Fiesta Bowl: How Good Is Oklahoma?

I’m really looking forward to the Fiesta Bowl—because even after 13 Oklahoma games and 11 Oklahoma victories, I still don’t know how good the Sooners are.

Early in the season, I railed against the starry-eyed poll voters who launched Oklahoma up the rankings after big wins over the likes of North Texas, Miami, Utah State, and Tulsa.

Oh, look!, cried the voters—the Sooners hung 79 on North Texas.

Well, that was about the same time Louisville hung 73 on Murray State...and everyone saw how well the Cardinals’ season turned out.

In their first Big 12 test, the Sooners lost on the road to an eventually sub-.500 Colorado team. They blazed their way through the rest of the Big 12 schedule until they lost, again on the road, to Texas Tech, which finished the regular season at 8-4.

The Sooners did finish with a convincing win over then-No. 1 Mizzou in the Big 12 Championship Game, but it’s still hard to believe the Tigers were No. 1.

So...where does that leave us?

Well, Oklahoma has won 11 games, and 11 wins is 11 wins in any league.

And freshman QB Sam Bradford has put up some impressive numbers (34 TDs, seven INTs). And the team’s top two running backs combined for roughly 1,500 yards. And on the defensive side, the Sooners are ranked seventh nationally against the run.

I think I know I how good West Virginia is. When the offense gets rolling, when the offensive line is working in synchronicity, when Pat White, Steve Slaton, Noel Devine, and Owen Schmitt are ripping off runs of seven, 12, 15, and sometimes 60 yards—then the opposing defense gets back on its heels and the game becomes a track meet, as it was in the UConn game.

However, when the offense gets gummed up behind the line, as it did during the South Florida and Pitt losses, things get ugly.

The backs can’t get started, there’s no vertical game, and the mighty, high-speed Mountaineer offense looks stuck in the mud. Three-and-out and toss the defense back on the field against Bradford and Co.

Bottom line: This is going to be an excellent test for both teams. I don’t think it’s uncharitable to say that each is the best opponent the other will have faced all year.