Optimism vs. Realism: Oklahoma’s Season Predicted Two Ways

One of the enjoyable things to do before and during the college football season is to make predictions on how the teams will finish.

I personally find it hard to do that for teams that I am not very familiar with, in terms of strengths and weaknesses, but for my own team (Oklahoma) it is a bit easier.

OU has a rank anywhere between No. 3 and No. 6 in many polls. If the Sooners live up to the expectations, below are two possibilities of how they could finish: the first is the optimistic projection for the 2008 season (the way every fan dreams that their team will dominantly cruise the season), and the second is the realistic projection.

Both are possible, but the realistic score value is always more attainable. The optimistic projection is based solely on the possibility that OU’s offense is stellar and their defense is dominant, and so you have a week-to-week blowout.

Many will say that my optimistic projection is not possible, you are wrong. It is possible, and I am not saying that it will happen, simply that it is possible, the same way that it is possible for every team that plays OU to beat the Sooners.

I have not included a specific team that OU may play in the Big 12 Championship or the bowl game (based completely on the hopes that OU makes it to both games). The W/L in parentheses at the end of the score in the realistic projection represents which games have the highest probability of going either way.

Of course, any college football game could go either way, but these have the highest chance. Sooner fans enjoy…

Optimistic Projection (blow-out season)

Regular Season: 8-0, 12-0

All: 8-0, 14-0

Chattanooga - W 70-0

Cincinnati - W 49-10

@ Washington - W 55-9

TCU - W 52-14

@ Baylor - W 63-7

Texas (Dallas) - W 52-17

Kansas - W 48-7

@ Kansas State - W 45-14

Nebraska - W 77-10

@ Texas A & M - W 47-13

Texas Tech - W 64-28               

@ Oklahoma ST - W 55-34

Opponent - W 41-10                Big 12 Championship

Opponent - W 35-14                Bowl Game                        

Realistic Projection (most likely)

Regular Season: 7-1, 11-1

All: 7-1, 13-1

W/L = high probability of going either way

Chattanooga - W 59-3

Cincinnati - W 35-21 (W/L)

@ Washington - W 45-24 (W/L)

TCU - W 34-7

@ Baylor - W 42-13

Texas (Dallas) - W 17-13 (W/L)

Kansas - W 49-28

@ Kansas State - L 28-34    (W/L)

Nebraska - W 52-24

@ Texas A & M - W 27-23 (W/L)

Texas Tech - W 38-27 (W/L)  

@ Oklahoma ST - W 38-34 (W/L)

Opponent - W 27-10 (W/L) Big 12 Championship

Opponent - W 28-24 (W/L) Bowl Game