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
