Oklahoma football will win the Big 12 again after winning back-to-back conference titles. A dominate Week 1 win proves the Sooners haven’t slowed down.
The Oklahoma Sooners showed in Week 1 why they are ranked in the AP Top 10 and were picked to win the Big 12 Championship for the third consecutive season. They defeated the UTEP Miners by a 56-7 score, highlighted by a huge effort from senior quarterback Baker Mayfield.
The No. 23 ranked Texas Longhorns lost to the Maryland Terrapins. That’s one potential challenger that took a significant blow this weekend. Texas will give OU their best in the Red River Shootout, but Tom Herman’s team doesn’t look to be “back”, not yet. Instead, Week 1 showed us that the Big 12 is for the Oklahoma schools to lose.
One of the biggest challenges to Oklahoma’s chances at the Big 12 Championship is the actual Big 12 Championship Game played at the end of the season. Bedlam was moved to Nov. 4, meaning that Oklahoma and Oklahoma State could possibly meet twice.
Oklahoma State looked good in their season debut against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in a 59-24 victory at Boone Pickens Stadium. They still have a ways to go before they can convince the college football world that they’re ready to finally take down Oklahoma.
The Baylor Bears also proved they won’t be a real threat in the Big 12 this year. Losing to a team like the Liberty Flames out of the FCS is somewhat embarrassing for the entire conference. Head coach Matt Rhule has some work to do.
Now, let’s take a look at those three reasons why the Oklahoma Sooners will win the Big 12 in 2017.
1. Baker Mayfield played like the best QB in the country
Oklahoma took care of UTEP by a 49-point margin. Few expected that matchup to be close. Yet, the schedule ramps up quickly when OU travels to Columbus, OH, to face the No. 2 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. Building confidence against UTEP should help.
Mayfield had a much better showing in Week 1 than Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett. Other Heisman contenders such as USC’s Sam Darnold and Washington’s Jake Browning didn’t play up to par this week either. The defending Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson looked good.
If Mayfield continues to play like he did against the Miners, he’s guaranteed to be a Heisman finalist at the end of the season. He threw for 329 yards and three touchdowns. Mayfield only had one incomplete pass on 20 attempts.
Since he is already considered to be one of the best, Mayfield does not have to do much more to do. However, defeating Ohio State could lock him in as the best quarterback in the country.
2. The Sooner defense has improved
One of the weak spots for the Sooners last year was the defense. Led by a solid defensive line and cornerback Jordan Thomas, the Oklahoma defense is much better in 2017. Redshirt senior defensive nose guard Matthew Romar could play at the next level.
Giving up seven to UTEP is nothing to be extremely proud about for a program like Oklahoma. However, that helps Riley build confidence for when he faces legendary Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer next week.
With all the high-powered offenses in the Big 12, the conference champion needs a solid defense. Oklahoma’s defense has really stepped it up in clutch moments the last two seasons. This could be the first time in a while that the Sooner defense is consistently good throughout the regular season.
A few teams like the Texas Tech Red Raiders and TCU Horned Frogs confirmed in Week 1 that they’ll really be able to put up points this year. Texas Tech and TCU have given the Sooners some tough matchups recently. The offense will be able to hang with anyone, but its the defense that will prove to be a difference maker this season.
3. Dominance over Oklahoma State and Kansas State
Oklahoma’s biggest challengers are the Oklahoma State Cowboys and Kansas State Wildcats. The degree to which the West Virginia Mountaineers can actually contend this year depends on how they fare against the Virginia Tech Hokies.
Kansas State and Oklahoma State both looked great in Week 1 action. The Cowboys topped Tulsa and KSU quarterback Jesse Ertz led the Wildcats to a win over Central Arkansas. Both teams are ranked inside the AP Top 25 and will finish at or near the top of the Big 12 standings.
The Sooners have not lost to either Oklahoma State or Kansas State in the last two seasons. Oklahoma State and Kansas State got the best of Oklahoma in 2014, but that was really an off year for the Sooners.
Next: 2017 Big 12 preseason predictions
When Oklahoma is good, they tend to dominate some of the top teams in the Big 12. The conference has some quality challengers in the middle of the pack. Yet, the basement of the conference standings could be packed.