Oklahoma football hit the road in Week 2 in a rematch of last year’s loss to Ohio State in Norman. Let’s overreact to the victory by the Sooners.
No. 5 Oklahoma traveled to Columbus, Ohio, to face No. 2 Ohio State during prime time in front of a sellout crowd of over 100,000 people on national TV. Last season, Ohio State smashed Oklahoma 45-24 in Norman, but Baker Mayfield and Co. had different plans Saturday evening.
The win helped Ohio State get into the College Football Playoff last season, so the importance of this game was paramount.
Oklahoma ran rough shot over Ohio State winning 31-16 in Columbus. First year head coach Lincoln Riley got a huge road win and even with the talent loss through graduation or NFL (Dede Westbrook, Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine) just to name a few, they were able to handle business in put the college world on notice.
The season is still young, but you can’t take this win lightly beating a proven powerhouse in their home stadium is a legit check mark to have on your side. Can they keep playing with the same hunger? We will see, but for now let’s give you the five overreactions from Sooner fans right now.
5. Bob Stoops can’t hold a candle to Lincoln Riley
Bob Stoops suddenly retired after the 2016 season; he was a staple for this historic program for 18 years. Sooner fans may have complained at times because they were so spoiled with the winning ways he provided during his tenure. He had a career record of 190-48 and 121-29 in Big 12 play. Stoops also went 9-9 in bowl games, had a national title, 11 Big 12 titles.
Stoops is a legend, but he hadn’t won a national championship since 2000 and this is a program that has seven national titles so fans can be restless, whether it is right or wrong.
When Stoops retired, people were shocked because at 57 years of age he still had a lot of coaching left and that’s normally the prime age. With the loss of Stoops, offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley got the nod to become the head man in Norman. At 34 years old, Riley is now the man and at first nobody knew what to expect from the first-year head coach, but so far so good.
After knocking off Ohio State on the road the sky seems to the be the limit for Riley and Sooner fans are excited, but let’s pump our breaks if we want to discount the foundation that Stoops has laid for this program. Make sure you pay the proper respect to what Stoops has done before you bash him or go too crazy while jumping on the Riley bandwagon.
4. Baker Mayfield is, hands down, Mr. Heisman
After watching Baker Mayfield last night go to work on the Ohio State defense it was easy to get ahead of ourselves and just hand him the Heisman Trophy, but it is a long season.
Mayfield had announcers calling him the Brett Favre of college football and we know his stature isn’t the same as the great Favre, but the way he plays the game with guts and heart he does remind you of the Hall of Famer.
The senior gunslinger looked like a magician in the backfield as he ducked and dogged Ohio State defenders for the tune of 386 yards and three touchdowns. He did that on 27-of-35 passing — very impressive let’s call a spade a spade, people. He is a playmaker and beating the No. 2 on the road is a staple win, but it’s a long season and we can’t forget about people like Lamar Jackson who had himself a heck of a game on Saturday also and others.
So, while Sooners need to start the Mayfield for Heisman campaign it isn’t a done deal just yet folks.
3. Oklahoma should be ranked No. 1 going into Week 3
No. 5 Oklahoma knocked off No. 2 Ohio State which could’ve been looked at as a pick em’ game, but this is an upset. I call it an upset because it was in Columbus, but now where should Oklahoma be ranked?
That was the million dollar question but knocking off the No. 2 in the nation is going to hold weight in future discussions and I know their fans believe their Sooners should be ranked No. 1 in the land. However, they have to pump their breaks because No. 1 Alabama has a top-tier win against No. 3 Florida State under its belt also so you can’t just push them out of the way just yet.
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Oklahoma won’t be ranked No. 1 going into Week 3, but Alabama is being put on notice. The Sooners need not slip up or they won’t cruise like they expect. Oklahoma is serious now they can’t get full of themselves and they need to keep playing with the same hunger.
2. The Big 12 is Oklahoma’s to lose
Oklahoma has won the Big 12 the last two seasons, but they have a new head coach (Riley) so are they the automatic favorites?
Coming into the season, a lot of people looked at Oklahoma State and West Virginia being dark horses to take over the reigns from the Sooners. Oklahoma State is ranked No. 9 overall and is currently 2-0 also so they are legit threats.
There are a few other teams that are playing well in the conference, but with the success of the Cowboys, people may be thinking the reign is over. After seeing the Sooners make light work of the Buckeyes on the road you can’t fault Sooner fans for being overly excited.
They are showing themselves as the class of the Big 12 and until somebody proves them otherwise we have to roll with the narrative.
In the offseason, most didn’t take the Sooners very serious. Just think about it, the Big 12 (only 10 teams) is looked at as a conference that doesn’t play defense and score basketball-type numbers, so when they play the big boys in the Power Five they don’t get respect.
Rightfully so, in the last few years, they haven’t been able to hang with the Big Ten, ACC and SEC teams when it has counted, but like I have talked about in the previous pages, beating Ohio State has changed the narrative for the Sooners in how we look at them this season. They dominated a top-tier team on the road on both sides of the ball and they have a gunslinger in Baker Mayfield.
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The question now becomes, can they stay focused and keep Mayfield upright for the rest of the season? If so, they could be a lock for the College Football Playoff, but anything can happen in college football on Saturdays. The media and Sooner fans are locked in to what is happening in Norman now will they fold under the pressure?