26 Days till the Mizzou football home opener in Columbia, and today we are talking about the Oklahoma Sooners. If you missed any past breakdowns here they are…Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State. You may be thinking, wait didn’t he skip Missouri? We will save that one for the end.
What is there not to love about the 2011 version of the Oklahoma Sooners? They have a experienced Quarterback with a rocket arm in Landry Jones, an unstoppable Wide Receiver in Ryan Broyles, an offensive line that returns all but one starter, a front 7 that will be near impossible to run on, and a coach who has won seven conference championships. Not only are the Sooners expected to win the conference this season, but are currently the number one team in the country in the coaches poll.
The 2010 team won the conference title against Nebraska and then won the Fiesta Bowl against Big East Champion UConn (who did not deserve a BCS bid, probably). The team reached the number one spot in the BCS ranking coming into a huge game against Missouri on the 23rd of October. The team would be upset and then would turn around and lose to Texas A&M two weeks later. The Sooners would end up winning the Big 12 South in a three way tie.
The Oklahoma offense is returning 9 starters, but will have to fill in for All-Conference Running Back DeMarco Murray which will are big shoes to fill but it seems that Roy Finch should be up for the task. The running game should also be helped with the maturing of fullback Trey Millard. Landry Jones is going to be a front runner for the Heisman considering how his offense works, and that he will have one of the top receivers in the nation in Broyles.
On the other side of the ball, the defense will be returning 8 starters which is key because in College Football experience is what makes a good defense great. The front 7 will remain virtually untouched but will have to fill the shoes of Jeremy Beal (Big 12 Defensive Linemen of the Year). In the secondary, the corner back situation should be fine what will make the difference is if the two safteys (who did not start last year) can mature fast enough to compete with the pass heavy Big XII.
More Analysis and the 2011 Schedule after the jump…
The 2011 Oklahoma Sooners Schedule
9/3 vs Tulsa
9/17 @ Florida State
9/24 vs Missouri
10/1 vs Ball State
10/8 @ Texas
10/15 @ Kansas
10/22 vs Texas Tech
10/29 @ Kansas State
11/5 vs Texas A&M
11/19 @ Baylor
11/26 vs Iowa State
12/3 @ Oklahoma State
An interesting test for this experienced team will be their trip to Tallahassee to take on the Seminoles, this could be a big early win or a loss that sends the team into questioning themselves. Some other matchups that intrigue me (outside of Missouri) are the A&M and Oklahoma State games. Those two games will make and break the conference season here is how I expect the schedule to work out…
Expected Wins: Tulsa, Missouri, Ball State, Kansas, Texas Tech, Kansas State, Iowa State
Expected Losses: None
Toss Up Games: Florida State, Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor, Oklahoma State
Best Case Scenario: 12-0 (9-0)
More Realisticly: 10-2 (8-1)
I don’t see a way for a team to go undefeated in this new Big XII, there are to many good teams. As I say this, I think if there is going to be a team to go undefeated it will be the Sooners it is just not likely. Anything can happen at the Red River Rivalry, Waco will be rocking, A&M will not go lightly, and Bedlam is always wild. Even the middle tier teams can get you if you do not play your best game, it should be a fun ride.
When Mizzou rolls into Norman this season, the Sooner faithful will be wanting blood after their upset loss at the hands of the Tigers last fall. Could Missouri sneak up and steal the game? Absolutely, but it just isn’t going to happen. A first year starter just doesn’t go into OU in his first conference road game and win. I personally am happy that the game is early because we can make up for early losses, its the late ones that hurt you.
Due to the lack of weeks till the season, I will be doing another breakdown later this week.
Next Time: The Oklahoma State Cowboys