Oklahoma Sooners Football: 5 Worst-Case Scenarios

Expectations for the Oklahoma Sooners are sky high for the 2011-12 season, and many pundits are predicting a second National Championship for head coach Bob Stoops.

Blessed with a rocket-armed quarterback in Landry Jones and his favorite target, wide receiver Ryan Broyles, the Sooners offense is again expected to be among the best in the nation.

Jones is a high profile Heisman Trophy candidate, and is Broyles can amass 1,577 receiving yards in his fourth season in Norman, he'll leave as the all-time leading receiver in FBS history.

Also returning for Oklahoma is star linebacker Travis Lewis, who has recorded more than 100 tackles in each of his three seasons as a Sooner. 

However, Oklahoma lost a lot of consistency and experience this offseason in the form of running back DeMarco Murray, safeties Quinton Carter and Jonathan Nelson. Former offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson is now the head coach at Indiana.

None of the Sooners' predicted success is a guarantee, of course, and by clicking through these slides, you'll see five things that could derail Oklahoma's title aspirations. 

5. The Inexperienced Secondary Is Exposed

All-Big 12 cornerback Jamell Fleming was suspended for the spring and summer semesters and has not practices with the team.

Both of last season's starting safeties are currently being locked out by their NFL employers.

All that means that Oklahoma's back end is sorely lacking in experience coming into the year. It helps that the defensive line and linebacker corps are consistent and experienced, but the pressure will be on this young group to step up.

Converted cornerback Aaron Colvin will take over one of the safety spots, and he'll be joined by Javon Harris.

If Colvin and Harris can solidify the back end in zone coverage and take some pressure off DeMontre Hurst and sophomore Gabe Lynn, the Sooners' defense should hold up.

4. Early Season Loss to Florida State

Second year head coach Jimbo Fisher has the Florida State Seminoles poised for a huge season this year, and there is nothing they would like more than to spoil Oklahoma's national championship hopes early in the season.

This is especially true after the thrashing Oklahoma put on the Sooners last year in Norman.

Quarterback E.J. Manuel seems to be ready to break out, and an inexperienced Oklahoma secondary could provide him with ample opportunity for light up the scoreboard in just their second week together.

While Oklahoma could conceivably recover from an early season loss to make the National Championship Game, losing to a team from an inferior conference like this year's ACC could possibly be a crushing blow. 

Oklahoma laid the smack down early on against FSU last year and the Seminoles basically conceded the game when they were down 34-7 after two quarters. It's unlikely to play out that way this year given how improved Florida State is, and Oklahoma is in for a battle on September 17.

3. Loss to One of the Texas Teams

Although Oklahoma enters the 2011-12 season as the Big 12 favorites, you can never count out Texas, Texas A&M or Texas Tech.

The Sooners are lucky to get two of the three Texas teams, A&M and Tech, at home this season, but they do have a road date with the Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. 

Texas Tech will be out for revenge after being on the wrong side of a 45-7 thrashing last season. 

Texas A&M handed the Sooners one of their two losses last season.

And Texas will look to rebound for a victory after squandering last year's matchup with too many mistakes and turnover. The Red River Rivalry is always a tough matchup for the Sooners, and this year will be no different. 

Oklahoma sees Texas on October 8, Texas Tech two weeks later on October 22, and Texas A&M two weeks after that on November 5.

2. Loss to Oklahoma State in Final Week of the Regular Season

If there is one wide receiver in the country who can single handedly destroy and inexperience secondary, it is Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon. 

The 6'1", 207-pound junior from Ardmore, Oklahoma put up monster numbers last season and the same can be expected again this year. Blackmon's 111 catches for 1,782 yards and 20 touchdowns should strike fear into the heart of any rational defensive coordinator.

What would hurt the most about a loss to the Cowboys is that they play each other in the last week of the regular season. While an early season loss affords a team time to make up ground in the BCS rankings, late-season setbacks are crippling.

If Oklahoma falls at Oklahoma State on December 3, they can likely kiss their national championship dreams goodbye. 

1. Landry Jones Gets Hurt

Year in and year out, Bob Stoops will have his Sooners offense firing on all cylinders, this much is a fact of college football life.

This year is expected to be no different, because Heisman front runner Landry Jones is running the show.

However, if Jones, like Sam Bradford two years ago, is injured at any point in the season, it could all come tumbling down.

Bradford came into the 2009 season rated as the nation's top passer and was expected to lead Stoops and Oklahoma back to the promised land. However, he injured his shoulder in the closing seconds of the first half, and spent the rest of the year recovering from the injury before becoming the number one pick in the NFL Draft.

That season marked Jones' first experience under center for the Sooners, and his stock has been rising ever since. It is Jones now who comes into the season highly rated in Heisman contention and on NFL Draft boards, and an injury seems like the only thing that can derail his hopes.