The Oklahoma Sooners head into the 2022 season in an unfamiliar spot in the Big 12 hierarchy. They aren’t the preseason favorite to win the conference. They’re a bit underrated as well, with zero selections to the preseason All-Big 12 team.
The preseason expectations won’t mean anything once the pads come on. At the same time, this team has questions they need to answer. Bill Connelly of ESPN looks at 20 contenders and determines how many “ifs” need to go right for those teams, including the Oklahoma Sooners, to be “legit national title contenders (ESPN+).”
This is my annual “Ifs List” piece — an attempt to see how many “ifs” it takes me to turn a team into a genuine national title contender. The favorites don’t require many; a few others might have more than you think. – Bill Connelly, ESPN
The Sooners fall into the “4 ifs” tier of teams along with Utah, Michigan, and Oklahoma State. Let’s look at what Connelly had to say about Oklahoma and what needs to go right for the Sooners.