Oklahoma football: Updated 2020 game-by-game predictions

Oklahoma football has sights set on their first playoff win and earning a spot in the national championship for the first time since 2008.

Not many coaches have had as good of a start as Lincoln Riley has had so far in his coaching career. Since taking over in Norman in 2017, he has guided Oklahoma to three straight Big 12 championships, three straight playoff appearances and coached two Heisman Trophy winners and a runner up.

Riley is also regarded as one of the best offensive minds in all of football and yet there are two things missing from his resume: a playoff win and a national championship. Oklahoma has the ingredients to accomplish both of those goals this season, but that does not mean that it will be easy.

Riley has had a different transfer quarterback in each year that he has been a head coach, but Oklahoma opted to stay in house and it will be former five-star gunslinger Spencer Rattler’s turn to take the reigns of what has been the most consistent offense in terms of production in the last five years.

The big question facing the Sooners is the same one that has plagued them for the last several years and that is can the defense be good enough to make a playoff run? They have been good enough to win the Big 12, but in the playoff games against Georgia, Alabama and LSU, the Sooners have gotten smoked. Nobody doubts the Sooners ability to win the Big 12, but can they take that next step?

The pressure is mounting on Riley.