Drink Discussion: Realistic expectations for the 2010 Oklahoma Sooners
The Realistic Expectations Series: College teams every Wednesday, pro teams every Friday, and all done in no particular order.
On the surface, notions of Oklahoma football having success this year seem preposterous. Exhibit A: they're coming off their worst season under Bob Stoops. Exhibit B: three of the top four players in the 2010 NFL draft (Sam Bradford, Gerald McCoy and Trent Williams) went there, meaning they're clearly losing a lot of talent. Exhibit C: Texas is pretty good (we discussed them last week) and their seemingly biggest problem, the QB transition from Colt McCoy to Garrett Gilbert, is somewhat eased by the fact that Gilbert played in a national title game last year.
But yet, almost everyone and their moms is picking Oklahoma; it's true, from a bias standpoint, that I like them (never set foot in the state and have no plans to). I think Bob Stoops seems like a good dude from afar and Toby Keith, who is a big Sooners fan, is kickass. Clearly I've thought deeply about my allegiances and they are based on real, absolutely tangible connections to places, things, and events. I might as well be picking out of a f'n hat.
Oklahoma does have some dudes: Landry Jones got reps at QB last year, DeMarco Murray is gonna get a ton of carries, Ryan Broyles is the best receiver in the Big 12 probably, Jeremy Beal is good, and Ronnell Lewis, who will break out this year, has been crushing dudes since middle school:
Let's get into the schedule now; here 'tis.
The first four aren't bad: only one's on the road, actually. It goes Utah State, Florida State, Air Force, and at Cincy. FSU is the only potentially tricky game in there; FSU is good this year, although the fact that the game is in Norman will likely shift this one to the Sooners. Barring injury, all three other games should be routs (Cincy might be within 13). That's 4-0 through four.
The next four is Red River, Iowa State at home, at Missouri, and Colorado at home; as always for Oklahoma and Texas, the whole thing comes down to Red River -- Blaine Gabbert is gonna be good for Missouri, but the team itself isn't complete enough to beat Oklahoma. That said, you call Red River a tossup (I do, seeing as how I haven't seen either of those two teams play yet), they're either 7-1 or 8-0 through eight games. They will not be 6-2, in all likelihood, unless FSU stuns 'em (statement win for Fisher) and then Texas drops 'em.
The next four are at A&M, Texas Tech at home, at Baylor, and at Okie State. Again, none should be a loss. A&M has a few dangerous players, but on completeness of team, it's not a great matchup. Stoops owns A&M:
The final game would be the Big 12 Championship, likely them or Texas vs. Nebraska. If the refs decide to hand every call to Nebraska as penance for last year, it could be a close affair; it actually probably will be anyway, depending on how Zac Lee comes along as Nebraska's QB.
Regardless, within this schedule, if the Sooners can stay focused, they should finish somewhere between 10-2 and 12-0. It seems the Sooners are making Overlook Bar (225 E. 44th Street) their new home base for 2010 (it may have been such in 2009, but admittedly, I tend to watch Oklahoma with randoms in western Queens). If you wanna see some solid football this fall, then, make plans to check out Overlook.
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