From beyond the grave: OU fans say Toby Keith told them “It’s our year”
Sooners tailgaters accept a dream prophecy as the final word on the playoff picture.
NORMAN — Oklahoma fans say Toby Keith appeared to them in a series of remarkably coordinated dreams and delivered the message “It’s our year,” prompting several tailgates to stop discussing weaknesses and begin discussing parade routes.
The visitation reportedly occurred just as one fan was about to fall asleep while calculating how many games the Sooners could lose and still describe the season as promising.
“Toby showed up, looked me straight in the eye and said it was our year,” the fan recalled. “That is a more direct answer than I have ever gotten from a preseason magazine.”
Other witnesses described a glowing cowboy hat, a familiar country-music presence and the unmistakable atmosphere of a tailgate operating beyond normal earthly capacity. One said the apparition asked where the good brisket was before issuing the prophecy.
The wording has already undergone extensive interpretation. Some fans believe “our year” means a national championship. Others believe it means beating Texas. A third group says those are essentially the same thing if you stop counting immediately afterward.
A volunteer theology committee met beside a folding table to resolve the ambiguity. Its report concluded that the message should be read in whichever way produces the most confidence.
The playoff committee has not commented, although one staffer noted that dream-based rankings are not currently listed in the selection protocol. OU fans replied that the protocol has never made adequate provision for Toby Keith.
Texas supporters questioned why the message arrived in dreams rather than an official press release. One Sooner explained that the afterlife probably has fewer communications restrictions than the athletic department.
At the next tailgate, fans set out a spare chair, a plate of barbecue and a sign asking supernatural visitors to keep all predictions specific. Nobody sat in the chair, but the optimism remained unusually concentrated around it.
An OU spokesman urged fans to enjoy the rivalry responsibly and avoid treating dreams as guaranteed results. Several fans politely acknowledged the statement and ordered commemorative shirts anyway.
At press time, one supporter claimed Toby had returned to add, “Especially this Saturday.” The theology committee immediately reopened its report.
