Oklahoma Football: Why Less Hype in 2012 Is Better for Landry Jones and Company

Oh, what a difference a year makes.

This time 12 months ago, the Oklahoma Sooners were a near unanimous favorite to win the BCS National Championship. Add to that the tragic passing of beloved teammate Austin Box, and the pressure to win hadn't been this high in years.

To say the Sooners fell short of that hype last season would be a gross understatement. After getting outgunned by Texas Tech and Baylor, in-state rivals Oklahoma State publicly humiliated the Crimson and Cream—the icing the cake for head coach Bob Stoops' most dramatically underwhelming season.

Was it pressure that caused the collapse? What about coaching? Lack of talent? Wasn't it all Javon Harris' fault?!

While it is impossible to point to only one of the above factors—believe me, I've tried—having the eyes of college football fans and media so intently focused on your every move surely didn't help.

Being at the top of nearly every possible ranking, being handed postseason awards before you ever step on the field and bumping elbows with ESPN film crews on your way to class can have a funny way of affecting teenage student-athletes.

That kind of pressure is enough to make you do things a little differently than you might under normal circumstances. Imagine going to work having been pegged the No. 1 sales person in the country without actually having made a sale yet. Those first few call would be a little nerve-racking, no?

Luckily, things are a little different this year. After a third-place finish in their division last season, expectations in Norman are back to where they should be.

Don't get me wrong, there is still tremendous pressure on Stoops to bring in hardware—evidenced by the blank spot on the press box awaiting the year of the Sooners' next title—but the national fever has rightfully subsided.

Funny thing is, this year's squad is arguably better than last year. The offensive line is stronger, the defense has been simplified, and there has been much-needed turnover at wide receiver. Many of their key players—namely Landry Jones, Tony Jefferson and Kenny Stills—have another year under their belt and have the bitter taste lingering in their mouths from last season.

So with things back to normal in Norman and another top squad on the field, expect them to have a much better season than last year. They have a great chance to win the conference and be in the discussion for the BCS title at year's end.

Just don't tell them I said that.