It’s been an interesting season for Oklahoma football and the month of October presents some challenging matchups. What can we expect?
Lincoln Riley was left with one of the most talented teams in the country a year ago when Bob Stoops retired suddenly, but he was still ready to be a leader. The former offensive coordinator took over and it was a seamless transition as he led the Sooners to the College Football Playoff and Baker Mayfield won the Heisman Trophy.
Without Mayfield, the Sooners were predicted to take a step back this season, but Kyler Murray has far exceeded expectations.
Oklahoma is undefeated to start the year with a 5-0 record and the month of October could be a critical one when it comes to keeping Big 12 title and playoff hopes alive.
The Sooners are looking for that elusive national title and October could launch them in the right direction.
5. Defense bounces back into the right direction
The month of October brings a couple of tough matchups. One is the Red River Shootout against Texas and the other is a road game against TCU. Kansas State is also on the schedule but the Wildcats have gotten off to a rough start to the season.
Those matchups will also ensure the defense gets back on track and it’ll do so by cutting its points per game allowed almost in half and doing the same with the total yards allowed.
OK, maybe it won’t be that drastic of an improvement, but the defense will head in the right direction, allowing just under 20 points per game on the month and about 250 yards per game.
The playoff committee looks at the overall body of work and an improved defense will be a welcomed sight for the voters.