CBS Sports has a deep roster of writers with varying opinions, especially regarding college football. Last week, CBS Sports writers chronicled the Big 12, where they looked at the league heading into 2022. Oklahoma was listed as one of the Big 12’s more overrated teams by writers Shehan Jeyarajah and Barrett Sallee.
This time around, the CBS Sports’ writing team is looking at the college football landscape as a whole, and lo and behold, Oklahoma is on the other side of the discussion. CBS Sports David Cobb believes Oklahoma is underrated as the 2022 season approaches.
The Big 12 looks wide open at the top as five programs, which translates to half the league, received at least one first-place vote in the preseason media poll. But that scattershot of opinions discounts how well-equipped Oklahoma is to thrive in Year 1 under new coach Brent Venables. The offense won’t miss a beat with UCF transfer Dillon Gabriel at quarterback, and the defense should immediately improve after years of mediocrity under former coach Lincoln Riley. With Baylor’s questions at the skill positions, Oklahoma State’s significant defensive losses and the general inconsistency of Texas, it’s Oklahoma that still stands out as the class of the Big 12. – Cobb, CBS Sports
In contrast to his colleagues, Cobb notes how Oklahoma has equipped itself to handle the turnover. Another factor Cobb considered are the losses its direct competition underwent as well.
You don’t win six straight conference titles and then fade into obscurity at a program with the resources of Oklahoma. Especially if you hired one of the sport’s best defensive minds’ as your head coach and one of the brightest offensive minds to pair with him.
Cobb and his colleague Jerry Palm even predicted that Oklahoma would make the College Football Playoff as the fourth seed along with Ohio State, Alabama, and Clemson.
Venables was Cobb and Palm’s preseason pick for coach of the year.
The Sooners’ steady athletic leadership picked the perfect replacement for Riley by hiring a coveted name with Oklahoma roots in Venables, the long-time Clemson defensive coordinator. Though defense is his speciality, he already avoided the trap of pigeon-holing his program into a one-dimensional box by hiring Jeff Lebby as offensive coordinator. Venables and Lebby have been among the best coordinators in the sport for several years, and their coalescence at a university of personal significance to both is a recipe for immediate success. Venables will get the Sooners headed in the right direction defensively while implementing elements of Clemson’s culture in a way that keeps this team in national title contention. – Cobb, CBS Sports
This season will be a test of different proportions for Venables in his first year as a head coach. If the Sooners find themselves in the playoffs, there’s no reason Venables wouldn’t deserve coach of the year consideration.
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