College Football: 10 Teams who could dethrone Clemson and Alabama
3. Oklahoma
It would be foolish to count Oklahoma out after losing a Heisman Trophy-winning QB as they proved this year. After losing Heisman winner Baker Mayfield, Lincoln Riley and the Sooners bounced back with a second consecutive Heisman winner in Kyler Murray to capture their second straight Big 12 Championship and their second straight berth into the playoff.
There’s no Kyler Murray waiting in the wings this time, but Austin Kendall pushed Murray last offseason for the job, and five-star Spencer Rattler is joining the program and should push for the starting job immediately.
Replacing Murray will be tough, but they’re also losing four starters along the nation’s best offensive line. If they can solidify the line, the new QB should be able to lean on a pair of talented running backs in Kennedy Brooks and Trey Sermon.
They’re losing leading receiver Marquise Brown to the draft, but talent at the skill positions is never in short supply in Norman. Rising junior CeeDee Lamb had over 1100 yards this season, and he should slide in nicely as the No. 1 option next year. The Sooners also signed the nation’s top-ranked receiver, five-star Jadon Haselwood, in the early signing period.
Oklahoma returns 10 starters on defense, but that’s not necessarily a positive thing for a unit that struggled mightily in 2018. They’ll need some significant improvements on that side of the ball in order to seriously contend for a national title. Riley took the first step in doing so by hiring Alex Grinch away from Ohio State.
Help could be on the way in the form of the nation’s No. 4 recruiting class. They have several defensive players in this class, including four-star safety Jeremiah Criddell, who could be instant contributors.
The schedule also sets up favorably for the Sooners to make a playoff push. They get Houston at home and UCLA on the road out-of-conference, a couple of foes who shouldn’t present too much of a challenge. In conference play, they get the traditional neutral site matchup with Texas, while getting the likes of West Virginia, Iowa State, and TCU at home. A road trip to Stillwater to battle rival Oklahoma State to finish the regular season could be tricky, and could decide if the Sooners play in the conference title game for the third year in a row.
If Austin Kendall, or Spencer Rattler, can provide good production out of the QB position, then the Sooners might be able to get to the playoff for the fourth time in six years.