Joey Johnston

If fans of the Oklahoma Sooners want a knee-jerk, sky-is-falling reaction to Wednesday’s reports that starting quarterback Rhett Bomar was kicked off the team, well, that’s the easy part.

It seemed the Sooners were all the way back. Now they are just back in trouble at quarterback.

Bottom line: Cancel those early reservations for the BCS National Championship Game in Glendale, Ariz.

A handful of media outlets — those that want to beat the rush — already had named Oklahoma as preseason No. 1. Well, forget any hopes of a national title. Even the Big 12 South championship might be a reach now.

National title contenders can’t lose a quarterback of all-conference potential in August and not feel the pain somewhere. Coach Bob Stoops had no other decision to make when he learned of NCAA violations from the offseason job excess payments reportedly given to Bomar and starting guard J.D. Quinn. But now Stoops is left to pick up the pieces.

Sooner optimism had been restored to its customary level because mega-back Adrian Peterson again was healthy and ready for a bang-up junior season. After finishing second in the 2004 Heisman Trophy race as a freshman — in my mind, the best freshman season by a collegiate running back since Georgia’s Herschel Walker in 1980 — Peterson labored through last year with injuries and never had the same impact.

Now he’s back.

But Bomar is gone — although the school won't officially confirm it — and that’s brutal news for the Sooner offense. Remember, Peterson at his best was complimented by quarterback Jason White, a passing threat that had to be respected.

Bomar was not to be confused for a Heisman candidate this season. When the Sooners began last season 2-3, including a drubbing at the hands of former whipping boy Texas, Oklahoma football largely fell off the national radar screen. For those who stopped paying attention, here’s the bottom line:

Bomar was good.

Very, very good.

With each game, he showed savvy and maturity. He set school freshman records for completions (167), attempts (308), completion percentage (54.2) and touchdowns (10). He started growing into the job with a 241-yard effort against UCLA. In his last five games, he completed 57 percent of his passes, throwing for 1,008 yards and six touchdowns (against only three interceptions).

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When Oklahoma was still fighting to become bowl eligible, Bomar was brilliant in a 36-30 win against Texas A&M, completing 20 of 28 passes for 298 yards.

And finally, when the Sooners reached the Holiday Bowl and toppled one-loss Oregon, Bomar was named Most Valuable Player.

The opening road was bumpy, but Bomar reminded everyone why he was one of the nation’s highest-recruited quarterbacks coming out of high school. He made a shaky position into one of strength — with an exclamation point.

Now there is only a question mark. Wednesday, the announcement by Stoops was swift and to the point. The effect of losing Bomar isn’t that simple. It will continue to ripple, and here are the factions that must adjust.

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