It’s about that time to let the talk subside and the play on the field to determine who will play for conference championships and earn the right to play in the College Football Playoff.
After everything that’s transpired in the last year, getting back on the football field will feel like a breath of fresh air.
The Sooners open the season against the UTEP Miners at 2:30 pm central time to begin their attempt to get back to the Big 12 title game. They’ll have an early road test against Nebraska, but an otherwise favorable schedule works to Oklahoma’s advantage in Brent Venables’ first season as the head coach of the Sooners.
Like we’ll do before each game, the staff here at Sooners Wire provided their predictions for the 2022 season.
Big 12 Title incoming?
A new era of college football in Norman starts under a familiar face. Brent Venables takes over for his first season as head coach of the Sooners.
I think when Venables was hired, there were a lot of questions as to how he would handle being “The Guy.” Since then, he has answered the call amid a team controversy and with the program’s success on the recruiting trail.
However, the regular season is a different beast, but new offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby has the experience and the success to help the Sooners’ offense get off to a strong start. Under transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel and this lightning-fast tempo Lebby wants to play with, I expect Oklahoma’s offense to resemble the early Riley days in terms of explosiveness and gaudy numbers.
The difference is that it seems Lebby won’t take the foot off the gas and will have no issues force-feeding his best players.
Defensively is where the biggest transformation will take place. While they won’t achieve national champion Clemson-type levels, the upgrade in defensive coaching and natural maturation from players already on the roster should establish a defensive identity not seen in Norman in some time.
On paper, Oklahoma looks like a team that should and will compete for the Big 12 title. Tough games against Baylor and Oklahoma State could decide the trajectory of the season. While the Red River Showdown with Texas will provide yet another challenge in the history of the rivalry.
Ultimately, I see this Oklahoma team winning the Big 12 and, at the very least, playing in a New Year’s Six bowl. The offense shines, and the defense shows incredible promise and pays its biggest dividends for Oklahoma on the recruiting trail in the next two years to come. A CFP appearance would take a little magic. Sooner magic, you might say.
Prediction: Big 12 championship and New Year’s Six bowl appearance.
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