Oklahoma football: Sooners ranked 4th in Athlon’s 2020 Preseason Top 25
By Chip Rouse
A week ago we posed the question of whether the 2020 edition of Oklahoma football had it in them to make a fourth consecutive trip to the College Football Playoff.
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We certainly thought so, but now a supposedly unbiased, independent source ostensibly believes that to be a strong possibility, as well.
Athlon Sports has come out with its annual college football preview publication and projects Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State and the Sooners, in that order, as the top four teams in the country heading into what we all hope will be the 2020 season and the early picks for the College Football Playoff.
Oklahoma’s No. 4 spot is an advancement of one position from where the Athlon editors had the Sooners in its “way-too-early” top-25 projections following the end of the 2019 college season. LSU was No. 4 in Athlon’s January poll, followed by Oklahoma.
In its write-up about the 2020 edition of Lincoln Riley’s Sooners Athlon says the offense, even with its fourth different starting quarterback in as many seasons, should be “as potent as ever,” and “with more talent coming via the recruiting trail and nine starters returning, (Alex) Grinch’s defense could take another step forward in 2020.”
The publication goes on to point out a blinding flash of the obvious in its preview of the coming Oklahoma football season: “As usual, the annual showdown versus Texas in Dallas will be critical for (OU’s) playoff hopes.”
Speaking of the hated Longhorns, Athlon has coach Tom Herman’s team ranked 16th in its preseason rankings, two spots lower than No. 14 Oklahoma State.