A DECADE AGO, just after a 40-6 loss to Clemson in the Russell Athletic Bowl, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops called longtime assistant Cale Gundy. Stoops asked Gundy if he could meet him at Bison Witches in downtown Norman.

This will be the first time that Heupel and Venables, who spent plenty of time together at Oklahoma, have faced off on opposing sidelines as head coaches