado-Texas Tech/Alabama-LSU (1:05:30). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Nov 7, 20241h 27m

Ep. 357 - Barnes Continues Hot Play as OU Gets Back in Win Column

Oklahoma picked up its 5th win of the season beating Maine 59-14 Saturday. Lee talks about the offensive explosion, this new version of Jovantae Barnes, Jackson Arnold continued his solid play, and a big picture look at OU's defense that doesn't bode well for Brent Venables. Plus we read your "3-Word Reviews". | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Nov 3, 202455 min

Ep. 356 - Let’s Play the O-Line Blame Game

In the opening take, Lee tries to find out the correct degrees of blame for OU's offensive line being terrible. Then Grant joins to give his thoughts on the offensive line and push back on some of the points Lee made. As much as we didn't want to do this, we do a long segment on the offensive line, previous recruiting classes, Bill Bedenbaugh's coaching ability, and how much blame Lincoln Riley deserves (8:00). Grant says OU being bad is boring. Brent Venables had a long press conference this week that didn't amount to much. We got some injury updates at least, Lee brings up his injury conspiracy theory again, and Grant takes another victory lap over his Jacobe Johnson take from weeks ago (37:15). We do a thought exercise involving OU losing to Maine. No, we don't want OU to lose to Maine. I'm sorry but we really like Curt Cignetti (46:00). What's the most boring result in the OU-Maine game? Grant tells us what he wants to see in this game and he goes all the way in on DeMarco Murray so get your popcorn (55:10). We thank listeners for their 5-star podcast reviews (59:00). SEC talk focuses on Grant laying out why Hugh Freeze should be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame (1:03:50). We make our picks against the spread. Games include Ohio State-Penn State/Ole Miss-Arkansas/Minnesota-Illinois/Oregon-Michigan/Texas A&M-South Carolina (1:10:00). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Oct 31, 20241h 34m

Ep. 355 - OU Shows Surprising Life, but Comes Back to Earth in Loss

Definitely a tale of two halves in Oxford this weekend. OU went into halftime enjoying a 14-10 lead over one of the better teams in college football, but the Sooners came back down to earth in the final 30 minutes. What went right? What went wrong? Jovantae Barnes had his best game as a Sooner. Jackson Arnold played solid and does seem to have a lot of potential. This OU's best game running the ball this season. The offensive line can't pass block, but somehow they were able to run block pretty well. As always we read your "3-Word Reviews". | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Oct 27, 20241h 16m

Ep. 354 - Sooners Face Daunting Task Following OC Shake-Up

Lee strikes a negative tone to start the show, which Grant calls him on. Early thoughts on what to expect when OU plays Ole Miss this Saturday (0:00). Brent Venables talked for the first time about firing Seth Littrell. How is OU going to deal with recruiting offensive players during this time (8:00)? What will Venables be looking for in his next OC? Lee has a bit of a problem with what Venables said. We look back to what we were thinking when Seth Littrell was hired (19:50). Early look at who could be candidates for OU's OC job (30:20). Venables wanted a new voice, new perspective, new strategy and game planning when it comes to offense. Will we notice? What can Kevin Johns bring to the table now that he's an assistant coach (36:00)? We found out Gavin Sawchuk is injured. Why can't OU just totally change their offense moving forward? It can't get any worse right? The running back room is still not good (43:10). Grant's got a lot of good stuff on Ole Miss. The Rebels are a damn good team (49:40). What's the blueprint for an improbable OU victory (1:00:30)? Thanking listeners for their 5-star reviews (1:08:10). A brief look at the SEC slate (1:11:40) followed by our picks against the spread. We pick Boise State-UNLV/Notre Dame-Navy/BYU-UCF/Missouri-Alabama/LSU-Texas A&M (1:13:40). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Oct 24, 20241h 27m

Ep. 353 - Seth Littrell is Gone. Should Venables be Next?

Lot to talk about today. Grant wants people to stop saying "is this rock bottom?" (0:00). What does it mean for the future of the program now that Seth Littrell has been fired? Do you have any confidence that Brent Venables can find the right offensive coordinator? (6:00). The rest of the episode is essentially us talking about why it's over for Brent Venables (16:00). We go to the WoE Facebook page and X to read listener "3-word reviews" and comments before wrapping up the show with final thoughts (58:45). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Oct 22, 20241h 12m

Ep. 352 - We’re Just Hoping For the Best at This Point

OU had a players-only meeting after the loss to Texas, so that must mean everything is fixed. Brent Venables had some puzzling thoughts about OU's running game against Texas when it comes to efficient successful plays and explosive plays. Is OU's offense too complicated? Grant gets going early with a rant about the state of the program (2:25). We're not interested in how Lincoln Riley left the program. It's Year 3 for Brent Venables (22:40). Let's say some nice things about Eli Bowen. Before we talk about OU's confusing cornerback usage against Texas (29:10). Lee says it's getting harder and harder to take this season one game at a time. Also, the running back room is not good and it's very frustrating. Yes Tawee Walker comes up (35:15). Deion Burks is questionable to play against South Carolina. What about the QBs? What's Venables' plan for Hawkins and Jackson Arnold the rest of the season (45:50)? What's there to say about this upcoming game against SC? Hoping for the best (51:20). Highlighting some past 5-star West of Everest reviews on Apple Podcasts (55:40). A quick look at the SEC slate before we make our picks against the spread. Games include Nebraska-Indiana/Alabama-Tennessee/Michigan-Illinois/LSU-Arkansas/Georgia-Texas (57:30). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Oct 17, 20241h 16m

Ep. 351 - OU Dismantled by Texas for the 2nd Time in Last 3 Years

One host is a little more fired up than expected, while the other host is apathetic towards OU's latest beatdown at the hands of Texas. One thing we can all agree on is the offense being awful. The Sooners are officially the worst offense in P4 football. The one thing we can't agree upon is the state of the defense and how well (or not well) it played Saturday at the Cotton Bowl. How is it possible at this point to defend anybody on the offensive staff? We read your "3-Word Reviews" and briefly look ahead to next week's game against South Carolina. | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Oct 13, 202451 min

Ep. 350 - Sooners in Unfamiliar Territory as Big Underdog vs. Texas

Grant briefly describes being at the Minnesota-USC game and storming the field after the Gophers' win (1:10). We jump into what we learned from the Brent Venables news conference. Should OU use Texas as a measuring stick? OU's been the better team several years over the last generation and we wish the Sooners would have won more of them (3:00). Lee was proven wrong following last week's injury-related game. Dasan McCullough seems to be on track to play this week. What will his role be? Will Deion Burks be available? If there's no Burks, will Jacobe Johnson have a role on offense (11:50)? Quinn Ewers seems likely to start for Texas. Talking about Ewers and Arch Manning (22:00). Did Trace Ford give Texas some bulletin board material (27:00)? Lee's got some bye-related OU-Texas facts and figures. It's been more than 50 years since the Sooners beat Texas coming off a bye. Could that win in 1972 be a blueprint for OU beating Texas Saturday (31:45)? The guys don't see much of a point to dive deep into the matchups of this game because OU's offense is just so poor and Texas is really good on both sides of the ball. Something unexpected is going to have to happen in order for OU to win. Grant is curious to see if OU's offense will pull back the tempo (40:50). If OU had just a "good" offense Lee would be very confident in OU winning (49:20). The SEC Availability Report is hot off the press. This may mean good news for one OU running back. We also praise Luke Elzinga for being good at punting (55:00). Michael Hawkins should not be intimidated by the moment. Random thoughts on Auburn's offense, Grant has a prop on Gavin Sawchuk, and we wrap up the OU-Texas preview talk (1:01:40). Thoughts on the 2:30 kickoff time, Lee's going to a lot of State Fairs this year, and the guys talk about their first OU-Texas experience which was the 2008 game (1:07:30). We thank listeners for your 5-star reviews on Apple Podcasts (1:15:20). Thoughts on Vanderbilt's win over Alabama and we go over the SEC slate for Week 7. Also, Texas has a surprisingly difficult road schedule the rest of the season (1:18:30). Lee has one other thought about the QBs Texas has played this season and then we make weekly picks on Washington-Iowa/Penn State-USC/Ohio State-Oregon/Ole Miss-LSU/Kansas State-Colorado (1:27:15). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Oct 10, 20241h 46m

Ep. 349 - Injury Outlook, Early Texas Thoughts, & Likes/Dislikes So Far

The guys open the show talking about lunch, feelings about bye weeks, and Grant's plans to attend the USC-Minnesota game this weekend (00:00). Deion Burks and Taylor Tatum have a chance to play against Texas in a couple of weeks (7:40). We dive deeper into several of OU's injured players. Who will play again this season? Who will not be back? We play a stupid game to give our answers. Lee has a theory on Gentry Williams' latest injury and we also talk about how maybe Jacobe Johnson should be moved back to corner (10:35). OU's a large underdog to Texas right now. We give our early thoughts on the matchup (41:30). We go over the things we like and dislike so far about the 2024 OU Football team (53:20). The guys talk about how they got into following OU football and how we got to the point where this podcast is in the midst of its 8th season (1:10:00). We thank those who have left 5-star reviews on Apple Podcasts. We appreciate your support (1:22:50)! There's some interesting SEC matchups this week. Grant really likes the new SEC on ABC theme (1:27:20). We make our weekly picks. The games are Missouri-A&M/Ole Miss-South Carolina/Michigan-Washington/USC-Minnesota/Miami-Cal. Plus some talk about the crazy world that is Big 12 football this season (1:33:45). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Oct 3, 20241h 57m

Ep. 348 - Kip’s Crazy Pick-6 Sends OU to Improbable Win at Auburn

Join us as we go through OU's improbable win over Auburn. Kip Lewis made the play of the year so far. Michael Hawkins did about as well as you would have hoped given the situation. OU hit some explosive plays finally. OU's kicker was not the one who missed key field goals. J.J. Hester came up big on a couple of plays. OU's tight ends made way too many mistakes. Seth Littrell's offense is still not good, but hey you take any win you can get in 2024! | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Sep 29, 20241h 37m

Ep. 347 - Will Hawkins Make OU’s Offense Look That Much Different?

After some brief introductory nonsense the guys jump into Michael Hawkins being named the starting QB for the Auburn game. How are we feeling four days removed from the Tennessee loss (2:05)? What do we make of rumors that Hawkins had been looking better than Arnold at practice for a while now (9:30)? Jacobe Johnson is being moved to WR. Lee thinks this could go somewhere while Grant thinks it's a joke (22:30). OU's injury list is ridiculous. So many key players are hurt (27:00). Lee has a theory about Brent Venables' latest midweek press conference when he spoke for 19 minutes at the start (32:10). Venables wanted to set the record straight on Dillon Gabriel's exit from OU (35:15). OU's slightly favored against Auburn. The Tigers are a good football team that has made way too many mistakes on offense. Lee has a theory on Auburn's offense (43:40). We thank the listeners who've left us 5-star podcast reviews in the past and recently (1:04:05). A brief look at the SEC slate (1:09:50) followed by our picks in Minnesota-Michigan/OSU-K-State/Louisville-Notre Dame/Georgia-Alabama/Illinois-Penn State (1:12:15). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Sep 26, 20241h 31m

Ep. 346 - OU’s Clown Show Offense Overshadows Great Defense in Loss to Vols

It's all about extremes at OU. For several years we get to watch elite offense paired with truly terrible defense, and now we get to witness high level defense paired with truly terrible offense. Were there signs a season ago that Jackson Arnold would look this bad? How much longer does Brent Venables have at OU? When will Seth Littrell be fired? Hey, Michael Hawkins helped the offense show some signs of life, but what does that mean? We also read your "3-Word Reviews". | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Sep 22, 20241h 12m

Ep. 345 - OU’s a Touchdown Dog at Home. Welcome to the SEC.

Brent Venables opens the show talking about Josh Heupel's return to Norman this weekend. What do we think about this storyline (1:35)? The first SEC Injury report featuring OU has been released and it looks like some key players may be suiting up for the Sooners this weekend. May Tennessee be down a key player on offense (7:55)? We dive into OU's matchup with Tennessee. Tennessee's defense has not been tested at all, but it has been dominant. The problem is OU's offense may not be able to challenge them. Lee is still incredibly down on the offense and watching Tennessee's offense makes Lee even more frustrated about what Seth Littrell and company are doing. Grant pushes back a little bit (22:20). Tennessee's offense has been elite, but Grant provides some reasons why OU could find ways to make it difficult for them Saturday (31:10). Lee gets back to OU's offense and talks about why he's got so little confidence in what they're doing. This is on pace to be Seth Littrell's worst offense of his career. Musings from the NC State-Tennessee game (44:00). OU's corners better be ready to run Saturday. Grant wants to see more ball control from OU's offense and wants OU's defense to be aggressive against this Tennessee scheme (52:40). OU's had an alarming lack of explosive plays on offense (59:00). We highlight some podcast reviews and thank listeners for their feedback and support (1:01:30). We move on to the SEC slate and talk a little about Florida-Miss State and Arkansas-Auburn. Would you want Bobby Petrino calling plays for OU's offense (1:06:30)? Lee looks to keep making solid picks, while Grant has to turn it around. We make our picks on Illinois-Nebraska/USC-Michigan/Georgia Tech-Louisville/Utah-OSU/Miami-South Florida (1:12:30). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Sep 19, 20241h 33m

Ep. 344 - OU Shows Improvement in Win Over Good Tulane Team

It was much better this week as the Sooners withstood a second half surge from Tulane. OU's defense was really good, and outside of 2-3 drives Tulane did not do much of anything. That's a really good offense, so the Sooners' defense was up to the challenge in their first real test of the year. The offense was much better than last week, but still has a ways to go. Grant was encouraged by the performance more than Lee. The running back situation is still perplexing. Maybe at some point the Sooners will get some of their important injured players back? We finish up the show by reading "3 Word Reviews" and briefly talking about the day in college football. | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Sep 15, 20241h 12m

Ep. 343 - We’re Very Down on the Offense. Please Surprise Us.

In the opening take, Lee tries to mentally prepare you for the content in this upcoming show. Then Grant joins as we talk way too long about OU's busted coverage that gave up a TD against Houston (03:30). Then we get to more pressing issues, like our lack of confidence in Seth Littrell and Brent Venables at this moment. We play soundbites from each coach that do not instill a lot of hope for the rest of the season. Aaron Murray released a video breaking down several plays from the OU-Houston game. Did this really make you feel better about OU's offense (10:30). OU gets a real test against Tulane. The Green Wave will come in thinking they will win the game. Tulane's offense is very good and should let us know if OU's secondary knows how to cover this year (42:00). We don't have as much on Tulane's defense, but it's very clear they are much better than Temple and Houston (53:45). We want to thank you for leaving positive ratings and reviews on the podcast. We highlight and showcase reviews from the past, before highlighting recent reviews (59:10). Brief thoughts about the SEC. It's sad that Texas is good and the A&M-Florida game could be interesting (1:07:00). We make our weekly picks on Arizona-K-State/Alabama-Wisconsin/LSU-South Carolina/Boston College-Missouri/Oregon-Oregon State (1:09:20). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Sep 12, 20241h 26m

Ep. 342 - OU Barely Beats Houston. This Could Go Sideways Fast.

If the first two games of the 2024 season are any indication, we should be preparing for a not very fun next three months of OU football. The guys go over the GOOD -- OU won the game, before spending almost the entire show on what was BAD -- which was pretty much all of it. The offense is terrible. Was Seth Littrell a bad hire? People are calling for Michael Hawkins to play. This team is undisciplined and was fortunate to escape Saturday with the victory. Brent Venables has a lot to account for as the Sooners welcome a really good Tulane team to Norman next week. We also read your "3 Word Reviews"! | | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Sep 8, 20241h 9m

Ep. 341 - No Way Houston is That Bad... Right?.. Right?!

In the opening take, Lee recaps what he saw in his rewatch of the OU-Temple game. Then Grant joins to give his thoughts on the rewatch (5:00). A listener brought up other recent poor OU offensive performances on the WoE Facebook page. Was the Temple performance really the worst we've seen in years (18:10)? Jake Taylor will be available this week. Will Branson Hickman play? Can Jaquaize Pettaway become a contributor now that Farooq is out? What about Nic Anderson's availability (26:15)? Let's talk about OU-Houston. It was stunning how bad the Cougars looked vs UNLV. Grant couldn't figure out what Houston's offense was trying to do. QB Donovan Smith was terrible, and the offensive line may be a swinging gate (33:40). Houston's defense played better on paper, but Lee thinks the secondary might be horrific. We'll see if this is a game where OU chooses to get Jackson Arnold going (47:30). Taking a look at the SEC slate this week, plus Week 1 thoughts. We were both dead wrong on Florida. USC played very well against LSU, plus more thoughts on Week 1 (59:40). We make our picks from Texas-Michigan/Arkansas-OSU/Iowa-Iowa St./Tennessee-NC State/Colorado-Nebraska (1:16:30). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Sep 6, 20241h 32m

Ep. 340 - OU Beats Temple Big, But Whoa the Offense Was a Problem

The guys are recording 15 minutes after OU beat Temple 51-3 to open the 2024 season. They spend the next 20 minutes or so going over the poor performance by the OU offense. A great start transitioned into a horror show for a significant part of the game (1:20). The defense forced 6 takeaways and did exactly what they should have done against a bad Temple team. Nothing really to complain about there, and the kicking game with Tyler Keltner did it's job as well (22:40). Okay, back to the offense being bad on 3rd down. We read your "3 Word Reviews" from the WoE Facebook page and Twitter/X (29:25). We learn that Jalil Farooq broke his foot and will miss the next 6-8 weeks. This is not a promising development. We read and react to some more postgame updates from Brent Venables' press conference (40:30). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Aug 31, 202449 min

Ep. 339 - Time for OU-Temple on a Football Friday

Hey Friday Night Lights are almost upon us! The guys begin the show talking about the NCAA suspending DeMarco Murray for one game. Lee rants about how much he doesn't like documentaries (2:00). OU is a 42.5 point favorite over Temple. The Owls' QB situation is a mess, they've got a bunch of new players on their team, their defense is going to atrocious, and if OU struggles at all during this game, that would be a letdown (8:50). We answer one quick message from the WoE Facebook page before looking at some of the Week 1 SEC matchups that are outside of the mainstream (24:00). We make our weekly picks against the spread. Games include Clemson-Georgia/Penn St.-WVU/Miami-Florida/Notre Dame-Texas A&M/USC-LSU (36:00). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Aug 29, 202458 min

Ep. 338 - It’s the 2024 Big Season Preview Special!

After a bit of a preamble to set the table, the guys begin to talk about what Brent Venables said at his Monday presser. It sounds like the super fast, high up tempo Jeff Lebby speed offense may be a thing of the past (02:15). Tyler Keltner is going to get the first crack at kicking FGs and Lee was not thrilled with Venables explaining why Billy Bowman will be the one returning kicks (08:10). It sounds like Jayden Jackson is the real deal, but Grant continues to be concerned about this development. Venables also explained why Michael Hawkins is the backup quarterback instead of Casey Thompson (13:20). Finally, Venables had an intriguing comment about one of the true freshman players on offense (21:50). On to the Big Season Preview as we tell you all the questions about OU that we are most interested to get answered once real football is being played (25:00). We go over things that we are sure of about OU, that we hope to be proven wrong about in 2024 (42:20). We predict OU's final regular season record and explain how e got there (47:55). Random thoughts about the rest of the interesting teams in the SEC (57:00). The guys predict the 12-team playoff teams and National Championship Game (1:11:00). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Aug 28, 20241h 23m

Ep. 337 - Depth Chart Reaction & Delivering Piping Hot Takes

OU's Week 1 depth chart came out just before we started recording the show. There's actually a lot of stuff to talk about. We go position by position beginning with the offense (1:40). We switch over to the defense where Grant is quite worried by Jayden Jackson being listed as a starter by himself at DT. And I guess they're going for it with Billy Bowman taking kickoff return duties (15:40). Now it's time to throw out hot takes about OU. Lee had a difficult time thinking of hot takes, while Grant brings quite a few to the table (28:00). Grant has some fire SEC-themed hot takes (51:30). We get to the rest of college football. Lee is coming around on USC for 2024, while Grant is absolutely not. Plus Grant has some more Big Ten hot takes and Lee comes up with a Penn State hot take off the top of his head. Grant finishes up with an interesting hot take about Oklahoma State (53:30). We go to the WoE Facebook page to read off your hot takes to end the show (1:06:30). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Aug 27, 20241h 13m

Ep. 336 - Game Week is Here. Let’s Celebrate!

Lee previews what to expect from the show over the next four days. We will release new episodes each day through Wednesday to celebrate the first full week of the college football season (0:00). What will we be looking for in the upcoming depth chart release this week (3:40)? We learned this week that Dasan McCullough is still not practicing (9:00). Andrel Anthony has no limitations right now in practice. We'll have to monitor his role as the season begins (16:20). Who do you want to see returning kicks and punts this season? Brent Venables gave us some names this week and the guys are not all that excited (18:20). If Zach Schmit is OU's kicker this season, perhaps history tells us that having Tyler Keltner as his backup is a good sign (26:35). A rare dive into recruiting for this show to talk about OU getting the commitment from a 5-star OT this week (32:30). A couple of former OU quarterbacks got some positive news this past week (37:40). Ga Tech upset FSU in Ireland and the guys have thoughts about it (40:00). It appears SMU may not be very good, and we field a question from the WoE Facebook page asking if we'd like to see OU play a game in Ireland at some point (52:35). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Aug 26, 20241h 0m

Ep. 335 - Fall Camp Silly Season Has Arrived

After some brief talk about the incredibly hot weather in Oklahoma, the guys talk about the recent anxiety surrounding Jackson Arnold's play at fall camp (6:30). After listening to other OU podcasts, it certainly seems like the team is dealing with a lot of minor injuries that are keeping players out of practice. Is this a problem, or just a way to keep the guys fresh for the season (23:40)? Lee rants about something that is annoying him that always seems to happen this time of year (32:00). Seems as if J.J. Hester will get his shot this season. Is R Mason Thomas finally healthy (42:00)? We check the WoE Facebook page and read comments and questions. What is the one road game you'd go to this season and next (45:15)? Is there a concern that multiple WRs have injury history (50:30)? We do a brief preview of Week Zero. FSU-Georgia Tech might be somewhat competitive. Grant has been practicing pronunciation ahead of the season (53:50). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Aug 19, 20241h 2m

Ep. 334 - A Bummer Camp Injury & the Barnes Vibes Get Stronger

Lee previews what is coming up on the show, followed by us thanking listeners for submitting new ratings/reviews for Apple and Spotify. Then the guys jump into the news that Jayden Gibson suffered a knee injury at practice. It does not sound good. What does this mean for the wide receiver room? Is it possible to replace what Gibson brings to OU's offense (6:20)? The Jovantae Barnes hype train continued into the second week of fall practice. We play some sound from Jackson Arnold and Barnes. We lay out the possible scenarios that could play out surrounding Barnes this season (23:40). We slide over to the OU defense. Lee plays some sound he liked from Gentry Williams. P.J. Adebawore looked bigger in some recent photos, but Grant wants him to gain even more weight (38:00). Kip Lewis is up to 225 and he's not sure which LB position he will play mostly this fall (49:30). OU will wear throwback uniforms Sept. 7 against Houston (51:25). We finish up with some random topics that include an OU bowl projection, the release of the Coaches poll, and Lee thinking Ohio State is boring (55:45). Grant talks briefly about the Olympics, much to Lee's chagrin. But then Lee gets excited talking about Caleb Williams playing in his preseason debut with the Bears (1:04:00). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Aug 11, 20241h 10m

Ep. 333 - Early Fall Camp Takeaways & Watchability Rankings

In the opening take, Lee is excited that it's the time of year to hear about how awesome OU will be in the upcoming season. Then Grant joins as we veer off into a discussion about Colin Cowherd and shows like "First Take" (4:00). Grant has started to talk himself into OU being one of the best teams in college football in 2024. But he's not a fan of other SEC teams being given the benefit of the doubt, while OU is not. We also have a broader conversation about OU entering the SEC and Lee warns that there's a chance we may learn that the Big 12 was actually a big benefit for the Sooners (9:20). Brent Venables provided an injury update on Andrel Anthony this week. Does this change Grant's mind about Anthony in 2024 (22:30)? Jalil Farooq seems to be fine as he recovers from his foot injury. And we learned Dasan McCullough has a minor toe injury (35:55). Jovantae Barnes is apparently looking good. We'll believe it when we see it (40:50). A little offensive line talk leads to talking about Tennessee being given the benefit of the doubt (58:00). Some takeaways from what Damonic Williams, Branson Hickman, and Peyton Bowen said this week (1:06:30). KFORD put out their weekly "watchability rankings" for the 2024 season and this is a pretty cool tool (1:19:15). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Aug 4, 20241h 33m

Ep. 332 - Fall Camp Questions & Teams We Root Against

The guys want to learn a lot of things from OU's fall camp, so they go over a lot of questions that they may or may not get answered in the next month. They begin with many thoughts and questions surrounding OU's offensive line (2:00). Will a trio of Sooners be able to practice in Fall camp (36:00)? We have several questions to ask about OU's running backs (40:15). Are we going to find out for sure that Casey Thompson is OU's backup QB (52:20)? Will Deion Burks and Makari Vickers miss any games (54:45)? Who's going to be OU's kicker (1:00:20)? Grant has many questions about the defensive line (1:06:00). Who's going to be the starting corners (1:13:10)? We spend the rest of the show talking about some teams (and people) we like to root against (1:15:00). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Jul 28, 20241h 43m

Ep. 331 - SEC Media Days Recap & Grant Reviews College Football 25

We talk about everything we learned from OU this week at SEC Media Days beginning with Jackson Arnold's appearance (5:15). Danny Stutsman impressed with his appearance (17:25). Billy Bowman came back to OU to win a championship. Should we start calling him "Bill" Bowman (24:30)? Brent Venables is confident about the depth at offensive and defensive line. Venables also warned that there's no guarantees that OU will have an elite defense this season (30:00). Venables gave us some injury updates on Andrel Anthony, Jalil Farooq, and others. Good news on the Troy Everett front, and can we count on Gentry Williams to play multiple full games in 2024 (54:30)? We take a look at the SEC preseason media poll and the preseason All-SEC teams (1:08:00). Grant gives his review of EA Sports College Football 25. He is not impressed (1:16:00). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Jul 21, 20241h 42m

Ep. 330 - Where is OU in Our SEC Preseason Polls?

The guys open the show briefly talking about Grant's recent trip Yellowstone National Park before jumping into their Preseason SEC Polls. Lee decided to rank his teams based on predicted order of finish, while Grant chose to treat this as a Power Poll of SEC teams. We both begin with Georgia as number 1 and predicted SEC Champion (2:40). Lee goes over his tier 2 teams that he thinks the floor is 9-3. There's also a discussion about Michigan's prospects for 2024 (11:50). Grant runs down his tier 2 teams in his preseason SEC Power Poll (28:00). Lee lists finishes up the top 10 teams in his preseason poll (45:30). Grant lists five more teams that he believes is in Tier 3 of the SEC. Grant's convinced Missouri is very overrated heading into 2024 (53:35). The guys finish up their preseason polls and recap (1:02:45). EA College Football 25 talk. Arch Manning is in the game and is rated higher than Jackson Arnold. Danny Stutsman and Billy Bowman are in the top 100. Isn't Shedeur Sanders slow? Will Jayden Gibson be criminally underrated in this game? And other musings (1:06:00). Brief updated roster talk. We're kind of worried about PJ Adebawore. Dillon Gabriel is now the favorite to win the Heisman on ESPN Bet (1:19:50). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Jul 14, 20241h 25m

Ep. 329 - That’s a Lazy OU/Texas SEC Take

After a quick preview of what's coming up on the show today, the guys jump into OU officially being a member of the SEC. Will this show get a bunch of new listeners from fans from SEC teams (2:10)? We have to make some corrections from previous shows because we get things wrong sometimes. A listener gets an assist for showing us the way about a Dallas Cowboys topic. Does Lee have a blind spot for defensive players in the NFL? We also find a way to bash USC (4:55). Another mistake we made revolves around Alabama's new head coach Kalen DeBoer and his OC. Good thing we are here to set the record straight (10:40). Let's talk about OU's "Welcome to the SEC" event that did not produce really anything interesting, with maybe the exception of Joe Castiglione taking a mini shot at Lincoln Riley. Where would OU be right now if Riley had not left for USC (13:40)? Barrett Sallee talked about the future of OU and Texas in the SEC on a recent podcast. We play what Sallee said and then react to it all (30:50). Thanks to the "Cover 3 Podcast" for an idea for a bit. Grant wants to pretend we are 5-star recruits and are picking our top 5 schools outside of OU. Both guys take different routes to picking their top 5 (1:09:45). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Jul 7, 20241h 32m

Ep. 328 - OU’s Excellent Recruiting, More Season Win Totals, & EA’s Rankings

The guys open the show talking about OU's official entry into the SEC, which is set for Monday. Lee apologizes for bringing up a topic that we always beat to death during the offseason (2:00). We provide our thoughts on Bud Elliott's latest "Blue Chip Ratio" rankings. OU's improved their standing in this since 2017 (6:45). Grant has some season win totals that have caught his eye. We begin with a theme on this show, which is ripping on Miami (26:15). Let's talk about Kansas State's win total (35:15). Grant thinks Alabama's win total is a little inflated (41:30). We hit on Tennessee and Missouri (51:00). Grant thinks Florida State is going to go under their win total (57:50). Flipping over to teams who Grant likes to hit their over. Virginia Tech, NC State, UCF, Iowa, Nebraska, and West Virginia (1:01:30). Grant gives his thoughts on Penn State and Ole Miss (1:10:15). EA Sports College Football 25 released some rankings that everybody is talking about. Lee's seen games at Kyle Field and Tiger Stadium. Is OU too high on the "toughest places to play" list (1:17:00)? EA has several teams ranked way too high on offense, particularly Colorado. Hopefully Jackson Arnold is good (1:24:10). OU's ranked 12th on defense and 17th in the overall rankings (1:29:35). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Jun 30, 20241h 38m

Ep. 327 - Questioning National Pundits & Venables Gets a New Deal

Lee questions why people put any stock into what national college football writers/pundits say. Grant explains why there's a big interest in what those people say and talks about why he's annoyed with the national narrative surrounding OU (2:45). Brent Venables got a new contract this week. Should this even be a story? Lee lays out the potential worst case scenario if it turns out that Venables is not the right guy for OU (25:00). USC lost a pair of 5-star DL commitments this week. Grant explains more why he thinks USC will be bad in 2024. Lee is worried that one of his theories about college football may end up being wrong, and Grant explains why that could be the case (42:00). Lee identifies teams that you may want to bet the over or the under on their season win total. We find out there's a lot of agreement here from Grant. Teams we hit on: USC, SMU, OSU, Iowa, Oregon, Texas A&M, Colorado, and Michigan. Grant briefly previews a topic for the next show (1:02:40). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Jun 23, 20241h 40m

Ep. 326 - Two Players Arrested & We Evaluate the Defensive Line

The guys begin the show talking about Deion Burks and Makari Vickers recently getting arrested. What does this mean for both of them? What kind of punishment can we expect? Lee looks back at how Dabo Swinney has punished Clemson players for getting arrested over the years. We talked about this story way longer than we expected (1:20). We received more clarity on upcoming OU kickoff times. This is terrific for planning purposes. Do SEC teams ever play cold night games (34:50)? We continue evaluating the Sooners' roster by placing each player into 1 of 6 categories. Today we are doing a deep dive through the defensive line group. You're going to see a bunch of players in category 4 because we need to see more. Can Ashton Sanders or Davon Sears turn into a solid contributor? The future looks incredibly bright for 4 players, but how much will these guys play in 2024? Let's rip on PFF College for old times sake (51:30). Since this episode is super long, we continue on talking about the Big 12 exploring the idea to sell their naming rights. Is this a clown show, or a shrewd business move (or both) (1:50:30)? | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Jun 16, 20241h 58m

Ep. 325 - OU Secondary Deep Dive & Josh Heupel’s HoF Credentials

The guys open the show talking about how they're not interested in really any type of summer camp, and provide an update on plans for SEC Football Media Days. Three former Sooners are on the ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame. Rocky Calmus should be a lock, but what about Josh Heupel (6:35)? The guys continue evaluating the Sooners' roster by placing each player into 1 of 6 categories. This week we're doing the secondary. There's a bunch of 4's. Lee is not as high on Kendel Dolby, while Grant is not as high on Woodi Washington. There's debate surrounding Peyton Bowen. Is Gentry Williams a 1? Is Lee heightist? Join us for a deep dive into the corners and safeties on OU's roster (18:30). The guys talk about trading all of the OU softball national titles for one additional football national championship. Which team would you pick for that national title? And why is summer so boring (1:16:45)? | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Jun 9, 20241h 25m

Ep. 324 - Riley Tries to Duck LSU & We Evaluate OU’s Linebackers

The guys open the show with some brief talk about the OU softball team beating Florida and advancing to the WCWS. It leads to Lee admitting that he does not care much at all for the spring sports, so if you want in depth baseball/softball analysis -- go somewhere else (1:30). We've recently learned new kickoff times for OU games this fall. None of them are at 11am. Isn't this what we were waiting for? Grant really wants to go to the LSU game late in the year (7:00). Let's all laugh at Lincoln Riley trying to get out of playing LSU. Grant's been watching games from 2017 and he says Riley looks the same then as he does now. The guys debate whether OU would have beaten Alabama in the National Championship game in 2017. Grant says no, Lee says yes (16:30). We react to CBS's head coach rankings. Riley is ranked high simply because of his overall record, right? Brent Venables vs Lincoln Riley right now. Venables vs. Marcus Freeman? Eli Drinkwitz is ranked way too high. Plus all the coaches we would rather have over Sark (30:50). We evaluate the linebackers on the Sooners' roster by putting all of them into 1 of 6 categories (48:00). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

Jun 5, 20241h 15m

Ep. 323 - NCAA Football 25 Reveal & Categorizing the OL Group

The guys open the show celebrating the anniversary of a very good movie being release, before talking about the full reveal of the NCAA Football 25 video game. Grant also admits that he's already bought the game (2:20). The guys continue their evaluation of the OU roster. This week we are putting the offensive linemen into 1 of 6 categories (18:10). We finish up the show by going to the WoE Facebook page. There's a comment/question about OU's opening Friday night game. Plus what should be our standard for OU's defense in year 3 of Brent Venables? Lee throws out a best case scenario comp team to what OU could be this fall, and Grant talks about brutal college football schedules (54:40). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

May 26, 20241h 10m

Ep. 322 - Tawee Walker’s Side of the Story Sounds Familiar

A large portion of this show is us revisiting the Tawee Walker/DeMarco Murray story from the regular season. Walker recently talked about his reasons for leaving OU. The guys play three different clips from Walker and provide reactions to each clip. We go over all the pertinent facts from the 2023 season. Many other running backs catch strays. Hopefully we find out the RB issues were all a Jeff Lebby thing (3:30). General Booty has found a new home. Would it have been better if he somehow ended up at Iowa (44:25)? FOX will air Big 12 and Big Ten games on Friday nights and there's not a whole lot of interesting matchups (47:40). ESPN and TNT has reached an agreement to air CFP games and the first round of the playoff will also coincide with some NFL games (52:30). | Like the show on Facebook: @westofeverest | Follow Grant on Twitter: @GrantBenson25 | Follow Lee on Twitter: @LeeBensonTweets

May 24, 202459 min