The Wiz of Odds

Hitting a Wall

Here is the violent collision between Oklahoma State quarterback Zac Robinson and Texas Tech cornerback Jamar Wall. There was no penalty on the play, even though it was a helmet-to-helmet hit.

Robinson is expected to play Thursday night against Colorado.

Game Day for T. Boone Pickens

Time to check on Oklahoma State moneyman T. Boone Pickens, who enjoys game day just like the rest of us, especially now that he built a runway on his 45,000-acre West Texas ranch for easier use of his Gulfstream 550.

He used to have to take a helicopter from the ranch to the airport at nearby Pampa, Texas, to board the jet, but thankfully those days are over.

The flight takes 40 minutes and T. Boone is met at the Stillwater airport by athletic director Mike Holder, who doubles as chauffeur for Pickens and his wife, Madeleine. The first stop is the student union, and Pickens is mobbed when he steps out of the vehicle. Countless autographs, pictures, handshakes and thank yous later, he makes his way to the stadium that bears his name.

Once he reaches his midfield suite perched above the 50-yard line, a stream of fans stop to say hello. There is university president Burns Hargis and fellow donor Greg Casillas. Before halftime, Oklahoma City Thunder players Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Russell Westbrook and James Harden pay a visit.

More guests at halftime, including Oklahoma governor Brad Henry. Then up walks Garth Brooks, who introduces his wife to T. Boone.

Later, Pickens meets a man from his hometown of Holdenville, Okla., and the man and his friends are welcomed into the suite.

T. Boone Ready for Big Return on His Inventment

Oklahoma State moneyman T. Boone Pickens toured the $184 million west end zone addition to the stadium that bears his name this week. Pickens has his own locker, complete with a No. 1 jersey and helmet.

The new addition includes everything from plush offices, locker rooms, dining hall and meeting rooms, to a state-of-the art weight room and medical center.

Pickens, 81, is expecting grand results for his grand donations, predicting Oklahoma State will be undefeated entering the regular season finale at Oklahoma.

"I don't talk about competing anymore," Pickens said. "I talk about winning."

Latest Editions to College Football's Arms Race

Oklahoma State is finishing work on a three-year renovation and expansion of T. Boone Pickens Stadium. The price tag is $282 million — $47 million for the stadium's south side; $55 million for the north side; $180 million for the west end zone and video scoreboard. Underneath the west end zone are the new training, weight, equipment and dressing rooms. The facility will seat 60,218.

"I was shocked. We have one of the best locker rooms in the country by far, hands down," Oklahoma State defensive end Richetti Jones said. "It is top notch. We are on a different level now, and we just need to keep playing like it. If we play anything like our locker room looks, we are going to win championships."

Gundy on Rant: 'It Has Helped Us Tremendously'

Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy now says his "I'm a man, I'm 40" meltdown in 2007 has helped recruiting.

"No, I didn’t expect it, in any way, shape, form or fashion," Gundy told Michael Carvell of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "It's interesting since that day, which happened on impulse in my opinion, to protect and take care of one of our players, I didn't have any idea that it would take off like this. From that point on, for good or bad, I've become very recognizable across the country.

The Rest of the Story

Today we take a trip down memory lane, back to February 2007, when we asked the question, "Who the hell is William Cole?"

Turns out Cole was some hotshot four-star recruit out of the Lone Star State. On this day, he ended up going through the tiresome cap routine before selecting one from Oklahoma State.

So what happened to Cole?