Nov 28, 2015; Stillwater, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners running back Joe Mixon (25) celebrates on the sidelines in the fourth quarter against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium. The Sooners defeated the Cowboys 58-23. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
Every Oklahoma Sooner football team begins every season with the two, etched-in-time standing goals.
Sep 17, 2016; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) scrambles in the pocket against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the fourth quarter at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
The big, hairy, audacious of the two is to win the national championship, which of course nowadays requires you to be one of the four teams to reach the College Football Playoff.
Job 1, however, is to win the conference championship, which the Sooners have achieved 44 times in their 121 seasons of varsity football and nine times as a member of the 20-year-old Big 12 Conference.
Oklahoma has done exceptionally well scaling the national championship mountain, as well. The Sooners own seven national championship trophies, third most in college football since 1936, the first year the Associated Press began its Top 25 college football rankings. Only Alabama (11) and Notre Dame (8) have more national titles in football.
The Sooners already have two losses to begin the 2016 season, but on Saturday the slate is wiped clean as they begin Big 12 action at TCU in quest of a 10th Big 12 crown.
“It’s something that when you come to Oklahoma, the Big 12 is a very important thing,” sophomore tight end Mark Andrews told reporters, including Brooke Pryor of the Oklahoma City Oklahoman as part of the Sooners’ weekly press conference on Monday.
“It’s kind of your first goal. I don’t think it’s hard coming off not being in the talk for the national title in order to be excited for the Big 12.
Sep 17, 2016; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Mark Andrews (81) catches a touchdown pass in front of Ohio State Buckeyes safety Malik Hooker (24) during the game at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
“Being counted out is something that we kind of thrive on,” Andrews said, “being counted out and having all these people say that you can’t do this and do that.”
The national championship is all but out of the picture for 2016, but if anything that will give this Oklahoma team extra motivation to go out and get the job done in the Big 12.
“We can finish the season 10-2,” Andrews said. “Those two losses at the beginning of the season, yeah, they hurt. But 10-2 and undefeated in the Big 12, that’s still a Big 12 championship, and that’s our goal right now.”
It all starts with No. 21-ranked TCU this weekend on the road in Ft. Worth.
Here are a dozen reasons why the Sooners can – and will – win their second consecutive Big 12 title, and 10th overall, in 2016:
Oklahoma has won nine Big 12 championships, three in the last six seasons. That’s three times as many conference crowns as the closest Big 12 team (Texas with three).
Having played two highly ranked teams to begin the season will have the Sooners better prepared, both mentally and physically, to play Big 12 teams than would have been the case with a softer nonconference schedule. Oklahoma won’t face any Big 12 teams the caliber of Ohio State and Houston.
The key to any championship team is a quarterback possessing strong leadership and confidence in himself, as well as outstanding skills and abilities. Baker Mayfield is that for the Sooners. In addition, he doesn’t have the word “give up” in his vocabulary or his demeanor.
The performance of
Samaje Perine
,
Joe Mixon
and the Oklahoma run game over the remaining nine games will be a key determining factor in what the Sooner trajectory will be between now and season’s end. Perine and Mixon are thought by many to be the best running back tandem in the country and they offer the Sooners versatility and a strong complement to
Lincoln Riley’s
Air Raid offense. Mixon is averaging a Big 12-best 8.1 yards per rushing attempt.
“Being counted out is something we kind of thrive on…having people say we can’t do this and do that.” –Mark Andrews, OU sophomore tight end
The Sooners have had an extra week of practice to figure out what’s been going wrong in the opening three games and fix it as well as additional time to get ready for TCU. That should give Oklahoma an advantage heading to Ft. Worth, where the Sooners have won five of the six times they’ve played the Horned Frogs in the all-time series. A win over TCU is a must if Oklahoma is going to win the Big 12 title outright this season.
Oklahoma has Baylor, Oklahoma State, two of the conference’s top contenders, and always tough Kansas State at home this season. That’s why the game Saturday at TCU is so important. With a big road win over TCU, the Sooners’ schedule arguably gives them the most favorable path to a Big 12 title.
The Sooners have lost only nine times at home in 18 seasons, a .915 win percentage that is the best home winning percentage of any Power Five team over than span. What’s more OU has won its last seven road games and 18 of the last 20 away from home.
The OU offense averaged 400 total offensive yards and over six yards per play against both Houston and Ohio State, two teams that rank in the top 20 in the country in total defense. Expect even better production against Big 12 teams, which are not known for lockdown defensive play.
No team in the Big 12 has better overall talent than Oklahoma. We saw the difference superior talent makes in the game between Oklahoma and Ohio State. The Sooners have prodced either the first or second best recruiting class in the Big 12 the last four years, according to Rivals.com.
Head coach Bob Stoops views turnovers as the single most important statistic, next to points, in determining the outcome of games. Extra emphasis has been placed on this factor in OU practice sessions the past two weeks. The Sooners have coughed up the ball five times in their first three games (three fumbles and two interceptions) and only forced two fumbles and no interceptions by their opponents. This negative ratio will flip to the positive side in Big 12 play.
The Sooners’ defense so far in 2016 has been widely maligned, especially in the defensive secondary. The OU defensive unit is not a bad as it appears after the first three games. Yes, there has been an issue at the cornerback spot opposite All-Big 12 corner Jordan Thomas. The Sooners will mitigate this problem and become more aggressive on “D” in Big 12 play. The TCU game will serve as the first glimpse at the improvement on the defensive side of the ball.
The Oklahoma offense is averaging almost seven yards per offensive play, and that is in a nonconference schedule that has included two teams that are playing some of the best football in the country this season. That average is the second best of any Oklahoma team under Bob Stoops. Only the 2008 team, which won a Big 12 title and played Florida for the national championship, had a higher average.
