A year ago, under new offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley, Oklahomas schedule allowed them to ease into things especially on that side of the ball. Cheap Chris Harris Jr. Jersey .The Sooners started the season with Akron before moving on to a much more difficult task: going to Tennessee in the second week.This season, there wont be a chance to steadily ramp things up as No. 3 Oklahoma starts off with No. 15 Houston on Saturday at NRG Stadium before playing No. 6 Ohio State at home two weeks later.If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best, Sooners cornerback Dakota Austin said. If you can pop it off and just get it out of the way, you know what youll bring to it.Its a great opportunity to show what youre worth early in the season. Once we get in conference play, we can capitalize on that.Houston, one of the top candidates outside the Power 5 to crash the playoff party after a 13-1 season capped with a New Years Eve destruction of Florida State, no longer looks at itself as the underdog. The Cougars view the opener as a must-win to give the January dream any prayer of coming true.Weve raised the bar so high and our internal expectations of the culture around here ... Whats the saying? Weve created a monster, Herman said. And youve got to feed the monster.Oklahoma has aspirations of returning to the College Football Playoff, where they were beaten in the semifinals by Clemson to end last season. That 37-17 loss in the Orange Bowl -- the Sooners second consecutive bowl loss to the Tigers -- has been a focus for Oklahoma throughout the offseason.Losing to the same team twice, two years in a row, theres definitely a chip on our shoulder, Austin said. We know how far we can go. We know how close we have gotten by not even playing our best. Were really focused on that this offseason and I feel like well have a way better team this year.In order for that to be a possibility, Oklahoma needs a strong start.Rileys task figures to be easier, having figured out how to utilize running backs Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon into his wide-open offense and with quarterback Baker Mayfield and his two tackles on the offensive line returning. Perine, a junior, needs just 1,057 yards to become Oklahomas all-time leading rusher, passing Billy Sims.But Riley is guarding against complacency.You cant feel comfortable here, Riley said. If I feel comfortable, Id be selling my house here in a year. You dont feel comfortable at this place. Thats how you want it though. Thats what I want. I want a place where you expect to win. Last years over. None of that matters. We have to go win games this year. We have one of the toughest schedules in the country that we have to get ready to go attack.Sooners coach Bob Stoops said that while his players might use last year as motivation, its not something he considers.I dont tie years together; I never have, Stoops said. If they were living off the past they sure got woke up in the Orange Bowl. That was all over on that night. Point being: years, in my mind, dont tie together. You have new people, new guys in new positions, different schedule. Its a whole new thing.Oklahoma leads the series with Houston 2-0, winning the last meeting 63-13 in Norman in 2004. The other meeting came in the 1981 Sun Bowl which the Sooners won 40-14. Cheap Broncos Jerseys . -- The plastic that was taped across the lockers in Oaklands clubhouse came down and the champagne that was on ice went back into the cooler. Cheap John Elway Jersey . Jordan Lynch, the all-purpose Heisman Trophy finalist from Northern Illinois, failed to make it into that exclusive club. http:///...ap-von-miller-jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. LOS ANGELES -- Baseball Hall of Famer Rod Carew is preparing to receive a new heart and undergo a kidney transplant.His wife Rhonda confirmed the procedures on Thursday through the American Heart Association News.The 71-year-old former hitting star has struggled with heart issues since September 2015 when he had a heart attack and went into cardiac arrest while undergoing a procedure to open clogged arteries.A machine has kept Carew alive since he nearly died 15 months ago. Doctors say the kidney transplant will improve his chances for a strong recovery.After his heart attack, Carew was diagnosed with extreme heart failure with his heart too weak to pump blood to the rest of his body. Doctors implanted into his chest a left ventricular assist device that took over the hearts pumping duties.The procedure allowed Carew to resume his life and he toured the country last summer to boost awareness annd prevention of heart disease. Cheap Darian Stewart Jersey. He attended spring training with the Minnesota Twins and appeared at the All-Star Game in San Diego, where the AL batting title was named in his honor.Carew played from 1967 to 1985 for the Twins and California Angels. He was a seven-time American League batting champion and first-ballot selection to the Hall of Fame.After returning home from the Hall of Fame ceremony in July, Carew was hospitalized and doctors recommended a new heart.Rhonda Carew says the family appreciates the publics thoughts and prayers for her husband and his medical team. 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