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Big 12 Football: 5 teams that can dethrone Oklahoma in 2017

By Andrew Miller

Dec 3, 2016; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Geno Lewis (5) scores a touchdown against the Oklahoma State Cowboys during the second quarter at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 3, 2016; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Geno Lewis (5) scores a touchdown against the Oklahoma State Cowboys during the second quarter at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 3, 2016; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Geno Lewis (5) scores a touchdown against the Oklahoma State Cowboys during the second quarter at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 3, 2016; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Geno Lewis (5) scores a touchdown against the Oklahoma State Cowboys during the second quarter at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

Taking a look at some of the best options in the Big 12 that could possibly dethrone the reigning back-to-back conference champion Oklahoma Sooners.

The Oklahoma Sooners have run the Big 12 over the last two seasons. Quarterback Baker Mayfield led Oklahoma to appearances in the College Football Playoff against the Clemson Tigers in 2015 and a Sugar Bowl victory over the Auburn Tigers last season. There’s no doubt that the Sooners have run the Big 12 of late, but they did lose a lot of talent before the 2017 season. Yet they do have Mayfield returning for yet another year.

The obvious question in the Big 12 involves one team stepping up and dethroning Oklahoma. It seems the two likely options to succeed in that hefty task are the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Kansas State Wildcats. A few dark horses include the TCU Horned Frogs, Texas Longhorns (with Tom Herman now at the helm), and the West Virginia Mountaineers. Baylor and Texas Tech will likely experience too much change to compete for the Big 12 Title this season.

Overall, the biggest change to the conference landscape for 2017 is the addition of the Big 12 Championship Game. While the conference did not add any extra teams, they will still have a title game featuring the top two teams in the Big 12 standings at the end of the regular season. For the last two years Oklahoma and Oklahoma State have competed in a de facto Big 12 title game in their annual Bedlam contests. Oklahoma emerged victorious both times.

Knowing all the possibilities of teams that have a chance to knock off OU, let’s take a look at the chances of each team actually accomplishing the task.

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