| Oklahoma Sooners 2009 College Football Picks |
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| Written by Steve Hastings | |||||||
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Wednesday, 02 September 2009
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 Oklahoma Sooners 2009 College Football Picks: After falling just short of a national title in 2008, the Oklahoma Sooners will reload and try again to bring a championship back to Norman. The college football picks experts at online sportsbook SBG Global has the Oklahoma Sooners listed at +650 odds to win the 2010 BCS National Championship Title.#5 UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA 2008 Season Record: 12-2 Big 12 Champions 2008 Final Rank: 5 Returning Starters on Offense: 5 Returning Starters on Defense: 9 Pros: Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Sam Bradford (4,720 yards passing, 50 touchdowns) is back to direct one of the most prolific offenses in NCAA history. Last season Oklahoma became just the third team in college football history to score more than 700 points in a season. The Sooners also return both of their 1,000-yard rushers from a year ago in Chris Brown (1,220, 20 touchdowns) and DeMarco Murray (1,002 yards, 14 touchdowns). The top returning defenders include All-Big 12 tackle Gerald McCoy and linebacker Travis Lewis, who made an immediate impact as a freshman a year ago. The unit also returns a trio of ends, Frank Alexander, Jeremy Beal and Auston English, who combined for 16 sacks a year ago. Cons: The good news is that the defense returns nine starters from 2008. The bad news is that Oklahoma ranked 58th in the nation in scoring defense allowing 24.5 points per game and were 68th in total defense (367.7 ypg). Senior Trent Williams is the only returning starter from the offensive line and he is expected to move from right to left tackle. Surprise Stat: The Sooners scored 50 or more points nine times during the 2008 season including five games in which they eclipsed the 60-point mark. The college football picks odds makers at SBG Global have the Oklahoma Sooners +170 odds favorites to win the Big 12 Conference Title. Overall Outlook: There is little question that the Sooners will score a lot of points. However, if they want to become serious contenders for the national championship, the defense must show significant improvement over a year ago. Oklahoma concentrated on defense and the offensive line with their 2009 recruiting class. Defense tackle Jamarkus McFarland was among the most heavily recruited players in the country and could develop into a defensive anchor. Both Tom Wort and Ronnell Lewis could eventually become starters at linebacker. The Sooners signed four offensive linemen as well as a potential future starting quarterback in Drew Allen. Big Game: The Red River Rivalry between Oklahoma and Texas is always one of the biggest games of the college football calendar, but the 2009 match-up could be one for the ages. Not only does it come after the controversial ending to the 2008 conference season, but it also features a battle between two of the best quarterbacks in college football: Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy. The winner of the October 17 match-up would seemingly have an inside track to the conference championship game, but as we learned last season, nothing is for sure in college football. Key to Success: It will be crucial that the revamped offensive line provides Bradford with protection while also creating holes for the tandem of dominating backs in Brown and Murray. The backlash of the Sooners vault past Texas and into the Big 12 Championship Game (and ultimately the BCS title game) could make it tough for them to get ay benefit of the doubt this season. Online Sportsbook SBG Global has posted the following odds to win the 2010 BCS National Championship: Alabama +2200 Arizona St +7000 Arkansas +7000 Auburn +9000 Boston College +7500 California +2200 Cincinnati +8500 Clemson +7500 Colorado +8500 Florida +150 Florida St +4000 Georgia +7500 Georgia Tech +1200 Illinois +4500 Iowa +8500 Kansas +4500 Kansas St +8500 Kentucky +8500 Louisville +8500 LSU +3200 Miami FL +3200 Michigan +8500 Michigan St +1700 Missouri +8500 Nebraska +4500 Notre Dame +1200 Ohio St +800 Oklahoma +650 Oklahoma St +2700 Oregon +4500 Penn St +1500 Rutgers +4500 South Carolina +8500 South Florida+5000 Southern Cal +600 Tennessee +8500 Texas +650 Texas A&M +8500 Texas Tech +6500 UCLA +8500 Utah +1200 Virginia Tech +1700 Wake Forest +8500 North Carolina +4500 West Virginia +6000 Wisconsin +6500 Field (All Others) +1200                        |
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| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 02 September 2009 ) | |||||||