The only real concern is the secondary. Two cornerbacks that started all last season and SS DJ Wolfe—who made the second team Big 12—are gone. It is this one area of concern that will be the reason why they lose to Texas Tech on Nov. 22 for their only loss.
Harrell and Crabtree will eat their DBs alive. It may not be close. But one loss should be enough to get them in the conference championship against Mizzou, most likely. And Oklahoma is still Mizzou's daddy.
The Sooners' schedule is what dreams are made of. After a cupcake Chattanooga season-opener, the Sooners host Cincy and then travel to Seattle to play the Huskies. After a bye and a smothering win over TCU, it's time for some conference play.
The Sooners' road games are at Baylor, K-State, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State. They host Kansas, Nebraska and Texas Tech, and have the neutral site for Texas. The good news is no Colorado.
If they can beat Texas on Oct. 11, then it's only Kansas or Texas Tech standing in their way. I'll bet on Tech being the roadblock.
Remember, Kansas didn't play Oklahoma last year in route to their magical ride through the Big 12. In fact, they really didn't play anyone.
They barely beat a No. 24 K-State, and the only other ranked team they faced, No. 3 Mizzou, they lost to, 36-28. Kansas will have no such scheduling luck this year.
The Jayhawks play at Oklahoma, then host Texas Tech and K-State before traveling to Lincoln and then coming back home for Texas, and then Mizzou. They'll be lucky to get seven or eight wins this year.
But back to Sooner mania. So what is the only stumbling block besides Texas Tech?
How about their head coach? Stoops is one of the elite coaches in the nation. But what has he done with that in the last five years? One Holiday Bowl win, and four BCS Bowl losses, two by blowouts.
Not acceptable in Norman, Okla.
While no one is questioning Stoops' coaching skills, one could possibly question his bowl preparation skills. His teams have not played well postseason, despite being in the national spotlight seemingly every year. Moreover, most of the Sooners' bowl problems seem to be on the defensive side of the ball.
Coincidentally, the year Bob's little brother DC Mike Stoops was hired as the Arizona Wildcats' head coach was right about the time that the Sooners' D went somewhat south.
When Mike Stoops was in his last year as DC (2003), the Sooners gave up 146 yards in passing vs. last year's 228 yards. The D's opponents averaged a 52 percent pass completion in 2003 vs. last year's 60.3 percent. The Sooners gave up an average 15.3 points per game in 2003 vs. 20.3 last year.
Finally, the turnover margin suffered the most: 2002 was +19, 2003 was +17. After Mike Stoops left, 2004 was +4, 2005 was -1, 2006 was -1 and then +8 last year.
The Sooners' defense against the Texas Tech Red Raiders is the difference between undefeated and a one-loss season. Barring a mild upset by the Texas Longhorns, the Sooners have all the planets aligned this year to make their run for the BCS National Championship.
The question is, will Bob Stoops finally overcome a five-year drought (by Oklahoma standards) and win it all?
Let's just say his chances are as good as Oklahoma ever landing an NBA franchise team.
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