Oklahoma Football: 8 Opponents We'd Love to See on Future Schedules

It's been 11 years since the Oklahoma Sooners last won a National Championship, but with the 2011 college football season quickly approaching, many analysts have the Sooners listed as one of the best teams in the nation in their preseason polls.

The Sooners seem to have solid draft classes almost every year and are likely set depth-wise for years to come. With that in mind, here is a list of the eight best matchups that could take place in Norman, an opponent's home field or neutral ground that could propel the team to greatness once more.

Boise State

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GLENDALE, AZ - JANUARY 01: Seth Anderson (L) #36 and Aiona Key #84 of the Boise State Broncos celerbate a win over the Oklahoma Sooners 43-42 at the Tostito's Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium January 1, 2007 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by J

Even today, nearly five years after Boise State's upset victory in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, images from the game appear on message boards and television shows and serve as a constant reminder of Oklahoma's tragic defeat. What better way to help bury the past than to construct a rematch of one of the best BCS games since its inception?

Boise State fans always seem to complain that they don't get enough love from the BCS, so they'll likely welcome the matchup because, with a win, they would likely guarantee themselves national title consideration. And for Oklahoma, a win over Boise would help ease the pain associated with the images and memories of the Fiesta Bowl.

Alabama

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COLUMBIA, SC - OCTOBER 9: Running back Trent Richardson #3 of the Alabama Crimson Tide returns a kick against the South Carolina Gamecocks October 9, 2010 at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

An Alabama-Oklahoma matchup would pit the best against the best. Over the past few years, both Bob Stoops and Nick Saban have become two of college football's most elite coaches and the Big 12 and SEC have been two of the most dominate conferences.

Although it's tough to see this game ever taking place in the regular season because Alabama doesn't need to add a talented opponent to their already difficult SEC schedule, there is a somewhat realistic chance that this could be this season's national championship game.

Florida State

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NORMAN, OK - SEPTEMBER 11: Quarterback Christian Ponder #7 of the Florida State Seminoles hands the ball off to Jermaine Thomas #38 against the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on September 11, 2010 in Norman, Oklahoma. (Phot

In what would be a rematch of the 2000 BCS National Championship Game, an Oklahoma-Florida State matchup would be a can't miss game if the two teams agreed to meet sometime in the next few seasons.

In 2000, the higher ranked but underdog Sooners defeated the Seminoles 13-2 by way of one of the lowest scoring BCS title games since they began in 1998. By defeating the Sooners, Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher could further distance himself from Bobby Bowden's shadow while Bob Stoops, in defeating the Seminoles again, could further show he is one of the best coaches in the history of college football.

TCU

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PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: The TCU Horned Frogs kneel prior to playing the Wisconsin Badgers in the 97th Rose Bowl game on January 1, 2011 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

TCU proved that their football program could play on the big stage late last season, but, even so, a matchup with the Sooners could help them further make their case to become a perennial powerhouse program.

Just as a Boise State-Oklahoma game would help settle the some bad memories, a TCU-Oklahoma matchup could help Sooner fans forget the team's 2005 loss to the Horned Frogs in Norman, although the team did defeat TCU three years later by a large margin.

South Carolina

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ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 31: Head coach Steve Spurrier of the South Carolina Gamecocks against the Florida State Seminoles during the 2010 Chick-fil-A Bowl at Georgia Dome on December 31, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

A South Carolina-Oklahoma matchup would pit another up-and-coming SEC team against the Big 12's finest, something many college football fans would love to see.

With LSU being on the Sooners' 2017 and 2018 schedules, the Gamecocks could serve as a warm-up for what the team should expect to be one of their toughest games in recent memory. Although the Gamecocks lost miserably to Auburn in the SEC title game last season, they are, no doubt, on the rise.

Miami

The Miami Hurricanes are in the process of distancing themselves from the Randy Shannon era and become the elite, feared team that they were early on in the decade, so a matchup with the Oklahoma Sooners would be a great way to get the 'Canes back on track.

After losing their final three games of the season last year, including an overtime loss to South Florida, the Hurricanes are in desperate need of a big win, which is why a game against the Sooners could be a legitimate possibility. And for the Sooners, winning a game against Miami and keeping their program from a return to glory would be a sweet victory.

Georgia

Being honest, a Georgia-Oklahoma matchup is probably the most realistic in regards to the Sooners matching up against an SEC team during the regular season, but even it would be a long shot.

The Bulldogs did, however, accept a bid to play in the 2011 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game against Boise State, so maybe UGA will want to play the Sooners in a home-and-home series sometime down the road. A prime time, Big 12-SEC matchup would truly be something fun to watch.

Penn State

In keeping with the theme of recreating national championship games from years past, a Penn State-Oklahoma matchup, though likely not going to happen, would be a fun, modern take on the two team's 1985 National Championship bout.

Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions football team has been good but not great as of late, so a win over a team such as Oklahoma would surely provide a positive impact on his recruiting classes and the team's BCS ranking. For Oklahoma, a chance to play against the legendary Paterno near the end of his career would be something Sooners fans would remember forever.