Kevin Sumlin Challenges Bob Stoops

Kevin Sumlin is not backing down after Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops took a shot at Texas A&M’s soft non-conference schedule. Sumlin is challenging Stoops to schedule them again if Stoops feels so inclined to improve the strength of A&M’s schedule.

“Coach Stoops has the right to say whatever he wants,” Sumlin told Aggiesports.com. “But if he wants to play us again we’ll gladly take him up on that.”

Such a remark from Sumlin was necessary after Stoops told ESPN his feelings on A&M’s non-conference schedule.

It is certainly true Texas A&M do not have the toughest of non-conference schedules. The slate includes matches at home against Lamar (FCS school), Rice, and UL-Monroe, plus a road matchup with SMU. Rice, who finished 10-4 and was the Conference USA West Division champion, is the only team of the bunch to win 7 or more games, and their rise in 2013 was unexpected by many. The other three combined to have a record of 16-19.

To be fair, A&M does have some future matchups scheduled against Arizona State, UCLA, and Oregon, but those games are still a ways out. Additionally, A&M is in the same division as LUS, Auburn, and Alabama, all of whom have won National Championships within the last seven years.

Whether the accusation is fair or not, Stoops is clearly in something of a feisty mood. He’s taken a few shots at the SEC the last couple of summers and took a shot at Nick Saban earlier this month. So I suppose one should take what Stoops has to say with a grain of salt. But we all should hope the A&M/OU home-and-home actually happens.