IRVING -- The Texas A&M athletics department should have asked Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops to chip in to help ease its financial problems, because there's no doubt the Aggies have figured prominently in Stoops' financial success.

Stoops, one of the nation's highest paid coaches, is 9-1 against A&M. Five of those victories were by at least three touchdowns.

Stoops is the greatest coaching hire in the history of the Big 12 Conference. He's the standard by which every hire is judged.

In 1998, the Sooners -- after arguably the worst three-year span in program history -- were astute enough to pick Stoops, then the defensive coordinator at Florida. The Sooners had been 12-22 under John Blake, including an 8-16 Big 12 mark.

The Aggies certainly helped get Blake fired by outscoring the Sooners 113-23 during his time at the helm. A&M was the only Big 12 South team not to lose to Blake.

As the Aggies enjoyed their 36-33, double-overtime victory over Kansas State in '98 for the school's only Big 12 championship, the Sooners looked to Stoops for a brighter future.

The results have been phenomenal.

Stoops is 109-24 in 10 seasons at OU. He's won six Big 12 championships, including the last three. He's played in seven BCS bowls, including four national championship games. He's won at least 11 games in a season eight times.

And you can pencil in another banner season this year.

Quarterback Sam Bradford, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, opted to return for his senior season. So did tight end Jermaine Gresham, offensive lineman Trent Williams and junior defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, each shunning the NFL draft for a shot at a national title.

"I think that says a whole lot about the overall program," said Stoops, who along with Bradford was a hot commodity at the Big 12 Media Days on Tuesday.

Oklahoma's success has made it easy for Stoops to turn down overtures from the NFL, the latest being the Denver Broncos last year.

"At this point, I love what I'm doing," Stoops said. "I couldn't be more excited about the people I work with and what we're doing there."

The Sooners certainly have taken care of Stoops, who received a $3 million bonus for staying at OU for 10 years. Last month, Stoops received a new deal that will pay him $30 million if he now stays through 2015. He will earn $3.675 million this season, including an annual staying bonus of $700,000.

Stoops has teamed up with Texas head coach Mack Brown to build what is currently the nation's best rivalry. Stoops is 6-4 vs. Brown, who is 115-26 in 11 years with the Longhorns.

Both coaches have won a national championship, setting the league's standard for success and stability.

Stoops' great run certainly influenced astute hires by Texas Tech and Oklahoma State, helping to elevate those programs.

Mike Leach, who was Stoops' offensive coordinator, has posted a 76-39 record in nine years at Tech. Tech was 11-2 last year, sharing the Big 12 South title with UT and OU.

This year's OSU squad is it's most talented since the Barry Sanders era. It was molded by fourth-year head coach Mike Gundy, who was a quarterback and later an assistant coach with the Cowboys. He brings the same kind of energy and aggressive recruiting style that Stoops has demonstrated.

Trying to join the fray in the Big 12 South are second-year coaches Art Briles at Baylor and Mike Sherman at Texas A&M. Both were 4-8 last year, but Baylor clearly had the better season with highly regarded quarterback Robert Griffin, who led the Bears to a 41-21 victory over the Aggies.

Baylor is looking to play in its first bowl game since 1994, which is the longest drought in the league.

"We can't just operate on hope and want," Briles said. "What we've got to operate on is reality and results."

Stoops certainly has given that to OU for some time.

Robert Cessna's e-mail addess is robert.cessna@theeagle.com.