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Oklahoma (Last Year: 12-2)
2009 College Football Season Preview:
Star Players:
QB Sam Bradford, RB Chris Brown, RB DeMarco Murray, TE Jermaine Gresham, T Trent Williams, G Brian Simmons, DE Jeremy Beal, DT Gerald McCoy, DT Adrian Taylor, ILB Ryan Reynolds, OLB Travis Lewis, OLB Keenan Clayton, CB Dominique Franks, CB Brian Jackson.
Draft/Graduation/Transfer Losses:
WR Juaquin Iglesias, WR Manuel Johnson, WR Quentin Chaney, T Phil Loadholt, G Duke Robinson, G Brandon Walker, C Jon Cooper, DT Cory Bennett, DE Alan Davis, LB/S Nic Harris, S Lendy Holmes, P Mike Knall.
2009 Oklahoma Sooners Offense:
To nearly everyone’s surprise, redshirt sophomore Sam Bradford decided to return for his junior season and not enter the 2009 NFL Draft, in which he would have been in contention for the No. 1 overall pick. Will Bradford regret his decision much like Matt Leinart, Brian Brohm and Brady Quinn? Bradford’s game WILL get picked apart. He is a quarterback and every one of his weaknesses will be magnified. It will be difficult for Bradford to go No. 1 overall in 2010, but he should find himself as a top-10 selection.
Regardless of what the NFL holds for Bradford, he is without a doubt the best passing quarterback in the country. Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy rely on their legs for a lot of their production, but Bradford is simply dominant with his ability to read defenses and accuracy. Bradford completed close to 68 percent of his passes last season with a 9.8 YPA for 50 touchdowns and only eight interceptions.
Bradford loses Juaquin Iglesias, Quentin Chaney and Manuel Johnson to graduation, which means Adron Tennell, Ryan Broyles and Brandon Caleb must step up their game if they want to win the Big XII. This is without a doubt the weakest link for Oklahoma offensively for the time being, but it could turn into a strength if these players reach their potential.
All-American Jermaine Gresham returns at tight end and it was also a bit surprising he came back for his senior season because he would have been a first-round draft pick in 2009. He is Bradford’s go-to target and will be relied on heavily with inexperienced receivers.
The offensive line is inexperienced up front, but I don’t think it will be much of a problem. They should be a very productive and reliable. Oklahoma’s offense is based out of the shotgun, and with Duke Robinson and Phil Loadholt off to the NFL, they might actually be better in pass protection. Trent Williams is moving from right tackle to left tackle, and NFL scouts will be watching closely. It should be a seamless transition, but we have seen crazy things happen before to a player’s draft stock.
2009 Oklahoma Sooners Defense:
I have to admit, I think I have given the Oklahoma Sooner defense more flack in the past and should be awarding them much more credit in the future. When you look at their rankings nationally, they aren’t impressive. Oklahoma is 58th in scoring defense and 52nd in yards per play.
However, what I am forgetting to do is give a great amount of respect to Big XII offenses. After all, how fair is it to throw in the Big XII team rankings in with the rest of college football? Oklahoma has to go up against several very good offenses within their conference.
Oklahoma was second in the Big XII in points per game (24.5), third in defensive rushing yardage per play (3.47), second in defensive yards per attempt (6.7), first in interceptions (19), first in defensive yards per play (5.17), and second in sacks (42).
Also, we need to compare Oklahoma’s defense to Texas, since that is ultimately one of their only two real opponents in the Big XII. Texas only returns 25.5 sacks next season after losing Brian Orakpo, Henry Melton and Roy Miller to the NFL. However, Oklahoma returns their top seven defensive linemen from last season.
It all starts up front for Oklahoma as they boast the best defensive lineman in the country in Gerald McCoy. I was actually the first online NFL Draft analyst to put McCoy in my mock draft, but the rest of the country caught up quickly. McCoy is a projected top-eight pick next April and should be dominant in 2009. Don’t forget about defensive end Jeremy Beal or defensive tackle Adrian Taylor up front. Taylor might have a breakout season in 2009 and get the draftniks talking online before you know it. This line is elite and they will play up to their potential next season.
The linebacking corps is nothing to talk down about either. Travis Lewis is a talented player as he racked up 144 tackles last season. Ryan Reynolds was having a career year before his ACL injury, and he should be solid next season. Keenan Clayton is a big playmaker at outside linebacker and he should be even more dominant with a starting season under his belt.
Oklahoma is an underrated team at cornerback. Starters Dominique Franks and Brian Jackson combined for 21 pass break-ups and six interceptions last season. Look for Oklahoma to play more Cover-1 next season in big games.
Safety is easily the Achilles’ heel of this defense. Quinton Carter and Sam Proctor lack range deep and don’t seem to get involved much. The good news for Oklahoma is most teams in the Big XII don’t have a quarterback with a strong enough arm to seriously hurt Oklahoma’s defense.
2009 Oklahoma Sooners Schedule and Intangibles:
Up until last season, many analysts thought the Big XII was a weak conference. Bob Stoops has really stepped up to the plate with his non-conference schedule so his team does not risk missing a national championship game. They open up the season against BYU, who at one point last season was 10-1. Oklahoma also faces the high-powered Tulsa attack in Norman. The Sooners travel to Miami to face the Hurricanes, but it isn’t Oklahoma’s fault Miami has been a train wreck lately.
The Red River Shootout is the game everybody is waiting for on Oct. 17. This might be a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup, and I simply can’t wait. There is some serious blood here after Texas beat Oklahoma last season and still did not get a chance to play in the Big XII Championship.
Texas Tech will not be nearly as competitive with Michael Crabtree and Graham Harrell gone. Oklahoma State should be a great game on Nov. 28 where the winner could go on to the Big XII Championship.
2009 Oklahoma Sooners Positional Rankings (1-5 stars):
Quarterbacks |
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Offensive Line |
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Secondary |
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Running Backs |
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Defensive Line |
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Special Teams |
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Receivers |
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Linebackers |
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Coaching |
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2009 Oklahoma Sooners Analysis:
Initially, I wanted to predict Texas to win the Big XII so it isn’t a Florida-Oklahoma national championship rematch. When I looked at Texas’ depth chart and realized they lose three extremely good starters on their defensive line, I just wasn’t sold that Texas will win the Big XII. I think Texas has a very good chance to beat Oklahoma, but Oklahoma’s defense is simply much better on paper.
Oklahoma should roll through their conference schedule with the only real challenges being versus Texas and Oklahoma State. Oklahoma has a better chance this year to beat Florida in the title game, should they get there because they are more experienced on defense and Florida loses Percy Harvin. Some people will think I am crazy to think Oklahoma can win a BCS game, but this is simply their year. I believe this is Oklahoma’s year, and I will not back down off that prediction.
Projection: 12-0 (Big XII & National Champion)
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