Another Saturday, another 11 a.m. kickoff for a Sooner home game. They are becoming the norm.

Texas Tech on Sept. 28. Now West Virginia. In between, OU also played in the morning at Kansas and in Dallas against Texas. Next week at Kansas State, too. The Sooners are headed for the Morning Hall of Fame, along with Katie Couric and Captain Kangaroo.

The Sooners have avoided mornings this season by literally taking matters into their own hands. They moved the opener against Houston to Sunday, making a night kickoff the only real option. They retained contractual control over the start time for South Dakota. And they played at UCLA, where morning kickoffs don’t really work.

Most fans hate the morning kickoffs, because they can make for lousy tailgates and lengthy drives before sunrise. Lincoln Riley hates the mornings for home games, because they make visits difficult for recruits. Merchants hate the mornings because the cash registers have less time to cha-ching.