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Oklahoma football: Top 5 “What if?” scenarios for the 2023 Sooner football season

By Brandon Self

Dec 29, 2022; Orlando, Florida, USA; Oklahoma Sooners running back Gavin Sawchuk (27) runs with the ball against the Florida State Seminoles in the second quarter during the 2022 Cheez-It Bowl at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 29, 2022; Orlando, Florida, USA; Oklahoma Sooners running back Gavin Sawchuk (27) runs with the ball against the Florida State Seminoles in the second quarter during the 2022 Cheez-It Bowl at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports /
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What if the Sooners have a close game in the opener against Arkansas State?

COLUMBUS, OHIO – SEPTEMBER 10: Running back Johnnie Lang #2 of the Arkansas State Red Wolves runs the ball against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the second quarter at Ohio Stadium on September 10, 2022 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gaelen Morse/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OHIO – SEPTEMBER 10: Running back Johnnie Lang #2 of the Arkansas State Red Wolves runs the ball against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the second quarter at Ohio Stadium on September 10, 2022 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gaelen Morse/Getty Images) /

Oklahoma opens the season against the Arkansas State Red Wolves on September 2nd in Norman. Kickoff is set for 11am (CST).

Arkansas State finished 2022’s season with a 3-9 overall record (1-7 in the Sun Belt conference). That’s horrific. The Red Wolves only return three starters on offense and five on defense. They’ll have a brand new quarterback and a completely new offensive line. Also, they’re horrible on the road. The Red Wolves are 2-16 on the road since 2020.

So the Sooners should dominate them, right? What if they don’t?

Answer: It’s not the end of the world.

I understand that Sooner Nation expects the Sooners to have last season’s taste in their mouth. Still, hopefully, they’ve moved on from last season. The opener will hopefully showcase a limited attack offensively that has a heavy dose of running between the 3 to 4 running backs on the Sooner depth chart, similar to the offensive attack displayed against Florida State. That game plan will be enough to fly through the Sooners’ non-conference schedule.

Do I want to see Dillon Gabriel come out looking like Kyler? Yes. Will he? Not a chance, and he doesn’t need to. Nobody on the Sooner offense outside D.J. Graham needs to be special early. I will get to D.J. later. The defense will open up early and be aggressive all year. The personnel matches the Brent Venables mold now, and that defense never holds back. I fully expect a physically dominating performance from the Sooner defense, including a much improved Sooner pass rush.

So, if the defense is what it should be and the offense is conservative, the score might look unnerving. The Sooners could walk away from September 2nd with a 10-point victory, and Sooner Nation will be ready to riot. But it won’t be a bad thing. Obviously, a 70-0 victory would make us all feel a little better and really scratch last year’s itch, but it isn’t the end of the world if OU doesn’t blow out Arkansas State.

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