The subplot to the original Bob Stoops’ media luncheon of the 2008 season was thus: Could he find a way to pay the first team on the schedule a compliment.

Because while Stoops is no Lou Holtz, who would have you believe Notre Dame was the little sister of the poor and Navy the powerhouse back in the day, the 10-year Sooner coach can hardly refrain from calling an opponent “sound in what they try to do.”

But this had to be tough, because Tennessee-Chattanooga is an historically bad team when judged against all who’ve come before at Owen Field (except, perhaps, when judged against the John Blake-Joe Dickinson Sooners who were not at all sound in what they tried to do).

It’s not that the Mocs are an FCS team (an anacronym that means formerly Division I-AA), but they’re a 2-9 FCS team, 2-5 in their conference last season, who, checking their stats against their depth chart, appear to have lost a bunch of important folks (but maybe that’s a good thing).

The Sooners are a near-50-point favorite and the oddsmakers have to know we’re going to a see a lot of Joey Halzle Saturday. Basically, if OU loses, Chaminade no longer claims the biggest upset in the history of college sports.

Well, Stoops did, sort of.

Something about how the Mocs’ schemes were sound or how they seemed to have a clear idea what they were trying to do. It was a reach. And it was at the end of an answer, almost lost, which is probably why I can’t find the direct quote.

Like that Seinfeld episode.

I know I heard something.

But that was it.

So there you go.

Probably the worst opponent of the Stoops era.

But these things happen.

“There are times, and you’ll see this throughout the country,” Stoops said, “when you’re left without a game.”

So the Sooners are stuck with an embarrassing opponent.