Sooners pre-emptively decline all future Fiesta Bowl bids

NORMAN, OK — Following a second consecutive loss at the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, the Oklahoma Sooners announced in a press conference this morning that they are officially refusing all future invitations to be a participant in any upcoming Fiesta Bowl games.

“On behalf of head coach Bob Stoops, I am officially announcing our refusal to be considered for any future Tostitos Fiesta Bowls, or any Fiesta Bowl under any sponsorship,” said Oklahoma Athletic Director Joe Castiglione. “No offense or disrespect to the fine people at Tostitos, or the Bowl Committee, but we feel we must respectfully decline the opportunity to ever participate in their bowl, ever again.”

The Sooners were defeated in overtime last year by Boise State, 43-42, in a game featuring trick plays and a marriage proposal – a contest that many pundits called the game of the year, not to mention the upset of the century.

Following an 11-2 season in 2007, finishing as the fourth-ranked team in the BCS, the Sooners ironically found themselves in the exact same scenario that they were in last year - a bid for the Fiesta Bowl against an opponent they were expected to soundly defeat. But the Sooners found themselves on the losing end again, this time falling to West Virginia Mountaineers. The Mountaineers, ranked ninth in the BCS and led by interim head coach Bill Stewart after Rich Rodriguez left for Michigan, trampled Oklahoma by a score of 48-28.

“It’s got to be something about the Fiesta Bowl. I mean, you can’t convince me we’re not better than West Virginia, or Boise last year,” said Juaquin Iglesias, an Oklahoma receiver who played well in both Fiesta Bowls. “Unless maybe it’s a Tostitos thing – I’m not sure I would have ruled out going back if they change sponsors, but I can understand why Joe took the hard line. There’s really no reason to mess around with the Fiesta Bowl at all anymore.”