The Oklahoma Sooners made a little bit of history and qualified for the College Football Playoff last season, becoming the first team from the Big XII to pull off the feat. The Sooners are handicapped by the fact that they don't have a conference title game to play, but they made up for that this year by scheduling two non-conference games against teams which are sure to be in at least the New Year's Six.
Oklahoma Sooners Regular Season Win Total Odds at BookMaker.eu
Oklahoma Over 10 Wins ( -105 )
Oklahoma Under 10 Wins ( -125 )
Many of the skill players remain from last year's 11-win team. Baker Mayfield was granted an extra year of college eligibility in the offseason, and he figures to build upon a year in which he threw for 3,700 yards and led the Sooners to 530.2 yards and 43.5 points per game. Samaje Perine is back as well to head a talented backfield, and he could be a threat to crack the 1,500-yard mark.
Rebuilding this defense is going to be crucial for Bob Stoops. The unit wasn't fantastic last year statistically, though a lot of that is because teams were constantly playing catch-up against OU. Eric Striker, Charles Tapper and Zack Sanchez all left after last season, and replacing them is going to be incredibly tough.
2016 Oklahoma Sooners Football Schedule
September 3 – at Houston
September 10 – vs. Louisiana-Monroe
September 17 – vs. Ohio State
October 1 – at TCU
October 8 – vs. Texas (at Dallas)
October 15 – vs. Kansas State
October 22 – at Texas Tech
October 29 – Kansas
November 3 – at Iowa State
November 12 – vs. Baylor
November 19 – at West Virginia
December 3 – vs. Oklahoma State
There are a couple really dangerous spots on this schedule for sure. The opening game at Houston is no joke whatsoever, especially after the Cougars beat Florida State in the Peach Bowl a season ago. A second lethal non-conference game against Ohio State could end up being a playoff eliminator when push comes to shove as well.
The trickiest task on the Big XII schedule will likely be the game at West Virginia on November 19. It's a game which is heading into a bye week and comes right in the middle of what should be emotional home games against Baylor and West Virginia. A November 3 date with Iowa State on a short week could be a massive trap in Ames in what will be the biggest game of the season for the Cyclones.
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If this Oklahoma team can fill some voids at wide receiver and on the defensive side of the ball, it will end up being a really competitive squad and have a shot at the playoffs. Still, we think this is a generally overstated team when it comes to the initial rankings and forecasts.
The Sooners could beat everyone on their schedule, and they could be beaten five times as well. Odds have it, they'll end up somewhere in the middle of all of that, losing probably three times.
The oddsmakers though, very likely will have this one exactly right. The only path to 11 wins is surviving those first two tests against Houston and Ohio State, and we're not sure the Sooners get the job done. If they don't in one of the two, they'll have to run the table in the Big XII to cash the over, something that we just don't see playing out when push comes to shove.
College Football Odds: Oklahoma Sooners Under 10 Wins
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