LONGHORNHOOSIER - Week 3, 2014

Stoops got some ammunition when Oklahoma stunned Alabama 45-31 in the Sugar Bowl and took significant momentum into the offseason. This past summer, Stoops took exception to Alabama coach Nick Saban's comment that the Allstate Sugar Bowl was a consolation game. On Oklahoma's media day, when asked about his initial response to Saban, he replied: "Oh, get over it. Again, where am I lying?"

Even in weeks the Sooners don't play SEC teams, Stoops gets questions about the conference. A week ago, when asked if Alabama's close call against West Virginia was another example of the SEC struggling to stop a Big 12 spread offense, he wouldn't get into it.

"I'm not gonna sit here and talk about that," he said. "You guys are more than capable of doing that without me. I cause enough waves. This isn't the out-of-season where I cause waves."

While Stoops isn't necessarily a fan of the SEC's hype, he's fine with Tennessee and coach Butch Jones.

"We've got respect for the program," Stoops said. "The coach is getting in their second season now. They're a better football team than they were a year ago. They've recruited really well in the last couple of years. They're 2-0, and they've looked really good to this point."

The players know that the game is important because of the matchup of the conferences, but they also say they need to focus on themselves to be at their best so they can make the right impression.

"These are the games that most people are going to sit down and watch," Grissom said.