in a trade for Alex Hill midway through last season, and

A year ago, under new offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley, Oklahomas schedule allowed them to ease into things especially on that side of the ball.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. Custom Diamondbacks Jerseys . "Jeff is a hard worker who was an important special-teams contributor for us last season," said Stamps GM John Hufnagel. Luis Gonzalez Jersey Large . R.J. Umberger scored twice to lead the Blue Jackets to a franchise-record for consecutive wins with a 5-3 victory Tuesday night over the Los Angeles Kings. http://www.customdiamondbacksjersey.com/ . JOHNS, N. Curt Schilling Jersey Large . Fred Couples, captain of the U.S. side, put it all into perspective. "We know whos in charge," he said. Custom Curt Schilling Jersey . Self was acquired from the Buffalo Bandits in a trade for Alex Hill midway through last season, and made his debut in Rochester on March 16, 2013. The AFL tribunal wont sit on Tuesday night after all players cited by the match review panel accepted their penalties.Brisbanes Daniel Merrett was the only player to be slapped with a ban after round 23 - a two-match suspension for striking St Kildas Shane Savage - but the 200-game veteran is now retired.Five other players were handed fines, including Sydney ruckman Sam Naismith, who accepted a $1000 sanction for his bone-jarring tackle on Richmonds Bachar Houli.Naismith had faced a nervous wait after he lifted Houli off the groound and slammed him back-first into the turf in the second quarter of the Swans 113-point belting of the Tigers at the SCG.ddddddddddddNorth Melbournes Lindsay Thomas, Carltons Jacob Weitering, Fremantles Matt de Boer and Greater Western Sydneys Devon Smith all accepted fines.Incidents involving Hawthorns Josh Gibson and West Coasts Sharrod Wellingham were assessed and given the all-clear by the MRP. ' ' '