Winning football championships at Oklahoma University is something expected on the Norman, Oklahoma campus. And winning championships has not been in the Sooners grasp over the past few years something that has Sooner Nation a little antsy. The 2005 season ended with Big 12 South rival Texas winning the BCS title followed by a disastrous end in 2006 losing to Boise State in dramatic fashion in the Fiesta Bowl. West Virginia ran over the Sooners by nearly three touchdowns to end last season also in the Fiesta Bowl.
Welcome to 2008 and again, the Sooners are expected to win at least the Big 12 South Division, once the dominant division in that league. OU was voted pre-season No. 1 to win their division in the Media Pre-Season Poll released last week. The Sooners received 49 first place votes by contrast to 2 first place votes given to the No. 2 Texas Longhorns.
Online oddsmakers at sports wagering leader Sportsbook.com have the Sooners listed at 5-1 odds to win the BCS Championship, third best behind Southern California at 7-2 and Ohio State at 4-1.
In total wins betting, oddsmakers at Sportsbook.com have set the bar high for OU at 10.5 games, OVER (+110)/UNDER (+140).
The OU offense will be dominated by returning players in 2008. That said, there is still the matter of replacing some key performers in the rushing and receiving corps.
Otherwise, this is an offense with a lot of experience and ability to produce. Sam Bradford returns at quarterback after one of the most surprisingly pleasant freshman seasons anyone can remember. He’ll throw to a group of receivers that features last season’s top pass catcher, Juaquin Iglesias, and TE Jermaine Gresham; hand off to a backfield that combined for more than 1,300 yards on their own and toil behind a mammoth offensive line that returns seven of the eight players who were on last season’s two-deep. The 2007 team ranked No. 5 in scoring offense (42.3), there is hope that the group can cash in a higher percentage of possessions and develop more dominance in imposing its will.
Defensively , across the front four, the Sooners appear set with experience and depth. The questions loom at linebacker and in the secondary where the early departures and graduation hit hardest. New players who joined the team in August will have opportunities for immediate playing time.
The Sooners will re-tool at linebacker and introduce some new faces. The most experienced returnee is Ryan Reynolds, the starter on the weak side last season, but now a candidate for the middle position. Lamont Robinson was a reserve at middle linebacker last season and also will vie for the playing time.
On special teams, OU returns all the key players including place kicker and Groza Award finalist Garrett Hartley.
Oklahoma led the nation in kickoff returns last season and will return its two most lethal returners, Juaquin Iglesias and DeMarco Murray.
Oklahoma will host six games of its 12 game regular-season schedule in Norman in 2008.
Highlighting the slate are a pair of firsts; the first ever meeting with the University of Cincinnati and the Sooners’ first ever trip to Seattle, Wash., to take on the University of Washington. The matchup with Texas at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas is set for the second Saturday in October while the Bedlam Game against Oklahoma State remains over the Thanksgiving weekend. Big 12 Conference North opponents switch as Oklahoma takes on Kansas and Nebraska in Norman and travels to Manhattan, Kan., to face Kansas State.
Oklahoma University 2008 Football Schedule
Aug 30 Chattanooga (Southern FCS)
Sep 06 Cincinnati (BIG EAST)
Sep 13 @ Washington (PAC-10)
Sep 27 TCU (MWC)
Oct 04 @Baylor
Oct 11 Texas @Dallas
Oct 18 Kansas
Oct 25 @Kansas State
Nov 01 Nebraska
Nov 08 @Texas A&M
Nov 22 Texas Tech
Nov 29 @Oklahoma State
