Of course, the more than three decades of experience Schnellenberger brought to one of college football's most demanding jobs didn't mean squat. So it boils down to blind faith and an educated guess. Sooner fans, who are about as loyal as you'll find anywhere, will undoubtedly keep the faith once again. And athletic director Joe Castiglione spent years educating himself on how to hire the right people. But Castiglione can only guess he hit the employment jackpot when he convinced Stoops his future was at Oklahoma instead of Iowa.
Early indicators are encouraging.
Stoops put together a solid staff and a decent recruiting class. Along with Castiglione, he spent endless hours crisscrossing the state and nation encouraging loss- weary boosters to give the Sooners money and one more chance. I'm confident that's going to lead to his success in the future. The monstrous task of coping with the ever-present expectation to win. Win now, and win big.